Pages

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Amy Grant, The #52 Female Artist of the Rock Era

Amy was born in Augusta, Georgia and grew up in Nashville, Tennessee.  In church, she heard the hymns and Christian stories that would influence her work and her life.  As a teenager, Grant taught herself to play guitar and worked part-time at a recording studio.  It was during this time that Amy wrote her first song and performed at Harpeth Hall School.  She made a tape of her music, which was subsequently discovered by a producer with World Records.  

This led to a recording contract which Amy signed five weeks before her 16th birthday and the release of her self-titled debut album in 1977.  The album was highly successful in the Christian music genre.  Amy continued recording and performing throughout high school and college.  In 1978, she started at Furman University before transferring to Vanderbilt.  Eventually, Amy left Vanderbilt to devote full-time attention to her career.  Grant met songwriter Gary Chapman while making her 1979 album My Fathers Eyes and he joined her on tour in 1980.  The couple married in 1982.  

Grant released the album Age to Age, which won a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance and a Dove Award for Performer of the Year.  The album contains "El Shaddai", which was later awarded one of the "Songs of the Century" by the Recording Institute Association of America (RIAA) in 2001.   


Age to Age became the first Christian album to ever be certified Gold (500,000 units sold).  Amy was just getting started.  She began touring and recording with singer-songwriter Michael W. Smith, and captured the 1983 Grammy for Best Gospel Performance, Female for "Ageless Medley".  Grant released the first of her Christmas releases, A Christmas Album, in 1983, which has since gone Platinum.

In 1984, Amy released the album Straight Ahead and the head of NBC booked Amy for her own Christmas special.  That year, Grant won her third Grammy for "Angels", which won the trophy for Best Gospel Performance, Female.

In 1985, Grant changed musical direction, introducing a more popular element to her songs.  The album Unguarded contained "Find a Way", which made it up to #29 on the Popular chart and became a big Adult Contemporary hit, reaching #7.


"Everywhere I Go" also received significant AC airplay, reaching #28, and "Wise Up" reached #34 on the most popular format.  The entire Unguarded album was cited at the Grammy Awards for Best Gospel Performance, Female. 

 
In 1986, Grant joined Peter Cetera for the song "The Next Time I Fall", which reached #1 on the AC chart and gave Amy her first #1 on the overall chart.





Grant released the album Lead Me On in 1988.  The title song crossed over and received airplay on Top 40 stations, but its peak of #96 make it one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.






The album gave Grant her fifth Grammy Award when it won for Best Gospel Performance, Female.  It was later chosen as the top Contemporary Christian album of all-time by CCM Magazine.  In 1991, Amy released the album Heart in Motion.  The lead single, written for Grant's newborn daughter Millie, became a #1 hit on both the overall and Adult Contemporary charts and crossed the Atlantic to peak at #2 in the U.K.




"Baby Baby" earned Grant Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.  "Every Heartbeat" followed that smash close behind, just missing giving Grant her third #1 song at #2.






The next single "That's What Love Is For", continued the amazing success of the album, hitting #1 on the AC chart and #7 overall.






Grant followed that up with "Good for Me", which hit #8 overall and was a #4 Adult Contemporary hit.






 Realize the accomplishment of this album.  Most albums are lucky to have three big hits, and no Christian artist had ever enjoyed a big hit on the Top 40 chart.  Grant had five smashes on Heart in Motion.  "I Will Remember You" hit #2 on the AC chart and #20 overall.





Christian fans remained loyal, placing the album at #1 on the Christian album chart for 32 weeks.  The incredible release, nominated at the Grammys for Album of the Year, has now sold over five million copies.  "Hope Set High" is another great track on the album, reaching #1 on the Christian chart.





"Ask Me" was another reason for the album's success.






Grant continued the momentum with the release of the album Home for Christmas, which contained Grant's versions of Christmas favorites such as "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful".







Grant gave a great performance of Andy Williams' "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year".





The album also contained the new song "Grown-Up Christmas List", which has become one of The Top Christmas Songs of All-Time*.  Home for Christmas has now gone over the three-million mark in sales.






In 1994, Grant released House of Love, with "Lucky One" reaching #2 AC and #18 overall.






"House Of Love", recorded with future husband Vince Gill, hit #5 on the Adult Contemporary chart.





The album sold over two million copies.  "Helping Hand" gave Amy her 12th career #1 on the Christian chart.'





After covering the 10cc smash "The Things We Do For Love" for the "Mr. Wrong" Soundtrack, Amy released the album Behind the Eyes in 1997, which went Gold.  "Takes A Little Time" hit #4 on the AC chart and #21 overall.





"Like I Love You" also hit the Top 10 of the Adult Contemporary chart.


In 1999, Grant next released her third Christmas album, A Christmas To Remember, her 11th Gold album.  In 2001, Grant sang "God Bless America" in Spencer, Indiana, dedicating her performance to the victims of 9/11.  DJ's mixed a special tribute version of Grant's "I Will Remember You" and it saw a resurgence in popularity.

In 2002, Grant returned to her roots with the album Legacy...Hymns and Faith, her 12th album to be certified Gold, and her 11th straight.  It marked Amy's 25th year in the music industry.

The next year, Grant released the album Simple Things.  The title song reached #23 on the AC chart, but that would be as high as Amy would get after that.  However, Grant remains a big concert draw and is popular with both her fan bases.     

In 2005, Grant received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  In 2007, she was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame.  In 2012, she was given an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Music and Performance from Grand Canyon University.  

Grant has won six Grammy Awards and 25 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, and was the first Christian artist to ever see an album go Platinum.  She has enjoyed 22 Adult Contemporary hits, with 11 of those reaching the Top 10 and three #1 songs.  Her immense popularity is evidenced by 13 career Top 40 hits, five Top 10's and two #1's.  

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.