amy grant

Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American Christian and pop singer-songwriter and occasional actress.

Grant made her debut in 1977 under the guidance of Myrrh Records, and became the first Christian recording act to have an album be certified platinum. Following her marriage to Gary Chapman in 1982 and a subsequent deal between her record company and A&M Records, a series of successful pop-crossover records consolidated her position as both Christian music's highest-selling act and a formidable force in mainstream music. According to Billboard magazine she was the most successful Christian recording artist of the 1980s and 1990s.^{citation needed]} She is the best-selling Contemporary Christian Music recording artist of all time.

Career

Beginnings

After she signed to a record company at the age of sixteen, Grant's first, self-titled album (largely self-composed) in 1977, was a runaway success in terms of the Christian music market of the time. A graduate of Harpeth Hall School and then an English major at Furman University and later Vanderbilt University, Grant made a few more albums before dropping out of college to pursue a career in music. These albums included 1979's My Father's Eyes (the title track written by Grant's future first husband, singer-songwriter Gary Chapman) and Never Alone in 1980.

The year 1982 marked a turning point in both Grant's career and her personal life. After she married Chapman in June, her album Age to Age forced critics to sit up and take notice. The breakthrough album contained the now signature track, "El Shaddai" (written by Michael Card) and the Grant-Chapman penned song, "In A Little While". Now a star, Grant received her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Gospel Performance, as well as two Dove Awards for Gospel Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year. It was around this time that Grant began touring and recording with young up-and-coming songwriter Michael W. Smith. To this day, Grant and Smith continue to have a strong friendship and creative relationship, often writing songs for or contributing vocals to each other's albums.

Grant followed up this album with the first of her Christmas albums - albums that later would be the basis for her trademark holiday shows. 1984 saw the release of another pop-oriented Christian hit, Straight Ahead, earning Grant her first appearance at the Grammy Awards show.

Widening audience

Hardly had Grant established herself as the "Queen of Christian Pop", however, when she changed directions to widen her fan base (and hence her musical message). Her goal was to become the first Christian singer-songwriter who was also successful as a contemporary pop singer. 1985's Unguarded shocked some fans for its very mainstream sound (and Grant's leopard-print jacket, in four poses for four different covers). "Find a Way," from Unguarded, became the first Christian song to hit Billboard's Top 40 list, also reaching #7 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Amy Grant scored her first Billboard Number One hit in 1986 with "The Next Time I Fall", a breezy duet with former Chicago singer/bassist Peter Cetera. That year, she also recorded a duet with singer Randy Stonehill for his Love Beyond Reason album, entitled "I Could Never Say Goodbye".

1988's Lead Me On contained many songs that were about Christianity and love relationships, but some interpreted it as not being an obviously "Christian" record, although the album's title track is now considered a CCM classic. Years later, Lead Me On would be chosen as the greatest Contemporary Christian album of all time by CCM Magazine.^{citation needed]} The mainstream song "Saved by Love", was a minor hit, receiving airplay on radio stations featuring the newly emerging Adult Contemporary format. The album's title song received some pop radio airplay and crossed over to #96 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "1974 (We Were Young)" and "Saved By Love" also charted as Adult Contemporary songs.

1990s

Nevertheless, when Heart in Motion was released three years later, many fans were shocked and outraged that the album was so clearly one of contemporary pop music. Amy's desire to widen her audience was frowned upon by the confines of the popular definitions of "ministry" at the time. The track "Baby Baby" (written for Grant's newborn daughter, Millie, whose "six week old face was my inspiration," however, became a massive hit (hitting number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart), and Grant was established as a name in the mainstream music world. The music video created outrage in the industry,^{citation needed]} for in it, Grant dances and playfully flirts with model Jme Stein, not her husband. When interviewed about the theme of the video, she said she thought the song was more relatable to others when seen in a romantic light.^{citation needed]} Grant has also said that her original vision for the song's video clip involved many small babies in one room; however, A&M executives nixed the idea.^{citation needed]} "Baby Baby" received Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Record and Song of the Year (although it failed to win in any of those categories). Four other hits from the album made the Pop top 20: "Every Heartbeat" (#2), "That's What Love Is For" (#7), "Good For Me" (#8), and "I Will Remember You" (#20). On the Adult Contemporary chart, all five songs were top 10 hits with two of the five ("Baby Baby" and "That's What Love Is For") making it all the way to #1. Many Christian fans remained loyal, as the album also topped the Billboard's Contemporary Christian Chart for 32 weeks. Heart in Motion is her best-selling album, having sold over 5 million copies.

House of Love in 1994 continued in the same vein, boasting catchy pop songs mingled with spiritual lyrics. The album was a multi-platinum success and produced the minor pop hit "Lucky One" (#18 pop and #2 AC) as well as the title track (a duet with country music star and future husband Vince Gill) (#37 pop) and a cover of Joni Mitchell's frequently-covered "Big Yellow Taxi" (#67 pop).

In 1995, Amy expressed a desire to create more guitar-driven, rock-oriented music, pointing to Hootie & The Blowfish and Sheryl Crow as influences.^{citation needed]} As part of this newfound direction, she participated in Lifetime's 1st Annual "Girls & Guitars" benefit, singing a number of songs, including a duet with Melissa Etheridge of "You Sleep While I Drive".

After she covered the 10cc song "The Things We Do For Love" for the Mr. Wrong soundtrack, 1997's Behind the Eyes was released in September. BTE struck a much darker note, leaning more toward downtempo, acoustic soft-rock songs with more mature (yet still optimistic) lyrics (such as the radio hit "Takes A Little Time"). She called it her "razor blades and Prozac" album. The video for "Takes A Little Time" was certainly a new direction for Grant; with a blue light filter, acoustic guitar, the streets and characters of New York City, and a plot, Amy was re-cast as an adult light rocker.

Grant and Chapman separated and divorced in 1999. In 2000 Grant married Vince Gill, who had divorced country singer Janis Gill of Sweethearts of the Rodeo.

2000s

After giving birth to her fourth child Corinna Grant Gill, Grant returned to her gospel music roots with the 2002 release of Legacy...Hymns and Faith. The album featured a Vince Gill-influenced mix of bluegrass and gospel and marked Grant's 25th anniversary in the music industry. Grant followed this up with the pop release Simple Things in 2003. The album did not see the success of her previous pop efforts, however. Soon after Simple Things, Grant and Interscope/A&M parted ways. True to all of her work, spiritual themes weave in and out of the everyday experience.

Grant released a sequel to her hymns collection in 2005 titled Rock of Ages. Despite publicly musing that life would be easier if she weren't working,^{citation needed]} Grant joined the reality television phenomenon by hosting Three Wishes, a show in which she and a team of helpers make wishes come true for small-town residents. The show debuted on NBC in the fall of 2005, but was cancelled in November after 10 episodes.

After Three Wishes was cancelled, Grant won her 6th Grammy Award for Rock of Ages. In a February, 2006 webchat, Amy stated she believes her "best music is still ahead".^{citation needed]}

In April, 2006, a live CD/DVD entitled Time Again...Amy Grant Live was recorded in Fort Worth, TX, the location of her very first paid performance; it has been released on September 26, 2006 (which is, ironically, the same night her ex-husband was arrested for drunk driving and drug possession [1]). The concert was recorded in front of a live audience at Bass Performance Hall.

On September 21, 2006, Grant received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Trivia

• Grant is a longstanding member of the Gospel Music Association (GMA), which annually presents the GMA Music Awards and maintains the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, into which she was inducted in 2003.
• Grant has been recognized as the most popular foreign musician in Japan, which is exceptionally strange due to the fact that Grant is a Christian artist.^{citation needed]}
• Grant has appeared on the cover of CCM Magazine more than any other person, including a special "All Amy" issue.
• "Heart in Motion" was certified as one of the 100 best-selling albums of all time by the RIAA.
• Michael W. Smith and MercyMe are among the artists who credit Amy at least in part for helping to launch their careers.
• Jessica Simpson has said that Amy Grant is one of her favorite artists. Simpson covered Grant's "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" for "Rejoyce: The Christmas Album".
• Grant is known for her very successful semi-annual Christmas tour, which is often co-headlined by her husband, Vince Gill
• "Tennessee Christmas" is one of the most-covered original Christmas songs of the 20th Century
• MercyMe's "I Can Only Imagine" was originally written for Grant, who revised the lyrics and recorded it as "Imagine". Grant decided to delay her release of the song (which later appeared on "Legacy...Hymns and Faith") to allow MercyMe to release it as their own single.
• A platform at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center is named in her honor. Amy raised and/or donated one million US dollars to support the center in Nashville, TN. [2]
• Grant is notable for her very large and dedicated fan base, which are sometimes referred to as "Grantheads".
• Grant was the first Christian music artist to have a #1 pop song, the first to sell a Platinum record, the first to perform live at the Grammys, and the first to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• Grant was asked to be one of the lead acts in the original VH1 Divas concert but turned it down, not wanting to label herself a "diva".
• In 2005, Grant released one of the first and most popular iTunes Originals albums.
• Some Christian denominations have officially adopted several Amy Grant songs as hymns, including "Thy Word", "El Shaddai", "Sing Your Praise to the Lord", and others.
• Grant's managers reportedly turned down an offer for Grant to play the female lead in a 1990s Tom Hanks film (rumored to be "Sleepless in Seattle").
• Kevin Costner recorded a duet with Grant for his 1997 film, "The Postman", titled "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice". It plays during the end credits.
• In 1999, CBS aired a primetime Christmas special starring Grant, entitled "Amy Grant: A Christmas To Remember". Artists Tony Bennett, 98 Degrees, and CeCe Winans also appeared to perform with Grant.
• In 2001, Grant won $125,000 for charity on the "Rock Star Edition" of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".
• Hollywood often recognizes Grant's exceptional philanthropy.
• A particular breed of rose was bred in the United States and named the "Amy Grant" after the singer.
• Grant has been a spokesperson for Target and Land O'Lakes Butter, among others.
• Grant performed at the World Series in 2004 and the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2003.
• In 2001, the RIAA named "El Shaddai" one of the "Songs of the Century"

Popular Culture

• A 2006 episode of "Family Guy" parodied "Three Wishes" and featured an animated Amy Grant.
• The Young Fresh Fellows wrote a comical song about the singer titled "Amy Grant", which went #1 on College Radio and remains the The Young Fresh Fellows' biggest hit.
• Following the 9/11 attacks, Grant's "I Will Remember You" saw a resurgance in popularity as many radio DJs mixed a special tribute version of the song.
• The 2004 film, "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle" features "Baby Baby" as part of its diegetic soundtrack.
• A cover of "Baby Baby" plays in the 2005 film "Mr. & Mrs. Smith".
• The cover for the comic book Doctor Strange: Sorceror Supreme #15 (March 1990) featured an unauthorized image of Grant, leading to a lawsuit against publisher Marvel Comics ("Amy Grant Sues Marvel" The Comics Journal, No. 136, July 1990).
• A 2002 episode of the sitcom "Still Standing" (titled "Still Reading") references Amy Grant.
• A 2004 episode of "Wonderfalls" (titled "Pink Flamingos") references Amy Grant and Vince Gill's marriage.

Discography

See Amy Grant discography.

References

• Ruhlmann, William (2005). allmusic ((( Amy Grant > Biography ))). Retrieved Sept. 21, 2006.

See Also

• CCM Magazine
• Best selling music artists

External links

• Official Amy Grant website
• Amy Grant at the Internet Movie Database
• Amy Grant's career on A&M Records with gallery, international discography
• German/English Amy Grant archive website
• Official Amy Grant Christmas website
• Official Amy Grant Behind The Eyes website
• Amy Grant Rarities
• [3] Amy got her Hollywood Walk of Fame star