Have you looked at country lately? Hell I have and I must say that I've take my time to get a long, hard good look. If you haven't then believe me, you most definitely should. I can boldy declare that country sure looks good!
I might go further to avow that country never looked better! Yessiree! Country is looking mighty fine! Mighty fine indeed!
This week I'll be presenting proof to back up my bold declaration. I'm starting things off with Ms. LeAnn Rimes. LeAnn's life reads like a story taken from one of those happily ever after books. One would be precise in asserting that Rimes was born to sing.
When I think of her I picture a perfect race horse all geared up to bust through those gates to run a perfect race from beginning to end for such is her story. Except for the end part, for LeAnn is far from finished with the music industry.
Margaret LeAnn Rimes was born in Pearl, Mississippi on August 28, 1982 and has been on an amazing journey of stardom from a very early age. Rimes is a versatile country and pop singer as well as songwriter.
She started singing before she was 2 years old and landed an appearance on Star Search at age 8. Her first album Everybody's Sweetheart was released before she'd reached her 11th birthday. It wasn't until she and her family relocated to Texas though that she began gaining momentum.
Her debut album on a major label Blue was released when she was 13 years old and it's been a whirlwind career ever since. The album sold 6 million copies and debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, sold 123,000 copies within its first week and has been certified six times platinum by the RIAA and an additional two times platinum worldwide. Rimes is regarded as successor to the legacy that Patsy Cline left behind in early 1963.
To date, Rimes has sold over 37 million albums and won quite a few music awards including 1 American Music Award, 2 Grammy Awards, 3 Academy of Country Music Awards and 12 Billboard Music Awards.
And if that wasn't enough, she has set records in the music industry: Rimes is the youngest person to day to win a Grammy. To top that off she's the first country artist to win a Grammy for Best New Artist. Her rendition of How Do I Live is the longest charting song on the U.S. Hot 100 at 69 weeks.
Rimes has got a lot going for her. She's also one of the few child stars who has made a successful transition from childhood to adult star. She definitely has her shit together and I respect her so much more as a result.
LeAnn made a successful cross-over to pop during the late 90s into 2001 but began to lose momentum in this genre over the next few years. It became apparent that country was her forte. This was proven when she returned to that genre in 2005. She's back riding the waves of country success.
