Rodney Atkins and His Off-Roader

It’s hard to imagine a country boy driving anything other than a truck and Rodney Atkins doesn’t disappoint. The country singer and songwriter, best known for his songs “If You’re Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)” and “Caught Up in the Country,” owned his first truck back in high school.

Atkins loved his off-road vehicle, which he took on plenty of outdoor adventures and to this day remembers fondly.

What was your first car?

It was a ’76 International Harvester Scout.

How did you acquire it?

The Scout started out as the vehicle that [my] dad got for himself and [my] mom refused to drive it. It was a clunky thing. It was four-speed stick shift and it was a challenge.

What did you love most about it?

That it would go anywhere and that stick shift made it fun to drive. There were several times I thought I got it stuck in the mud and just put it in four wheel low and pulled it right out.

What didn’t you like about it?

I didn’t like that you had to get out to lock in the hubs to put it in four wheel drive.

What’s your best memory of it?

Probably taking it to Powell River, fishing all the time or hunting grouse in the snow with Duke, my old German short haired pointer bird dog.

What happened to the car?

I loved that car and wound up having to sell it, because when I went out to college I needed something I could drive. It was three hours to school, so I had to sell it and I got just a little Nissan pickup.

Do you remember your first car? Share in the comments below!

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