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It may just be one of those crazy coincidences that Faith Hill, born Audrey Faith Perry Hill in 1967, grew up in a place called Star, Mississippi. But it sure does make sense. Ever since bursting onto the scene in 1993 with her smash debut single "Wild One," Faith has served as a leading light, a true star, in the world of country music. Her stellar blend of folksy charm, genuine sincerity, and the talent of a legend-in-the-making has kept Hill on the charts and in the hearts of her loyal fanbase since those early days. Speaking of very early days, that's when Faith remembers nurturing her love for music. She recalls singing for the Mother-Daughter luncheon crowd at her local 4H Club at the tender age of seven. In fact, Faith sang whenever she could--family reunions, house parties, picnics--her mother plopping a quarter in her pocket each time she did. during high school, the commitment continued, but the venues changed: she impressed many at churches, rodeos and country fairs. At 19, she figured she was ready to try her luck in the dog-eat-dog city of Nashville, ground zero for country music. It would still be a while before Faith focused fully on music. She sold t-shirts before nabbing a job as a receptionist at a music publishing company. She admits she was "a closet singer" around the office for a year or so, until one of the in-house writers, David Chase, overheard her and convinced Faith to cut a demo of a song called "It Scares Me." Faith played it for her boss, Gary Morris, who proceeded to give her the kick in the pants she needed to pursue her true calling. Actively following her dream, Faith visited the famed songwriters' haunt, the Bluebird Cafˇ to sing harmony with composer Gary Burr. Soon she was singing with him regularly. It was at one of those Bluebird gigs with Gary that Faith got her long-deserved break. Veteran Warner Bros. A&R rep Martha Sharp, who also discovered Randy Travis, asked her for a demo tape. Faith's been rolling ever since. Faith's debut, Take Me As I Am, hit the streets in 1994. Besides the hit "Wild One," the record also featured Faith's take on Janis Joplin's hard-rockin' classic, "Piece of My Heart," Not bad: Two No. 1's in two tries! Take Me As I Am has since sold over two million copies. Faith also nailed the Academy of Country Music's Top New Female Artist Award. Young Audrey Faith Perry Hill, the daughter of Ted and Edna Perry, was now a full-fledged country music star. To retain that title, Faith hit the road in a big way throughout 1994 and 1995, touring with country superstars like her hero Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson and George Strait. In 1996 she played over 140 dates in the United States with Tim McGraw, a road trip that turned out to be one of the top grossing tours of the year. Faith followed the wild reception to her debut with It Matters To Me. Defying skeptics who thought Faith would be a flash in the pan, the record soared past the million mark twice as fast as her debut, with the title song remaining triumphantly at #1 for three weeks. "It Matters To Me" was Faith's fourth No. 1 single. 1996 was a huge year for Faith all around. In addition to savoring the success of her second album, she married her hunky touring partner Tim McGraw, with whom she's since had two beautiful daughters, Gracie in 1997 and Maggie in 1998. She performed in front of 3.5 billion viewers at the closing ceremonies for the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, and to cap the whole thing off, Faith, along with Warner Bros. Records and Time Warner, launched the Faith Hill Family Literacy Project, designed to help combat illiteracy worldwide. Faith's concern for family literacy is in large part a result of her family's first-hand experience with literacy issues. Her father, one of fourteen children, never learned to read after being forced to quit school in order to support his family. In 1998, following a brief but devoted period of mothering, Faith got back into the studio to make her third album, Faith. The album, of course, yielded "This Kiss," the smash that transformed the singer from country-music sensation to mega-pop star. That song helped Faith sell over three million copies, and earn her not one but five Academy of Country Music Awards. Next thing she knew she was singing on VH1's Divas Live '99 alongside Cher, Whitney Houston and Tina Turner. Her appearance went over so well, she was invited back for Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross, where she did a fierce rendition of the Supremes' "Love Child" and held her own with Miss Ross herself. What do you do to follow up international success like that? You stay with what got you there. Producers Byron Gallimore and Dann Huff stayed on, Faith found another batch of great songs and proceeded to nail them in the studio. The result, Breathe, again mixes pop and country, and this time includes a steamy duet with hubby Tim McGraw, "Let's Make Love," as well as a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Should I Fall Behind" To say that Breathe came out of the gates fast would be a monumental understatement. In fact, it debuted at #1 on the Billboard pop charts, making her the second country-based female singer of the '90s to do so (LeAnn Rimes was the first.) In just five years Faith Hill has transformed herself from simply a talented Mississippi country girl to one of the country's most celebrated, but still down home, divas. And it all started in a place called Star. Source: VH1 |
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