Rodney Atkins charted his first country single in 1997 after being signed to Curb Records. The song, 'In a Heartbreat,' reached No. 74. Six years -- and several heartbeats -- later, Rodney cracked the country Top 40 with 'Sing Along.' The Tennessee native eventually landed his first Top 5 hit in 2004 with 'Honesty (Write Me a List').

Rodney went through hell in 2006, which ended up being a good trip. 'If You're Going Through Hell' was named the No. 1 country song on Billboard's year-end chart in 2006, and 'Watching You' topped that same year-end chart in 2007. Like all artists, the first song of yours that you hear on the radio seems like a ticket to ride. Rodney tells The Boot where he was when he heard his first record on the radio.

There's an old saying that insists "revenge is a dish best served cold" -- the idea being that executing a calculated, unexpected response to having been wronged might ultimately produce a more satisfying outcome for the revenge seeker. A few singers perhaps missed that memo, preferring instead to combat cheaters, heartbreakers and deadbeats with heated and swift retribution. (Some more "Swift" than others!) Take cover as The Boot counts down country's best break-up songs!

10. 'Best Days of Your Life,' Kellie Pickler (featuring Taylor Swift)

Killer Kiss-Off: "A cheater is always a cheater / I've got my pride and she's got you"

Hell hath no fury like a woman -- or two -- scorned. Kellie and Taylor vented and co-conspired on this acidic tale of "once a cheater, always a cheater." One list it won't make: songs to dance to at your wedding.

Rascal Flatts have not only been one of country music's most successful acts, but their tight harmonies and well-crafted lyrics have worked their way into the pop world, well ahead of the recent crossover success of artists such as Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum. But the trio aren't surprised by their influence. They're just surprised it went unnoticed for so long.

"It's kind of amazing that people are just now finding out about it," Flatts guitarist/pianist Jay DeMarcus admits to The Boot. "Not to sound boastful ... but I think there was a movement that was started with us and Keith Urban, that paved the way for country to cross over a little more easily, with the pop-flavored country music that we know today."

Lady Antebellum's chart-topping album, 'Need You Now,' looks at love from both sides of the spectrum ... And if the subject matter seems to range from romantic ecstasy to downright heartbreak and pain, that's exactly what the trio was going for, according to Charles Kelley.

Charles says that while he was in newly-wedded bliss, the group's Hillary Scott was experiencing the opposite end of the emotional scale, which added a lot to the album. "I just got married ... I was definitely feeling in that romantic place. But people don't want to hear a whole record about that. We don't either," Charles tells the Toronto Sun. "And at the same time, Hillary was going through a lot of stuff. That's where 'Ready to Love Again' and some of the other songs about having to pick yourself back up came from. So we ended up with a balanced record."

One of the most eclectic and popular summer music festivals, Bonnaroo, is unveiling the lineup for the event which will take place from June 10-13 in Manchester, Tenn.

Among the acts announced for the festival is the Oklahoma-based country-rock band Cross Canadian Ragweed. The group, whose latest album, 'Happiness and All the Other Things, was released last year, are perhaps best known to mainstream country fans for the 2004 single, 'Sick and Tired,' which featured Lee Ann Womack.

Other acts appearing at Bonnaroo this year include Jay-Z, Dave Matthews Band, Norah Jones, Weezer and dozens more. In past years, the festival has incorporated bluegrass acts into the lineup, including the Del McCoury Band and Cherryholmes. Comedian and banjo picker Steve Martin is on the schedule this year.

Luke Bryan's new single and video for 'Rain Is a Good Thing' took the Georgia farm kid right back to his rain-soaked roots. As the son of a farmer who was dependent on the stuff, Luke tells the Boot he definitely wanted to write a positive song about precipitation.

"Rain is very important, and kind of kicks off the whole process of life," Luke tells The Boot. "We worked in agriculture, so we were always looking up at the sky, checking if it was raining or if rain was in the forecast. That always kind of set the tone for the mood in my household, whether we had rain coming in or not. Or if it had rained, we knew the crops would be good and it was going to be a good week around the Bryan household."

While Brad Paisley is nearing the top of the country charts with his single 'American Saturday Night,' his thoughts turn toward another of his hits, 'Then,' just in time for the most romantic day of the year, Valentine's Day.

Brad says his fans have let him know how much the song means to them, and how much they love the romantic sentiment of it. As one of the song's writers, Brad teasingly takes all of the credit for it, saying, "I don't remember what [the other songwriters'] contribution was, but ... they agreed when I came up with the lines."