Beginning in 1997 with her self-titled debut album, Lee Ann Womack established herself as a welcomed throw-back to some of country’s greatest traditional leading ladies, including Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn. The daughter of a part-time disc jockey in Texas, Womack’s love of country music began at an early age, and it ran deep so deep that when her high school’s senior class went on its class trip, she convinced her parents to let her visit Nashville to see the music industry first-hand. After great initial success as a recording artist was followed by a lull in her career, Womack roared back in the mid-2000s with two stellar award-winning albums.
Womack was born on August 19, 1966 in the east Texas town of Jacksonville. Her mother was a teacher, and her father was a principal and a part-time country disc jockey who would bring his young daughter to the studio and let her pick out records to play. Womack graduated high school in 1984 and enrolled at South Plains Junior College in nearby Levelland, Texas to study music. Just a year into her studies, she transferred to Belmont University in Nashville, one of the premier music business schools in the country. She soon landed an intern position in the A&R department of MCA Records.
Womack’s Debut Album Turns Heads
While at Belmont University, Womack married songwriter, Jason Sellers. She dropped out of college in 1990 a year before graduating and spent time with her husband and new daughter, Aubrie. She returned to music in 1995, performing showcases around Nashville and recording demos of her music. She landed a publishing deal at Tree Publishing and wrote songs with artists like Ricky Skaggs and Hall of Famer Whisperin’ Bill Anderson.
In 1997, Womack released her debut album, Lee Ann Womack, on MCA’s sister label, Decca Records. She wrote much of the material on the album. Some feared her first name, Lee Ann, might confuse people with LeAnn Rimes, but she decided to keep her name anyway. The album’s first single, “Never Again, Again,” climbed to No. 23, while its two follow-up singles, “The Fool” and “You’ve Got to Talk to Me,” both climbed to No. 2. She was nominated for the Horizon Award by the Country Music Association, and the Academy of Country Music named her the Top New Female Vocalist.
Source: http://countrymusic.about.com/od/femaleartistsal/a/LeeAnnWomackBiographySeanDooley.htm
