Tracy Lawrence keeps stride as time marches on

           Just like his longest-lasting number one hit, and double platinum album, of the same name, “Time Marches On” for Tracy Lawrence.

            And the 41-year-old country music star likes that fact of life just fine.

            After two short-lived marriages, and a well-earned reputation as a hell raiser with a heart, Lawrence has settled down with his wife of nine years, real estate agent Becca, in a dream house in the Tennessee countryside in Mount Juliet, about 25 miles outside of Nashville.

            They and their two daughters, Skylar JoAnn, 8, and Mary Keagan, 6, attend church regularly.

            Lawrence even recorded his first album entirely of Christian-themed country music in June.

            “Now that I’ve gone through it and come out the other side, I’m pretty content where I’m at,” he said, from a stop on his current tour. “I don’t get the consistent airplay I used to, but I’m much happier not having the security around all the time. People don’t bother me like they used to.

            “I’ve kind of found that happy balance in it all,” he said. “Just let me live life.”

            It’s not like Lawrence has a frightening history of demons to overcome, or has been deaf to tenderness, ever since this skinny kid out of a small town right where Texas bumps up against Arkansas and Louisiana first launched his career about 20 years ago.

            From his first number one hit “Sticks and Stones,” to the more recent “Paint Me A Birmingham,” his music has a sweetness and depth of feeling that speaks of a gentle soul yearning for a tender love.

            “I don’t do honky-tonky badonkadonky stuff. I get pitched stuff like that but it’s not what I’m happy singing. I’ve probably missed out on some big records,” he said. “I think my music will sustain for a long time.”

            In June, Lawrence released his first gospel album, “The Rock,” a tribute to his roots, and the third album from his own independent label, Rocky Comfort Records.

            “I grew up in a very spirit-based family,” he said. “I went to church camp and was active in youth ministry. Mama and daddy pressured me for a long time (to make a Gospel album), and I felt like I was at the right place.

            “I have a family now and I’m in a good place personally,” said Lawrence. “I think it’s very important to give my daughters that foundation. I know how important it’s been to me to have that to fall back on. It means a lot to me to put your heart into this.”

            Lawrence also put his heart into a memorable concert for American troops stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba last month, an unusual detour from his fall tour schedule.

            “I try to be very supportive of our troops and do stuff to keep morale lifted,” he said. “It’s a great thing as an American to do my part. Gitmo could possibly be shut down and I thought it would be a great opportunity.”

            The concert went well, but the trip wasn’t quite what Lawrence had planned. “Of course the military does a lot of hurry up and wait,” he said. “They’ll change the game plan on you in midstream and leave you hung out to dry.

            “We were supposed to have a couple days to see the island, so we went on Sunday, did an early show, then a two-hour hour meet-and-greet and an autograph session,” he said.

            The next day, though, everyone got up at 9 a.m. and ended up leaving at 2:45 p.m., after sitting around all day in a military airport.

            “We didn’t see the prison, didn’t go to the golf course,” Lawrence said. “We didn’t get to see anything.”

            As Lawrence gets set to celebrate his 20-year milestone in 2010, with more than eight million albums sold, and 17 celebrated No. 1 singles, he’s also moving gently towards becoming more active as a record producer, which right now is handled by his brother and other staffers at Rocky Comfort.

            He still focuses primarily on his 100 or so concert dates a year, a pretty healthy pace, and is preparing to release his next album, which he promises will be traditional country.

            “I have a pretty proven track record, and the format is going to go back to traditional country,” he said. “There’s a whole generation of people who find music on the Internet; it’s a different time and place.”

            In addition to confronting changes in musical tastes, Lawrence has experienced a shift in his own hard gunning style, as he adjusts the pace from a time when he was generating four hit singles, and a new album, every year.

            “Things move slower and it’s more difficult to get a song up the charts. Everyone’s scratching and clawing and momentum can take months,” he said. “I feel real good where I am. I’m falling into a new category. I’m ready to add some things in.”

            If Lawrence has any regrets, it’s that he didn’t focus enough on preparing for the financial challenges of being a family man.

            “Just like a lot of people I wished I would have managed my money better,” he said. “I never thought of that when I was young. You think about getting your kids into college.”

            And, like everyone else during these hard times, you find out who your friends are.