Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She started in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before a successful crossover to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop". , she had sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, won six Grammy Awards, 22 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, and had the first Christian album to go Platinum. She was honored with a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 for her contributions to the entertainment industry. Grant made her debut as a  teenager and gained fame in Christian music during the 1980s with such hits as "Father's Eyes", "El Shaddai", and "Angels". In the mid-1980s, she began broadening her audience and soon became one of the first CCM artists to cross over into mainstream pop on the heels of her successful albums "Unguarded" and "Lead Me On." In 1986, she scored her first "Billboard" Hot 100 No. 1 song in a duet with Peter Cetera, "The Next Time I Fall". In 1991, she released the blockbuster album "Heart in Motion" which became her best-selling album to date, topping the "Billboard  Christian album chart for 32 weeks, selling five million copies in the U.S., and producing her second No. 1 pop single Baby Baby". She is the author of several books, including a memoir, "", and a book based on the popular Christmas song "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" that she co-wrote. Background. Early life and career. Born in Augusta, Georgia, Grant is the youngest of four sisters. Her family settled in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1967. She is a great-granddaughter of Nashville philanthropist A. M. Burton (founder of Life and Casualty Insurance Company, eponym of Nashville's Life & Casualty  Tower, WLAC Radio, and WLAC-TV) and Lillie Burton. She has acknowledged the influence of the Burtons on her development as a musician, starting with their common membership in Nashville's Ashwood Church of Christ. In 1976, Grant wrote her first song ("Mountain Top"), performed in public for the first time at Harpeth Hall School, the all-girls school she attended in Nashville. She recorded a demo tape for her parents with church youth-leader Brown Bannister. When Bannister was dubbing a copy of the tape, Chris Christian, the owner of the recording studio, heard the demo and called Word  Records. He played it over the phone, and she was offered a recording contract, five weeks before her 16th birthday. In 1977, she recorded her first album, "Amy Grant", produced by Brown Bannister, who would also produce her next 11 albums. It was released in early 1978, one month before her high-school graduation. Toward the end of 1978 she performed her first ticketed concert after beginning her first year at Furman University. In May 1979, while at the album-release party for her second album, "My Father's Eyes", Grant met Gary Chapman, who had written the title track  and would become her first husband. Grant and Chapman toured together in mid-1979. In late 1980, she transferred to Vanderbilt University, where she was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. Grant then made a few more albums before dropping out of college to pursue a career in music—"Never Alone", followed by a pair of live albums in 1981 ("In Concert" and "In Concert Volume Two"), both backed by an augmented edition of the DeGarmo & Key band. It was during these early shows that Grant also established one of her concert trademarks: performing barefoot. To date, Grant continues to  take off her shoes midway through performances, as she has said, "it is just more comfortable." 1982 saw the release of her breakthrough album "Age to Age". The album contains the signature track, "El Shaddai" (written by Michael Card) and the Grant-Chapman penned song, "In a Little While". "El Shaddai" was later awarded one of the "Songs of the Century" by the RIAA in 2001. Grant received her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Gospel Performance, as well as two GMA Dove Awards for Gospel Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year. "Age to Age  became the first Christian album by a solo artist to be certified gold (1983) and the first Christian album to be certified platinum (1985). In the mid-1980s, Grant began touring and recording with young up-and-coming songwriter Michael W. Smith. Grant and Smith continue to have a strong friendship and creative relationship, often writing songs for or contributing vocals to each other's albums, and as of 2019, often touring together annually during November and December putting on Christmas concerts. During the 1980s, Grant was also a backup singer for Bill Gaither. Grant followed this album with the first 	Amy Grant
18183227	of her Christmas albums, which would later be the basis for her holiday shows. In 1984, she released another pop-oriented Christian hit, Straight Ahead", earning Grant her first appearance at the Grammy Awards show in 1985. The head of NBC took notice of Grant's performance and called her manager to book her for her own Christmas special. Widening audience. Hardly had Grant established herself as the "Queen of Christian Pop" 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. "Unguarded" (1985) surprised 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 one of the few non-Christmas Christian songs to hit the "Billboard" Top 40 list, also reaching No. 7 on the Adult Contemporary chart. She also scored No. 18 on "Billboard" AC in 1986 with "Stay for Awhile". Grant scored her first "Billboard" No. 1 song in 1986 with "The Next Time I Fall", a 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, titled "I Could Never Say Goodbye", and recorded "The Animals' Christmas" with Art Garfunkel. "Lead Me On" (1988) contained many songs that were about Christianity and love relationships, but some interpreted it as not being an obviously "Christian" record. Years later, "Lead Me On" would be chosen as the greatest Contemporary Christian album of all time by "CCM Magazine". 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 No. 96 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and "1974 (We Were Young)" and "Saved By Love" also charted as Adult Contemporary songs. In 1989, she appeared in a Target ad campaign, performing songs off the album. In the mainstream. When "Heart in Motion" was released in 1991, many fans were surprised that the album was so clearly one of contemporary pop music. Grant'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, of whom Grant wrote, her "six-week-old face was my inspiration") became a pop hit (hitting No. 1 on the "Billboard" Hot 100), and Grant was established as a name in the mainstream music world. "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" (No. 2), "That's What Love Is For" (No. 7), "Good for Me" (No. 8), and "I Will Remember  You" (No. 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") reaching No. 1. Many Christian fans remained loyal, putting the album atop "Billboard" Contemporary Christian Chart for 32 weeks. "Heart in Motion" is Grant's best-selling album, having sold over five million copies according to the RIAA. Grant followed the album with her second Christmas album, "Home For Christmas" in 1992, which included the song "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)", written by Chris Eaton and Grant, and would later  be covered by many artists, including Donna Summer, Jessica Simpson (who acknowledged Grant as one of her favorite artists), Vince Gill, Sara Groves, Point of Grace, Gladys Knight, and Broadway star Barbara Cook. "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 pop hit "Lucky One" (No. 18 pop and No. 2 AC; No. 1 on Radio & Records) as well as the title track (a duet with country music star and future husband Vince Gill) (No. 37 pop) and a cover  of Joni Mitchell's frequently covered "Big Yellow Taxi" (No. 67 pop) (in which she changed the line "And they charged the people "a dollar and a half" just to see'em" to "And then they charged the people "25 bucks" just to see'em"). After she covered the 10cc song "The Things We Do for Love" for the "Mr. Wrong" soundtrack, "Behind the Eyes" was released in September 1997. The album struck a much darker note, leaning more towards downtempo, acoustic soft-rock songs, with more mature (yet still optimistic) lyrics. She called it her "razor blades and Prozac" album. Although  Takes a Little Time was a moderate hit single, the album failed to sell like the previous two albums, which had both gone multi-platinum. "Behind The Eyes" was eventually certified Gold by the RIAA. The video for "Takes a Little Time" was a new direction for Grant; with a blue light filter, acoustic guitar, the streets and characters of New York City, and a plot, Grant was re-cast as an adult light rocker. She followed up "Behind The Eyes" with "A Christmas To Remember", her third Christmas album, in 1999. The album was certified Gold in 2000. Following  the 9/11 attacks, Grant's "I Will Remember You" saw a resurgence in popularity as many radio DJs mixed a special tribute version of the song. That same year, Grant won $125,000 for charity on the "Rock Star Edition" of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Return to her roots. Grant returned to her roots with the 2002 release of an album of hymns titled "Legacy... Hymns and Faith". The album featured a Vince Gill-influenced mix of bluegrass and pop and marked Grant's 25th anniversary in the music industry. Grant followed this up with "Simple Things" in  2003. The album did not have the success of her previous pop or gospel efforts. Soon after "Simple Things", Grant and Interscope/A&M parted ways. The same year, Grant was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame by the Gospel Music Association, an industry trade organization of which she is a longstanding member, in her first year of eligibility. Grant released a sequel in 2005 titled "Rock of Ages...Hymns and Faith". 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 canceled at the end of its first season because of high production costs. After "Three Wishes" was canceled, Grant won her 6th Grammy Award for "Rock of Ages... Hymns & Faith". In a February 2006 webchat, Grant stated she believes her "best music is still ahead". In April 2006, a live CD/DVD titled "Time Again... Amy Grant Live" was recorded in Fort Worth, Texas, at Bass Performance Hall. (Grant's first paid public performance was at the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth.) The concert was released  on September 26, 2006. In addition to receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, media appearances included write-ups in "CCM Magazine", and a performance on "The View". In a February 2007 web chat on her web site, Grant discussed a book she was working on titled "", saying, "It's not an autobiography, but more a collection of memories, song lyrics, poetry and a few pictures." The book was released on October 16, 2007. In November, it debuted at No. 35 on the "New York Times" Best Seller list. In the same web chat, Grant noted that she  is "anxious to get back in the studio after the book is finished, and reinvent myself as an almost-50 performing woman". 2007 was Grant's 30th year in music. She left Word/Warner, and contracted with EMI CMG who re-released her regular studio albums as remastered versions on August 14, 2007. Marking the start of Grant's new contract is a career-spanning greatest hits album, with all the songs digitally remastered. The album was released as both a single-disc CD edition, and a two-disc CD/DVD Special Edition, the DVD featuring music videos and interviews. Grant  appeared with Gill on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" for a holiday special in December 2007. Grant has plans to appear on CMT, a Food Network special, the Gospel Music Channel, and "The Hour of Power". In February 2008, Grant joined the writing team from Compassionart as a guest vocalist at the Abbey Road studios, London, to record a song called "Highly Favoured", which was included on the album "CompassionArt". On June 24, 2008, Grant re-released her 1988 album, "Lead Me On", in honor of its 20th anniversary. The two-disc release includes the original album and a second disc  with new acoustic recordings, live performances from 1989, and interviews with Amy. Grant recreated the "Lead Me On" tour in the fall of 2008. On June 27, 2008, at Creation Festival Northeast she performed "Lead Me On" and a few other songs backed by Hawk Nelson. At the end of the concert, Grant returned to the stage and sang "Thy Word". She appeared on the 2008 album "" singing "Could I Have This Dance". On May 5, 2009, Grant released an EP containing two new songs, "She Colors My Day", and "Unafraid", as well as the previously released songs "Baby Baby  and Oh How the Years Go By". The EP, exclusively through iTunes, benefited the Entertainment Industry Foundation's (EIF) Women's Cancer Research Fund. In 2010, Grant released "Somewhere Down the Road", featuring the hit single "Better Than a Hallelujah", which peaked at No. 8 on "Billboard" Top Christian Songs chart. When asked about the new album during an interview with CBN.com, Grant says, "... my hope is just for those songs to provide companionship, remind myself and whoever else is listening what's important. I feel like songs have the ability to connect us to ourselves and to each other , and to our faith, to the love of Jesus, in a way that conversation doesn't do. Songs kind of slip in and move you before you realize it." In September 2012, Grant took part in a campaign called "30 Songs / 30 Days" to support "", a multi-platform media project inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book. Grant's next album, "How Mercy Looks from Here", was released on May 14, 2013, and was produced by Marshall Altman. The album reached No. 12 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, making it her highest-charting album since 1997's "Behind  the Eyes". Two singles were released from the album: "Don't Try So Hard" and "If I Could See", both of which charted on the US "Billboard" Hot Christian Songs chart. On August 19, 2014, she released an album of hits remixed by well known engineers and DJs. The album was titled "In Motion: The Remixes". It charted at 110 on the US "Billboard" 200 chart and at No. 5 on the US Dance chart. To promote the album, several new remix EPs were released on iTunes the following month including "Find a Way, "Stay for Awhile", "Baby Baby, "Every  Heartbeat" and "That's What Love Is For". Due to club play of the remixes of "Baby Baby" and "Every Heartbeat", they charted at No. 3 and 13, respectively on the U.S. Dance Chart. This marked her first appearance on that chart in 23 years. On September 30, 2014, Grant released a new single titled "Welcome Yourself". In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, proceeds of the single go to breast cancer research. On February 12, 2015, she announced a new compilation album titled "Be Still and Know... Hymns & Faith", to be released. The album was released on April 14 , 2015, and charted at No. 7 in the U.S. on the "Billboard" Christian Albums chart. . Grant released a Christmas album on October 21, 2016, "Tennessee Christmas", which is a combination of classic Christmas songs and original material. It charted in the U.S. at No. 31 on the "Billboard" 200 and at No. 3 on the "Billboard" Top Holiday Albums chart. The single from the album, "To Be Together", reached No. 32 on the Hot Christian Songs chart and No. 19 on the Holiday Digital Song Sales chart. She supported the album with a series of Christmas concerts with Vince Gill  at the Ryman Auditorium. She also toured the U.S. and Canada with Christmas concerts accompanied by Michael W. Smith and season 9 winner of "The Voice", Jordan Smith. In February 2017, she released a new song, "Say It With a Kiss", with accompanying video. During November and December 2017, Grant performed another series of Christmas concerts with Vince Gill at the Ryman and embarked on another U.S. and Canada Christmas tour with Michael W. Smith and Jordan Smith. Personal life. On June 19, 1982, Grant married fellow Christian musician Gary Chapman. Their marriage produced three children. In March 1999, she  filed for divorce from Chapman, citing "irreconcilable differences", and the divorce was finalized three months later. On March 10, 2000, Grant married country singer-songwriter Vince Gill, who had been previously married to country singer Janis Oliver of Sweethearts of the Rodeo. Grant and Gill have one daughter together, Corrina Grant Gill, born March 12, 2001. In the November 1999 "CCM Magazine", Grant explained why she left Chapman and married Gill: In June 2020, Grant had heart surgery to repair partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR), a congenital heart condition. Public views and perception. Along with praise for her contributions  to the Contemporary Christian genre, Grant has also generated controversy within the Christian community, from "complaints that she was too worldly and too sexy" to a "barrage of condemnation" following her divorce and remarriage. In an interview early in her career, Grant stated, "I have a healthy sense of right and wrong, but sometimes, for example, using foul, exclamation-point words among friends can be good for a laugh." The article which was based on that interview was constructed in such a manner so as to make it appear as though Grant condoned premarital sex. Later Grant reflected on how  the article misrepresented her views, stating: "We probably talked for two hours about sexual purity, but when the interview finally came out he worded it in such a way that it sounded like I condoned premarital sex. So I picked up that article and thought, 'You've made me say something I've never said, and you've totally disregarded two hours of Bible put in one flippant comment that I made about a moan.'"