A Star Is "Discovered"
Like a Hollywood story, Amy's break into music came while she worked part-time
sweeping floors and demagnetizing tapes in a Nashville studio. Her friend,
producer Brown Bannister, allowed her to use the studio to duplicate a tape of
her original songs that she wanted to give to her family. A Word Records company
producer heard the music and, charged with finding new talent in Nashville, felt
he had just "found it" and played the tape over the phone for his
company executives. The seventeen-year-old was signed almost immediately.
Amy's first album, the aptly named, AMY GRANT, introduced the
world to a fresh-faced and fresh-voiced young woman with a contagious faith and
engaging spirit. Contemporary Christian music was still an undefined amalgam of
gospel music, church hymns and the more provocative Jesus Music movement, but
somehow this new foray that seemed to combine all three elements found a quick
home. AMY GRANT the album, was a hit. And so was the woman who recorded it. Amy
soon found herself traveling and singing across the country in churches,
festivals, camps and schools. More albums followed in her burgeoning new musical
career. FATHER'S EYES in 1979, introduced her to Gary Chapman, the title cut's
songwriter and soon her opening act on tour for the following album, NEVER
ALONE. Gary and Amy married in 1982. Two live albums (the second recorded with
popular gospel rockers Degarmo and Key as her backup band) pushed Amy's musical
envelope from her folky, singer-songwriter style into an edgier pop/rock
category. It didn't matter to listeners. Christian music was growing. Amy Grant
was the leader and fans were following every step of the way.
Setting a New Standard
The year 1982 saw the release of what was to become Amy's signature album,
AGE TO AGE. Record company execs stepped up the production and marketing of both
the album and the artist, and the investment paid off. AGE TO AGE won Amy her
first Dove Awards including Contemporary album of the Year and Artist of the
Year, plus a Grammy win for Best Gospel Performance. Age To Age was the album
that brought the songs "Sing Your Praise to the Lord," and "El
Shaddai" to the modern church's hymnbook and sent Amy Grant on her most
ambitious tour yet. The album's success led to the quick turnaround follow-up
album, STRAIGHT AHEAD, which brought more sales records, radio #1's and Dove and
Grammy wins, including a performance of the album's hit, "Angels" on
the Grammy Awards national broadcast. It was a first for Christian music and for
the Grammys, and certainly not the last time Amy Grant made news and made noise.
In 1985, Christian music was a formidable force, but still a world within
itself. Enter Amy Grant and a new concept, sort of: crossing over. Some early
Jesus Music folks had tried to take their music to the broader mainstream world.
In truth, most of them had begun in mainstream music and used that platform to
introduce their faith-based music. Amy Grant was different. She was firmly
entrenched in the gospel world and was ready to take her message to the outside
world. UNGUARDED was the vehicle for that dream--an album made with
"crossing over" definitely in mind. It also marked the beginnings of
tension between those who thought crossing over was tantamount to "selling
out the gospel" and Amy's desire to share her heart, her music and her
faith in any arena that would listen--even if that meant pop stardom.
Breaking More Ground
And that's exactly what it did mean. UNGUARDED opened doors that Christian
musicians could only dream about before. Her first single, "Find a
Way," found its way onto mainstream radio and even birthed a video for MTV.
The album charted in Billboard and Amy made her way through the maze of national
publicity opportunities, including morning television talk shows, late night
talk shows, afternoon entertainment shows and a host of specials, including her
own CBS Christmas outing.
In her personal life, Amy became a mother with the birth of Matthew Garrison in
1987, while recording her next album, LEAD ME ON. The album passionately
reflected the new turns her life had taken. Its unmistakable folk leanings and
stark vulnerability of lyric marked it as a decided departure from UNGUARDED,
yet the album seemed a very natural progression for this always surprising and
innovative artist. In fact, it became Amy Grant's most critically acclaimed
album. Her ever-present vulnerability, both in her music and her life, seemed
even more poignant and her new maturity as she began the adventure of motherhood
permeated the songs.
Two years later, Amy welcomed Gloria Mills ("Millie"), her first
daughter and the inspiration for what was to become Amy's trademark and
breakthrough song, "Baby, Baby." Recorded for HEART IN MOTION, the now
multiplatinum album that made Amy a mainstream pop star, "Baby, Baby"
was the first "Christian" music song to reach the coveted number one
spot on Billboard's chart. A video for the song that celebrated the romantic
over the motherly translation of the tune landed lauds from the MTV crowd, but
controversy from some of Amy's older fans, who again saw her courting of a
mainstream audience as a sell-out of her faith. Nothing could have been farther
from the truth, but Amy didn't let the criticism rule her. As her celebrity
grew, so did the opportunities. As Christian music's most well-known export, Amy
became an ambassador for the faith and for the musical tradition that celebrated
it. Amy Grant put Christian music on the map and was having no trouble keeping
it there.
Two years after the birth of her second daughter, Sarah Cannon (named for
beloved Grand Old Opry star and Grant family friend, Minnie Pearl), Amy's 14th
album, HOUSE OF LOVE released. The album included the hit title cut duet with
country superstar Vince Gill. Although not the multiplatinum blockbuster of its
predecessor, the album hit double platinum and continued the trail that HEART IN
MOTION blazed. Lighthearted love songs mingled with straightforward songs of
devotion to God in a pure pop package proved again to be a winning combination.
Life's Hardest Stretch
Three years later, life became very different for Amy Grant. Her 15th album,
BEHIND THE EYES, released to critical acclaim, but lacked the upbeat quality of
previous releases. Fans noticed and critics noted the "darker side" of
Amy Grant and her music and soon the news of an impending divorce brought
context to the brooding lyrics and music. The album very much showcased the
natural ease with which Amy always poured her life into her songs, but for many
the news of her divorce superseded any artistic catharses and led to rumors,
speculations and chastisements. Amy weathered the storm, taking time to sort
through the changes and recharge her family and musical callings. Amy did not
enter the studio or hit the road again for two years.
Becoming a Holiday Tradition
They say the third time's the charm, but for Amy Grant, the release of
her third collection of Christmas music, CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER, in 1999 was
really just the continuation of an already grand tradition. Amy first stepped
into the seasonal spotlight back in 1983 with the release of A Christmas album,
a holiday offering that birthed her now classic and signature song,
"TENNESSEE CHRISTMAS." Seven years later, Amy did it again with HOME
FOR CHRISTMAS, a Yuletide ride that put another classic into everyone's holiday
repertoire: the haunting and elegant "Breath of Heaven." Back in 1993,
with two holiday albums under her belt, it seemed only natural to take the magic
on stage. That year Amy, together with her hometown Nashville Symphony, started
what became an annual tradition--Amy Grant's TENNESSEE CHRISTMAS--a live concert
event filled with music, nostalgia, friends and the spirit of the season. To
date, the annual tour has raised millions for many of the countless charities
Amy supports.
It was also in 1999 that Amy tapped into her other talents and took a turn at
television. She not only hosted her own prime-time network television Christmas
special, Christmas to Remember, but she starred in the made-for-TV movie, A Song
from the Heart. In the movie Amy played a blind music teacher searching for and
finding love and meaning. In her own life, Amy did the same. In March of 2000
Amy Grant married Vince Gill, and a year later the family grew with the welcome
addition of daughter Corrina Grant Gill.
Celebrating The Journey
Today Amy is happily settled into another round
of motherhood and celebrating the comforts of home and family. Approaching the
anniversary marking her 25th year in the business of making music, Amy Grant has
finally come full circle. A 2002 release, LEGACY HYMNS & FAITH, brings Amy
both in her music and her faith back to her roots. A collection of favorite
hymns (and some newly penned tunes) provides a nostalgic look back at the songs
that, as Amy recalls, truly shaped the woman she is today and the truths she
holds in her heart. Produced by long time friend and producer Brown Bannister,
together with Vince Gill, the music is a comfortable mix of Americana, folk,
bluegrass and gospel. Critics might call this musical move a departure for Amy,
but in reality, it's a returning. Amy Grant is home again. And happy. And it is
these songs that have provided the soundtrack for her life all along its
journey.
Amy’s much-anticipated 2003 release, “Simple Things” was three full years
in the making. Was it worth the wait? You bet. Emotional, honest songs,
glistening productions, arrangements that sweep through fields of strings and
settle into a nest of solo acoustic guitar—every detail of her seventeenth
album exceeds the her standards, which are as high as standards come in this
business.
Which brings Simple Things into full circle. From the personal to the global,
from the playfulness of "Happy" through the impassioned duet shared by
Amy and Vince on "Beautiful," Simple Things is perhaps the most
intimate glimpse ever offered into her heart. With tracks brilliantly produced
by Keith Thomas, Brown Banister and Wayne Kirkpatrick, this music seems to rush
through storms and sunlight before coming to rest in "After the Fire,"
a summary of all that we've experienced on our own and heard on this
disc—simple, soft, and quietly triumphant.
In the fall of 2004, the first “best of” collection from Amy to span her pop
career, Greatest Hits 1986-2004 (A&M/UTV/UMe), was released featuring two
new recordings, “Come Be With Me,” featuring Keb’ Mo’ and co-written by
Beth Nielsen Chapman (Faith Hill’s “This Kiss”), and “The Water,”
co-written by Grant and with husband Vince Gill on electric guitar.
Following on the heels of the GOLD certification of "Legacy...Hymns and
Faith," Amy again released in May of 2005 a CD of hymns, “Rock of
Ages.” The new recording contained several classic hymns such as, “Sweet
Will of God,” “Abide With Me,” “Joyful, Joyful,” “I Surrender
All,” as well as the title track, “Rock of Ages,” which is a duet with
Vince Gill.
Today following 25 years of sharing her music around the world, Amy hosts her
first primetime network television series “Three Wishes” on NBC. Wishes come
true in the series providing the hopes and dreams of deserving people in towns
all across America.
It seems a lifetime ago that a young Nashville girl picked up her guitar and her
heart and decided she had something to say to the world. Today Amy Grant would
tell you she never meant to leave a legacy, she was just doing what she loved.
But those who have been touched by her and her music know differently. Amy Grant
knows how to capture a heart. She's been sharing her life, her music and her
faith for decades--and somehow, through that amazingly graceful and vulnerable
spirit she's caught up thousands in her circle. And that's been the story of Amy
Grant's life.
Click here for a "Rock of
Ages" bio
Click here for a "Simple Things" bio
Click here for a "Legacy" bio
