Country singer Tracy Lawrence reflects on lasting impact of 1991 shooting

Country music star Tracy Lawrence is opening up about the life-changing trauma he suffered more than 30 years ago.

While recording his first album “Sticks and stones” In May 1991, Lawrence was walking her friend back to her hotel in Nashville when she was robbed by several armed assailants. The “Stars Over Texas” singer was shot four times during the robbery and needed major surgery to remove the bullets.

He didn’t know it then, but Lawrence – who begins his 2026 No Alibis Tour this year – admitted he now knows he should have sought professional help after surviving the shooting.

Jelly Roll Admits Her ‘Stupid Redneck’ Status When Pressed on Politics After Bringing God to the Grammys Stage

Singer Tracy Lawrence performs at the Palomino Stage during the Stagecoach Music Festival on April 27, 2025 in Indio, California. (Scott Dudelson)

“I was angry at the time,” Lawrence told Fox News Digital exclusively. “I felt like…they were trying to take my opportunity away from me, and I wasn’t getting the mental help that I needed. I’m more aware of the consequences, whether it’s, you know, if I go through a physical altercation or family trauma or whatever those things are.”

“I’m a big believer in taking care of your mental health these days, and I didn’t do that at the time. That was a very traumatic experience for me.”

He added: “I suppressed it and pushed it down, and it caused me a lot of problems in my personal relationships, and problems in my professional career.”

the “I can’t break it to my heart” The musician gained “part of the God complex” after the accident, which also created pain in his life.

Click here to subscribe to the entertainment newsletter

“I’m a big believer in taking care of your mental health these days, and I didn’t do that at the time. That was a very traumatic experience for me.”

– Tracy Lawrence

“When you get over a life-changing experience like this, I think there’s little change I swear it’s complicated “That comes when you survive something that maybe you weren’t supposed to have,” Lawrence said. “It made me push things to the edge a lot more than I would have if it hadn’t happened to me.

Tracy Lawrence was a rising star in Nashville’s country music scene when he was shot during a robbery. (Beth Gwen)

“I try to make it a point when people bring this up, and I talk about it now to make people aware that one of the most important things you can do when you’re going through something like this is talk to someone about it. Don’t repress it. Get rid of it and get it out and deal with it and face it, because if you don’t, it will eventually come out in a way that you can’t control.”

Lawrence spent days in the hospital at Vanderbilt Medical Center where he underwent several surgeries to remove a bullet from his knee. Doctors decided not to remove the bullet lodged in his hip.

WATCH: Tracy Lawrence says the 1991 shooting had an impact on his faith

“Once I realized I wasn’t going to die, the next thing I was worried about was that I was going to lose my leg… I didn’t know how badly the bullet would impact my leg because I had a gunshot wound to the joint in my left knee,” Lawrence said. “I really thought for a while they were going to have to amputate my leg and that was pretty painful in itself and I’m still suffering from that injury as well.”

Do you like what you are reading? Click here for more entertainment news

He added: “I had a total knee replacement and once I got over that, it gave me ankle problems. I’m probably going to have ankle surgery at the end of this year which I’ve been putting off for a while, so it’s caused residual problems over the years that I’ve had to continue and have never been able to completely overcome.”

“I really thought for a while they were going to have to amputate my leg and that was pretty painful in itself and I’m still suffering from that injury as well.”

– Tracy Lawrence

Tracy Lawrence was shot four times in 1991 and needed multiple surgeries to remove bullets from his body. (Will and Denny McIntyre)

Lawrence was a rising star in the industry at the time of his near-death experience, and he could have let the accident change his course, but his love of music and trust in God kept him going.

WATCH: The country music star reflects on the life-changing trauma that nearly derailed his career

“I’m lucky to have found something like this that I’m so passionate about in life, and I’ve been able to enjoy it for the better part of my life,” Lawrence said. “I think I started this dream when I was about 12 years old. And I just turned 58 and I still love it and I’m as excited about it now as I was when I was a kid. I think that’s a very rare thing.”

He added: “I have had a volatile relationship with my creator more than once.

Click here to download the FOX NEWS app

“I still have ups and downs with this. I’m still a struggling Christian, and it’s something I advise my pastor on a regular basis. But I know that God is always there. He’s had his hand on me since I was a little kid and I’ve been blessed to have so many prayer warriors around. My mother, ladies from the church I grew up in, and even the people in my life today who pray for me constantly. I feel so lucky to have them in my life. It’s definitely had an impact on my relationship with God.”

Tracy Lawrence is heading to the ‘No Alibis Tour’ this year. (Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

With more than a dozen albums under his belt and dozens of hit songs, Lawrence is bringing his best songs to the road this year on the 2026 No Alibis Tour.

“I think it’s the right time to get back out there,” he said. “You know, I never stopped touring, but you know, to reconnect with some of these fans that I haven’t seen in 25 years, people who followed me in the early ’90s, and just to reconnect with that audience out there.”

Lawrence’s 2026 No Alibis Tour kicks off in March and runs through August, with Lawrence stopping in his hometown of Nashville at the Ryman Auditorium.