Legend. Teen phenom turned 27-time Grammy winner. Alison studied classical music at the age of five but soon switched to bluegrass, her true love. She released her first album at the age of fourteen! At 16, she met her band - Union Station. She released her first album with them in 1989, and her first solo album in 1990. She won her first Grammy then, making her, at the time, the second youngest to win. At 21, she joined the Grand Old Opry.
All this without a hit! Her first came in 1994, with a collaboration with the band Shenandoah - "Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart."
Obviously a Grammy for Country Collaboration followed!
Time for another solo album - an album of covers! Her take on Keith Whitley's When You Say Nothing At All became her biggest hit, and won her a slew of CMAs.
Baby, Now That I Found You earned her a Grammy - and broke the four year streak another Other Girl had in the Female Country Vocal Performance category.
Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart
When You Say Nothing At All
Baby, Now That I've Found You
Why, of course! Mary Chapin Carpenter. Distant cousin of 'Cat's in the Cradle' singer/Brooklyn Tech alum Harry Chapin! Born in New Jersey, raised and educated outside of Washington DC. After graduated from Brown, she moved back to DC and immersed herself in the local music scene; there, she met her future collaborator John Jennings. She initially considered music a hobby, but thank goodness she changed her mind! She signed to Columbia and released Hometown Girl in 1987; weirdly enough, in the age of Susanne Vega and Tracy Chapman, she did not receive airplay until she was marketed to country markets.
Mary was always ambivalent about the country title, and it's true - her albums contained a multitude of inspirations, from the Beatles to zydeco to the Beach Boys. They were also albums, separating her from most of her peers.
Her first huge hit came with a single that was right in line with the early 90s line dancing craze - Down at the Twist and Shout.
DatTaS won Mary her first Grammy for Female Country Vocal Performance - her first of four consecutive wins, the longest streak of any woman in the country field. (Carrie is second with three.)
All this was leading up to Mary's third album, C'Mon, C'Mon. It led to seven charting singles, and went quadruple platinum - a real record, as women were not selling albums. It was the biggest album by a country female until The Woman in Me in 1995. First single I Feel Lucky was her second Grammy winner:
And now let's come to the two biggest singles off of the album.
Mary was songwriter by trade, but she never passed up a great one written by someone else.
In 1988, a singer named Lucinda Williams (who would finally gain her rightful acceptance ten years later) released a single called Passionate Kisses. It went nowhere.
Four years later, Mary covered it. It went top ten and won her a third Grammy.
And then she released, arguably, the biggest and best feminist statement country music had seen that decade.
That means a lot as, by 1993, every third Reba single was a feminist anthem (Is There Life Out There, Walk On, etc) and the next year brought on the duo of Wild One (Faith) and Independence Day (Martina).
He Thinks He'll Keep Her shot to number two on the charts, crossed over to Adult Contemporary, and was nominated for RECORD OF THE YEAR.
Shut Up and Kiss Me, the first single off of Mary's fourth album, was her last to win her a Grammy - and her first (and only) number one on the country charts. (It also features backing vocals from a lady we'll see later on!
Quittin' Time
Down at the Twist and Shout
I Feel Lucky
Passionate Kisses
He Thinks He'll Keep Her
Shut Up and Kiss Me
So, the 90s produced some great voices. Some are known (Mariah, Celine); some are more off the beaten path.
I'd like to present (arguably) the finest singer in the past thirty years of country music - Trisha Yearwood.
A smart one, she majored in business administration. While in college, she interned at a record company, and gained a job there once she graduated. She also gathered the strength to put herself out there, and began cutting demos and singing background for other artists. One of the up and comers she met along the way promised to get her a record deal if he made it.
Boy did he ever. A decade later, he married her! (Google it if you don't know!) She signed with MCA Nashville, and her very first single became a number one.
It also kinda sorta inspired Love Story.
Trisha Yearwood, her debut album, was a hit, selling two million copies. But she hit hard times as she divorced her first husband, Chris Latham. Her next album would reflect this.
It was kicked off by the decidedly different Wrong Side of Memphis.
While performing on The Tonight Show, Trisha ran into Don Henley (of the Eagles). She asked him to collaborate on a song, and - he agreed!
By 1995, Trisha was the proud winner of two Female Vocalist awards, and decided to lighten up her sound. The result? Her second number one - also the theme song to her current cooking show!
Listen. She sounds looser, more libidinous. Freer.
Doesn't she?
She's in Love With The Boy
Wrong Side of Memphis
Walkaway Joe
XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)
Thinking About You
Believe Me Baby (I Lied)
Thinkin' About You is my favorite Trisha song and one of my favorite country songs. I found it randomly during my first (kinda failed) effort to get into country like 5-ish years ago. Beautiful, beautiful song. Glad it's included.
Trisha in general really resonates with me, as a person. She gives me a good vibe or something. The vast majority of her music doesn't necessarily appeal to me, but I'll be extra generous with her anyway
There is something about Trisha that I truly love. Like, I imagine her being a super cool lady. And the fact that she is married to Garth gives her extra points.
But before that, let's take a look at what happens to child stars.
Enter one Margaret LeAnn Rimes. An 80s baby, she appeared on Star Search at the age of six. By nine, she was touring nationally. She signed with an indie country label at eleven, and had released three albums before her breakthrough!
One of the songs on one of those albums was originally intended for Patsy Cline, before Patsy's tragic accident. Writer and promoter Bill Mack had others record it, but it didn't take off until LeAnn got her hands on it - and radio started playing it, of course.
That song? Blue. A new signing with major label Curb Records brought it to disk jockeys' attention, and it went top ten on the country charts. It was the first time a teenage singer had such success since Tanya Tucker in 1972.
Of course, popular culture - and teen culture - had changed substantially in 24 years. Teens were big business in the 90s, and LeAnn's arrival drew mainstream attention.
In 1997, LeAnn won two Grammys - Country Female Vocal (something Tanya couldn't do!) and ...
Best New Artist.
I was there (at home!) I remember the moment. She was, and is, the youngest artist to win Best New Artist. (Sorry Meghan!) She even made the cover of the New York Daily News the next day!
LeAnn was also the first Country artist to win Best New Artist! You're welcome, Shelby Lynne, the Zac Brown Band, and Carrie Underwood!
Her debut album was a success, and the next two singles went to #1 on #5 on country radio, respectively.
Of course, all of this brought LeAnn mainstream attention, and her next album was more of an adult contemporary affair, and country radio didn't support it. But pop and AC stations did! And one single was inescapable. We'll get to that later.
LeAnn's 1999 release did bring her a top five country hit, in the form of Commitment.
Blue
One Way Ticket (Because I Can)
The Light in Your Eyes
Commitment
