LeAnn Rimes had been turning heads long before the release of her groundbreaking debut album, Blue, in 1996. From singing and performing in theater productions at an early age, to belting out the national anthem before packed Dallas Cowboys football games, Rimes was dazzling people with her amazing voice at a very early age. So, it was really no surprise when she became the youngest person to ever win a Grammy, as well as the first country artist to ever take home the Grammy for Best New Artist.
Born Margaret LeAnn Rimes on August 28, 1982 in Pearl, Mississippi, Rimes moved to the Dallas suburb of Garland, Texas when she was four. At the age two she was already singing, and her parents quickly recognized her prodigious singing ability, so they enrolled her in vocal and dance lessons a year later. By five she was competing in talent shows. Rimes musical career started in musical theater with a role in production of A Christmas Carol in Dallas. Her first major break came when she appeared on the nationally televised talent show, Star Search, hosted Ed McMahon. This exposure opened more doors for Rimes and garnered the attention of countless talent scouts.
Rimes’ father, Wilbur, was instrumental in directing the early trajectory of his daughter’s career. She performed “The Star Spangled Banner” numerous times in front of nationally televised Dallas Cowboys games, as well as for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League and the Texas Rangers major league baseball team. When she was eleven, she began recording with a local independent label, and she released three albums. She was eventually discovered by famed disc jockey and record promoter, Bill Mack, whose plan was to have Rimes record “Blue,” a song he claims to have written for Patsy Cline to record before her untimely death—a claim that remains disputed.
Source: http://countrymusic.about.com/od/femaleartistsal/a/LeAnnRimesBiographySeanDooley.htm
