Revision as of 00:14, 20 April 2007 editSith Penguin Lord (talk | contribs)583 edits →Popular culture← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 20:46, 25 December 2024 edit undoSundayclose (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers46,090 edits →Early life and career: A year can't "see". | ||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|American singer-songwriter, musician (born 1960)}} | |||
{{Unreferenced|date=September 2006}} | |||
{{about|the Christian musician|the American politician|Amy Grant (politician)|the American singer born in 1880|Amy Allison Grant}} | |||
{{Infobox musical artist | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2021}} | |||
| Name = Amy Grant | |||
{{Infobox person | |||
| Img = Amygrant2005promo.jpg | |||
| name = Amy Grant | |||
| Img_capt = Amy Grant in 2005, shortly after the release of her album ''Rock of Ages''. | |||
| image = Amy Grant - West Wendover, Nevada.jpg | |||
| Background = khaki | |||
| |
| landscape = yes | ||
| |
| caption = Grant in October 2008 | ||
| birth_name = Amy Lee Grant | |||
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|11|25}} | |||
| Genre = ], ], ] | |||
| birth_place = ], U.S. | |||
| Years_active = 1977–present | |||
| education = {{Ubl | ] | ]}} | |||
| Label = ] <small>(1977–1997)</small> <br/>] <small>(1977–present)</small> <br>] <small>(1985–2004)</small> <br>] <small>(2005–)</small> | |||
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer-songwriter|musician}}<!-- Occupation(s) as given in the lead (see MOS:ROLEBIO) --> | |||
| URL = | |||
| awards = ] | |||
| spouse = {{ubl | |||
| {{marriage|]|1982|1999|end=divorced}} | |||
| {{marriage|]|2000}} | |||
}} | |||
| children = 4 | |||
| module = {{Infobox musical artist | embed = yes | |||
| origin = ], U.S. | |||
| genre = {{hlist|]|]|]|]}} | |||
| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar}} | |||
| years_active = 1976–present | |||
| label = {{hlist|]|]|]|]}} | |||
| website = {{URL|amygrant.com}} | |||
}} | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''Amy Lee Grant''' (born ] ]) is an ]n ] and ] ] and occasional ] and ]. | |||
'''Amy Lee Grant''' (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She began her music career in contemporary ] (CCM) before crossing over to ] in the mid-1980s. Grant has been referred to as "]".<ref>{{cite web |date=October 3, 2002 |title=Interview With Amy Grant and Vince Gill |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=131919 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926135259/http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/Story?id=131919 |archive-date=September 26, 2013 |access-date=August 25, 2013 |work=ABC News |quote=When Amy Grant and Vince Gill sang a duet for her 1994 album House of Love, he was the king of country and she was the queen of Christian pop.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Brounstein |first=Laura |date=November 2006 |title=In Perfect Harmony: Vince Gill & Amy Grant |url=http://www.lhj.com/style/covers/in-perfect-harmony-vince-gill-amy-grant/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729044913/http://www.lhj.com/style/covers/in-perfect-harmony-vince-gill-amy-grant/ |archive-date=July 29, 2013 |access-date=August 25, 2013 |work=Ladies' Home Journal |quote=In 2000 her world turned upside down when she, the Queen of Christian Pop, and he, the King of Country, got married, leaving behind first spouses and their fans' mountain of expectations.}}</ref> | |||
Grant made her debut in ] as a teenager, and scored her first number-one Christian radio hit two years later. In ], she released her breakthrough album, '']'', which would become the first Contemporary Christian music album to be certified platinum. | |||
Grant made her debut as a teenager, gaining fame in Christian music during the 1980s with hits such as "Father's Eyes", "]", and "]". In the mid-1980s, she began broadening her audience and soon became one of the first CCM artists to ] into mainstream pop on the heels of her successful albums '']'' and '']''. In 1986, she scored her first ] no. 1 song in a duet with ], "]". In 1991, she released the album '']'', which became her best-selling album, topping the ''Billboard'' Christian album chart for 32 weeks. It sold five million copies in the U.S. and produced her second no. 1 pop single "]", as well as another three top 10 hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100: "]", "]" and "]". | |||
By ], her music began to reach a wider audience, as her album '']'' crossed over onto mainstream charts. This feat was reproduced in ] when her album '']'' became a best-seller and the single "]" became a number one pop hit. | |||
{{as of|2009|post=,}} Grant had sold more than 30 million albums worldwide,<ref>{{cite web |last=Ruhlmann |first=William |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/amy-grant-mn0000024944 |title=Amy Grant – Music Biography, Credits and Discography |website=AllMusic |access-date=March 7, 2013 |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125132149/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amy-grant-mn0000024944 |url-status=live }}</ref> won six ], 22 ] ], and had the first Christian album to go ].<ref name="cnn">{{cite news|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0312/06/lkl.00.html|title=Interview With Amy Grant, Vince Gill|access-date=August 29, 2008|publisher=CNN|year=2003|archive-date=April 9, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409135933/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0312/06/lkl.00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She was honored with a star on the ] in 2006<ref name=gettystar>{{cite web|url=http://www.gettyimages.com/event/amy-grant-receives-a-star-on-the-hollywood-walk-of-fame-71931992#amy-grant-poses-next-to-her-newly-unveiled-star-on-the-hollywood-walk-picture-id71942550|title=Amy Grant Receives a Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame|date=September 19, 2006|access-date=November 22, 2016|publisher=Getty Images|archive-date=November 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123201335/http://www.gettyimages.com/event/amy-grant-receives-a-star-on-the-hollywood-walk-of-fame-71931992#amy-grant-poses-next-to-her-newly-unveiled-star-on-the-hollywood-walk-picture-id71942550|url-status=live}}</ref> for her contributions to the entertainment industry, and in 2022 she was announced as a recipient of the ].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.npr.org/2022/07/21/1112443668/george-clooney-and-gladys-knight-are-among-the-2022-kennedy-center-honorees?t=1658519766909 | title=George Clooney and Gladys Knight are among the 2022 Kennedy Center honorees | website=NPR | date=July 21, 2022 | last1=Ulaby | first1=Neda }}</ref> Grant is the author of several books, including a memoir, ''Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far'', and a book based on the popular Christmas song "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" that she co-wrote. | |||
Throughout the ] and early ], Grant continued to record pop-oriented albums, and did not make a full-fledged return to gospel music until ], with the record '']''. In ], Grant hosted her own reality television show on ], called '']''. | |||
{{TOC limit|3}} | |||
As of ], Grant remains the best-selling ] singer, having sold over 25 million records worldwide, and ''Heart in Motion'' is the best-selling Christian music album as well, exceeding sales of 5 million. | |||
== |
== Background == | ||
=== |
=== Early life and career === | ||
After she signed to a record company at the age of sixteen, Amy Grant's first, self-titled ] (largely self-composed) in ], was a runaway success in terms of the Christian music market of the time. A graduate of ] and then an ] major at ] and later ], Grant made a few more albums before dropping out of college to pursue a career in music. These albums included ]'s '']'' (the title track written by Grant's future first husband, singer-songwriter ]) and '']'' in ]. During the 70s, Amy was also a backup singer for ], and the ]. | |||
Born in ], Grant is the youngest of four sisters. Her family settled in ] in 1967.<ref name="Mosaic">{{cite book|last=Amy|first=Grant|title=Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far|year=2007|publisher=Flying Dolphin Press|isbn=978-0-385-52289-2|pages=|url=https://archive.org/details/mosaicpiecesofmy00gran/page/198}}</ref> She is a great-granddaughter of Nashville philanthropist ] (founder of Life and Casualty Insurance Company, ] of Nashville's ], ] Radio, and ]) and Lillie Burton.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Burton Pinched Pennies, then Gave most of Fortune Away.|last=Carey|first=Bill|date=December 7, 2003|work=The Tennessean|via=ProQuest}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Learn Nashville|last=Zepp|first=George|date=September 6, 2006|work=The Tennessean|via=ProQuest}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=L&C Tower at 40|date=October 30, 1997|work=Nashville Banner|via=ProQuest}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=70 YEARS ALOFT: 1]|last=Loew|first=Karen|date=November 17, 2002|work=The Tennessean|via=ProQuest}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=50 Years of Channel 5 CORRECTION APPENDED]|last=Beck|first=Ken|date=August 4, 2004|work=The Tennessean|via=ProQuest}}</ref> She has acknowledged the influence of the Burtons on her development as a musician, starting with their common membership in Nashville's Ashwood ].<ref>{{cite news |first = Seth |last = Robertson |url = http://news.vanderbilt.edu/vanderbiltmagazine/amy-grant-82-finds-inspiration-and-purpose-in-the-power-of-community/ |title = Shining through: Amy Grant, '82, finds inspiration and purpose in the power of community |magazine = Vanderbilt Magazine |volume = 96 |date = Winter 2015 |pages = 30–35 |access-date = February 6, 2015 |archive-date = February 7, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150207012803/http://news.vanderbilt.edu/vanderbiltmagazine/amy-grant-82-finds-inspiration-and-purpose-in-the-power-of-community/ |url-status = live }} See esp. p. 32.</ref> According to the Singing Carrots website, based on her recorded songs, Grant has a ] voice type, also able to perform in the ] and ] ranges.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://singingcarrots.com/artist-range?artist=Amy%20Grant |title=Amy Grant vocal range |website=Singing Carrots |access-date=March 26, 2024}}</ref> | |||
The year ] marked a turning point in both Grant's career and her personal life. After she married Chapman in June, her album '']'' forced critics to sit up and take notice. The breakthrough album contained the now signature track, "]" (written by ]) and the Grant-Chapman penned song, "In A Little While". Now a star, Grant received her first ] for Best Contemporary Gospel Performance, as well as two ] for Gospel Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year. ''Age to Age'' would later become the first Christian album by a solo artist to be certified gold (]) and the first ever Christian album to be certified platinum (]). | |||
In 1976, Grant wrote her first song ("Mountain Top"), performed in public for the first time at ], the all-girls school she attended in Nashville. She recorded a ] for her parents with church youth-leader ]. While Bannister was ] a copy of the tape, ], the owner of the recording studio, heard the demo and called ]. He played it over the phone, and she was offered a recording contract five weeks before her 16th birthday. | |||
It was around this time that Grant began touring and recording with young up-and-coming songwriter ]. To this day, Grant and Smith continue to have a strong friendship and creative relationship, often writing songs for or contributing vocals to each other's albums. "]" would later be awarded one of the "]" by the ] in 2001. | |||
In 1977, she recorded her first album, '']'', produced by 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 ]. | |||
Grant followed up this album with the first of her Christmas albums - albums that later would be the basis for her trademark holiday shows. ] saw the release of another pop-oriented Christian hit, ''],'' earning Grant her first appearance at the Grammy Awards show. | |||
In May 1979, while at the album-release party for her second album, '']'', Grant met ], who had written the title track. Grant and Chapman toured together in mid-1979. In late 1980, she transferred to ] where she was a member of the sorority ].<ref name="Mosaic" /> Grant made a few more albums before dropping out of college to pursue a career in music—'']'', followed by a pair of live albums in 1981 ('']'' and '']''), both backed by an augmented edition of the ] band. It was during these early shows that Grant also established one of her concert trademarks: performing barefoot. Grant continues to take off her shoes midway through performances, as she has said, "it is just more comfortable."<ref>''Preston and Steve'' radio show excerpt; May 2008</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://feet.thefuntimesguide.com/celebrity_barefoot_in_public/ |title=When Is It OK To Go Barefoot In Public? | |||
===Widening audience=== | |||
|date=May 24, 2008|website=Feet and Shoes Guide |publisher=The Fun Times Guide |access-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-date=September 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925231517/https://feet.thefuntimesguide.com/celebrity_barefoot_in_public/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
] | |||
Hardly had Grant established herself as the "Queen of Christian Pop", however, 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. ]'s '']'' shocked some fans for its very mainstream sound (and Grant's leopard-print jacket, in four poses for four different covers). "]," from ''Unguarded'', became the first Christian song to hit ] list, also reaching #7 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Amy Grant scored her first Billboard Number One hit in 1986 with "]", a breezy duet with former ] singer/bassist ]. That year, she also recorded a duet with singer ] for his '']'' album, entitled "I Could Never Say Goodbye". | |||
In 1982 she released her breakthrough album '']''. The album contains the signature track, "]" (written by ]) and the Grant-Chapman penned song, "In a Little While". "El Shaddai" was later awarded one of the "]" by the ] in 2001. Grant received her first ] for Best Contemporary Gospel Performance, as well as two ] 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).<ref name="cnn"/> | |||
]'s '']'' contained many songs that were about Christianity and love relationships, but some interpreted it as not being an obviously "Christian" record, although the album's title track is now considered a CCM classic. Years later, ''Lead Me On'' would be chosen as the greatest Contemporary Christian album of all time by '']''. The mainstream song "Saved by Love" was a minor hit, receiving airplay on radio stations featuring the newly emerging ] format. The album's title song received some pop radio airplay and crossed over to #96 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "1974 (We Were Young)" and "Saved By Love" also charted as Adult Contemporary songs. | |||
In the mid-1980s, Grant began touring and recording with young up-and-coming songwriter ]. 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 ].<ref name="billgaither">{{cite web|url=http://www.americanprofile.com/article/5501.html|title=Bill Gaither: The Gospel of Giving|access-date=April 25, 2009|publisher=American Profile|author=Beverly Keel|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129120135/http://www.americanprofile.com/article/5501.html|archive-date=January 29, 2009}}</ref> | |||
===1990s=== | |||
] | |||
Grant followed this album with the first of her Christmas albums, which would later be the basis for her holiday shows. In 1984, she released another pop-oriented Christian hit, '']'', earning Grant her first appearance at the ] show in 1985. The head of ] took notice of Grant's performance and called her manager to book her for her own Christmas special.<ref name="Mosaic"/> | |||
Nevertheless, when '']'' was released three years later, many fans were shocked and outraged that the album was so clearly one of contemporary ]. Amy's desire to widen her audience was frowned upon by the confines of the popular definitions of "ministry" at the time. The track "]" (written for Grant's newborn daughter, Millie, whose "six week old face was my inspiration,") however, became a massive hit (hitting number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop chart), and Grant was established as a name in the mainstream music world. The music video created outrage in the industry,{{Fact|date=February 2007}} for in it, Grant dances and playfully flirts with model ], not her husband. When interviewed about the theme of the video, she said she thought the song was more relatable to others when seen in a romantic light.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Grant has also said that her original vision for the song's video clip involved many small babies in one room; however, A&M executives nixed the idea.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} "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" (#2), "That's What Love Is For" (#7), "Good For Me" (#8), and "I Will Remember You" (#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") making it all the way to #1. Many Christian fans remained loyal, as the album also topped the Billboard's Contemporary Christian Chart for 32 weeks. ''Heart in Motion'' is her best-selling album and one of the best selling albums of all time according to the ], having sold over 5 million copies. She followed this album with her second Christmas album, ], in 1992, containing "]", which would later be covered by many artists, including ], ] (who would acknowledge Amy as one of her favorite artists), ], ], and ]. | |||
=== Widening audience === | |||
'']'' in ] 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" (#18 pop and #2 AC; #1 on ]) as well as the title track (a duet with country music star and future husband ]) (#37 pop) and a cover of Joni Mitchell's frequently-covered "]" (#67 pop). | |||
Shortly after Grant established herself as the "Queen of Christian Pop" she changed directions to widen her fan base. Her goal was to become the first Christian singer-songwriter who was also successful as a contemporary pop singer.<ref name="rollingstone">{{cite magazine|url=http://amygrant.offramp.org/info/articles/ung/85jun6rollingstone.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120231852/http://amygrant.offramp.org/info/articles/ung/85jun6rollingstone.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 20, 2008|title=Amy Grant wants to put God on the charts|access-date=August 30, 2011|magazine=]|date=June 6, 1985|author=Michael Goldberg}}</ref> '']'' (1985) surprised some fans for its very mainstream sound. "]", from ''Unguarded'', became one of the few non-Christmas Christian songs to hit the ] list, also reaching No. 7 on the ] chart. She also scored No. 18 on ''Billboard'' AC in 1986 with "]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amy Grant Albums (Top Albums) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts |url=https://www.musicvf.com/Amy+Grant.alb |access-date=2024-06-06 |website=www.musicvf.com}}</ref> Grant scored her first ''Billboard'' No. 1 song in 1986 with "]", a duet with former ] singer/bassist ]. That year, she also recorded a duet with singer ] for his '']'' album, titled "I Could Never Say Goodbye", and recorded ''The Animals' Christmas'' with ]. | |||
In 1995, Amy expressed a desire to create more guitar-driven, rock-oriented music, pointing to ] and ] as influences.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} As part of this newfound direction, she participated in Lifetime's 1st Annual "]" benefit, singing a number of songs, including a duet with ] on "You Sleep While I Drive". | |||
'']'' (1988) contained many songs which were about Christianity and love relationships, but some interpreted it as not being enough of a "Christian" record. Years later ''Lead Me On'' would be chosen as the greatest Contemporary Christian album of all time by '']''. 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 ] 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 ] ad campaign, performing songs from the album.<ref name="target">{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3092/is_n19_v28/ai_8089589 |title=Rabbit stars in Target holiday promo |access-date=August 29, 2008 |publisher=Gale Group |year=1989 |author=Gale Group |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912051613/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3092/is_n19_v28/ai_8089589/ |archive-date=September 12, 2009 }}</ref> | |||
After she covered the ] song "The Things We Do For Love" for the '']'' soundtrack, ]'s '']'' was released in September. The album struck a much darker note, leaning more towards downtempo, acoustic soft-rock songs with more mature (yet still optimistic) lyrics (such as the radio hit "Takes A Little Time"). She called it her "razor blades and ]" album. The video for "Takes A Little Time" was certainly a new direction for Grant; with a blue light filter, acoustic guitar, the streets and characters of New York City, and a plot, Amy was re-cast as an adult light rocker. She followed up "Behind The Eyes" with '']'', her third Christmas album, in ]. | |||
=== In the mainstream === | |||
Grant and Chapman separated and ]d in ]. In ] Grant married ], who had divorced country singer ] of ]. | |||
] | |||
===2000s=== | |||
When '']'' was released in 1991, many fans were surprised that the album was 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.<ref name="fans">{{cite web|url=http://amygrant.offramp.org/info/articles/him/5.html#t|title=Christian Fans Ask Too Much of Amy Grant|access-date=August 29, 2008|work=The Arizona Republic|date=May 18, 1991|first=Kim Sue Lia|last=Perkes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313110334/http://amygrant.offramp.org/info/articles/him/5.html#t|archive-date=March 13, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The track "]" 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). | |||
After giving birth to her fourth child Corinna Grant Gill, Grant returned to her ] roots with the ] release of '']''. The album featured a Vince Gill-influenced mix of bluegrass and gospel and marked Grant's 25th anniversary in the music industry. Grant followed this up with the pop release '']'' in ]. The album did not see the success of her previous pop efforts, however. Soon after ''Simple Things'', Grant and ]/A&M parted ways. True to all of her work, spiritual themes weave in and out of the everyday experience. The same year, Grant got inducted into the ] by the ], an industry trade organization of which she is a longstanding member, in her first year of eligibility. | |||
Four other hits from the album made the Pop top 20: "]" (No. 2), "]" (No. 7), "]" (No. 8), and "]" (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.<ref name="riaa">{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=2&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Heart%20In%20Motion&artist=Grant&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|title=Amy Grant – RIAA|access-date=August 29, 2008|publisher=RIAA|year=2008|author=RIAA|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924154447/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=2&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Heart%20In%20Motion&artist=Grant&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|url-status=dead}}</ref> Grant followed the album with her second Christmas album, '']'' in 1992, which included the song "]", written by ] and Grant, and would later be covered by many artists, including ], ] (who acknowledged Grant as one of her favorite artists), ], ], ], ], and Broadway star ]. | |||
Grant released a sequel to her ] collection in ] titled '']''. Despite publicly musing that life would be easier if she weren't working,{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Grant joined the ] phenomenon by hosting '']'', a show in which she and a team of helpers make wishes come true for small-town residents. The show debuted on ] in the fall of 2005 and was cancelled at the end of its first season due to high production costs. After ''Three Wishes'' was cancelled, Grant won her 6th ] for '']''. In a February, ] webchat, Amy stated she believes her "best music is still ahead". | |||
'']'' in 1994 continued in the same vein, containing pop songs mingled with spiritual lyrics. The album was a multi-platinum success and produced the pop hit "]" (No. 18 pop and No. 2 AC; No. 1 on ]) as well as the title track (a duet with country music star and future husband ]) (No. 37 pop) and a cover of Joni Mitchell's frequently covered "]" (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"). | |||
In April of 2006, a live CD/DVD entitled '']'' was recorded in ], at ]. (Amy's first paid public performance was at the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth, TX.) The concert was released on ], ]. (The CD and DVD are sold separately). In addition to receiving a star on the ], media appearances included write-ups in '']'' and a performance on ]. | |||
After she covered the ] song "]" for the '']'' soundtrack, '']'' 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 ]" album.<ref name="pitt">{{cite web|url=http://amygrant.offramp.org/info/2001/50.html |title=Amy Grant's career comes full circle |access-date=August 29, 2008 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=September 15, 2002 |first=Rosa |last=Colucci |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612215414/http://amygrant.offramp.org/info/2001/50.html |archive-date=June 12, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although "]" 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 ]. 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 '']'', her third Christmas album, in 1999. The album was certified gold in 2000. | |||
In a February 2007 web chat on her web site, Amy discussed a book she is working on entitled "Mosaic: Reflections on a Life of Grace": "It’s not an autobiography, but more a collection of memories, song lyrics, poetry and a few pictures." The book is scheduled to release in Fall 2007 (cover image below). In the same web chat, Amy 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." ] | |||
Following the ] Grant's "]" saw a resurgence in popularity as many radio DJs mixed a special tribute version of the song. In the same year Grant won $125,000 for charity on the "Rock Star Edition" of '']''<ref name="ew">{{Cite magazine|url=http://ew.com/article/2001/02/09/mark-mcgrath-and-sisqo-rock-millionaire/ |title=Mark McGrath and Sisqo rock ''Millionaire'' |access-date=June 2, 2022 |magazine=] |author=Liane Bonin |date=February 9, 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007163747/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C98722%2C00.html |archive-date=October 7, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
=== Return to Gospel Roots === | |||
== Popular culture == | |||
*On a 2006 episode of ] her song "Carry Me" is played right after the starting credits. | |||
* A 2006 episode of "]" parodied "]" and featured an animated Amy Grant. | |||
* ] wrote a comical song about the singer titled "Amy Grant", which went #1 on ] and remains ]' biggest hit. | |||
* The 2004 film, "]" features "]" as part of its ] soundtrack. | |||
* A cover of "Baby Baby" by ] plays in the 2005 film "]". | |||
* The character "]" in ], lead singer for the Christian rock group "Kovenant", is thought to be a composite of Amy Grant and ]. | |||
* The cover for the comic book ''Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #15'' (March 1990) featured an unauthorized image of Grant, leading to a lawsuit against publisher ] ("Amy Grant Sues Marvel" '']'', No. 136, July 1990). | |||
* A day time soap opera played "Our Love" in the background of a scene. | |||
* A 1995 episode of the sitcom "]" (titled "A Kiss Is Just a Kiss") features a storyline in which a record store holds a contest for a kiss from country singer ]. The record store prominently features promotional displays for Grant's 1994 album, ], in most of the shots. | |||
* A 2002 episode of the sitcom "]" (titled "Still Reading") references Amy Grant. | |||
* A 2004 episode of "]" (titled "Pink Flamingos") references Amy Grant and ]'s marriage. | |||
* In a ] skit, ]'s character tells ]'s character that she makes "] look like Amy Grant," a reference to Love's wild antics and Grant's conservative reputation. | |||
* In another ] skit, ]'s character talks with ]'s character about Amy Grant and sings part of "]". Both skits are available on the ] DVD. | |||
Grant returned to Christian pop with the 2002 release of an album of ] titled '']''. The album featured a Vince Gill-influenced mix of ] and pop and marked Grant's 25th anniversary in the music industry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/legacyhymns-faith-mw0000219271|title=Legacy...Hymns & Faith|author=Robert L. Doerschuk|website=AllMusic|access-date=June 2, 2022|archive-date=December 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202110635/http://allmusic.com/album/legacyhymns-faith-mw0000219271|url-status=live}}</ref> Grant followed this up with '']'' in 2003. The album did not have the success of her previous pop or gospel efforts. Soon after ''Simple Things'', Grant and ]/A&M parted ways. The same year, Grant was inducted into the ] by the ], an industry trade organization of which she is a longstanding member, in her first year of eligibility. Grant released a sequel in 2005 titled '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/rock-of-ageshymns-faith-mw0000209405|title=Rock of Ages...Hymns & Faith|author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|website=AllMusic|access-date=November 3, 2014|archive-date=December 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202102748/http://allmusic.com/album/rock-of-ageshymns-faith-mw0000209405|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==Discography== | |||
{{main|Amy Grant discography}} | |||
Grant joined the reality television phenomenon by hosting '']'', a show in which she and a team of helpers make wishes come true for small-town residents.<ref name="tw">{{cite web|url=http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/three_wishes/series_about.jhtml|title=Three Wishes|access-date=August 29, 2008|website=]|year=2008|archive-date=March 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327015526/http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/three_wishes/series_about.jhtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> The show debuted on NBC in the fall of 2005; however it was canceled at the end of its first season due to 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 said she believes her "best music is still ahead". | |||
==References== | |||
] | |||
* Ruhlmann, William (2005). . Retrieved Sept. 21, 2006. | |||
In April 2006, a live CD/DVD titled '']'' was recorded in ], at ]. (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 ], media appearances included write-ups in ''CCM Magazine'', and a performance on '']''. | |||
In a February 2007 web chat on her web site, Grant discussed a book she was working on titled ''Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far'', 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 ].<ref name="book1">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/books/bestseller/1104besthardnonfiction.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin|title=Hardcover Nonfiction|access-date=December 6, 2007|work=The New York Times| date=November 4, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150209120156/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/books/bestseller/1104besthardnonfiction.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin| archive-date=February 9, 2015| url-status=live}}</ref> 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". | |||
==See also== | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
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 ] 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.<ref name="EMI">{{cite web|url=http://www.emicmg.com/press/printPress.aspx?id=529387|title=EMI Music Signs Worldwide Catalog Partnership with Amy Grant|access-date=September 10, 2007|publisher=EMI Christian Music Group|year=2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071014202127/http://emicmg.com/press/printPress.aspx?id=529387| archive-date= October 14, 2007 | url-status=live}}</ref> Grant appeared with Gill on '']'' for a holiday special in December 2007.<ref name="oprah">{{cite web|url=http://www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200711/20071130/slide_20071130_350_101.jhtml|title=The Holidays, Country Style|access-date=December 6, 2007 |website=Oprah|year=2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071203094302/http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200711/20071130/slide_20071130_350_101.jhtml| archive-date= December 3, 2007 | url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==External links== | |||
* | |||
* | |||
* | |||
* | |||
*{{imdb name | id=0004973 | name=Amy Grant}} | |||
*{{amg | id=11:rzadqj1bojja | label=Amy Grant}} | |||
In February 2008, Grant joined the writing team from ] as a guest vocalist at the Abbey Road studios, London, to record a song called "Highly Favoured", which was included on the album '']''. 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 ] she performed "Lead Me On" and a few other songs backed by ]. 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". | |||
==Overview== | |||
] | |||
{{Amy Grant}} | |||
On May 5, 2009, Grant released an EP containing two new songs, "]", and "Unafraid", as well as the previously released songs "]" and "]". The EP, exclusively through iTunes, benefited the Entertainment Industry Foundation's (EIF) Women's Cancer Research Fund.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Price|first1=Deborah Evans|title=A Spirited Philosophy|magazine=Billboard|date=May 23, 2009|volume=121|issue=20|page=35|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E3Yx8-Sz2uAC&q=amy+grant+mother%27s+day+release&pg=PT34|access-date=October 29, 2020|archive-date=November 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118200808/https://books.google.com/books?id=E3Yx8-Sz2uAC&q=amy+grant+mother%27s+day+release&pg=PT34|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2010, Grant released '']'', featuring the hit single "]", 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."<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100809161218/http://www.cbn.com/cbnmusic/interviews/amy-grant-somewhere-down-the-road-goodwyn.aspx |date=August 9, 2010 }}. CBN.</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.halftheskymovement.org/blog/entry/30-songs-30-days-for-half-the-sky1 |title=30 Songs / 30 Days for Half the Sky |date=August 30, 2012 |access-date=September 2, 2012 |publisher=Half the Sky Movement |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014103757/http://www.halftheskymovement.org/blog/entry/30-songs-30-days-for-half-the-sky1 |archive-date=October 14, 2012 }}</ref> | |||
Grant's next album, '']'', was released on May 14, 2013, and was produced by ].<ref>. ]. Retrieved March 8, 2013.</ref> The album reached No. 12 on the ] chart,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/how-mercy-looks-from-here-mw0002502267/awards |title=How Mercy Looks from Here |website=AllMusic |access-date=February 11, 2016 |archive-date=March 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314155015/http://www.allmusic.com/album/how-mercy-looks-from-here-mw0002502267/awards |url-status=live }}</ref> making it her highest-charting album since 1997's '']''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/278956/amy-grant/chart?f=305|title=Amy Grant|magazine=] |access-date=April 14, 2016|archive-date=March 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319154847/http://www.billboard.com/artist/278956/amy-grant/chart?f=305|url-status=dead}}</ref> Two singles were released from the album: "Don't Try So Hard" and "If I Could See", both of which charted on the US '']'' ] chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/278956/amy-grant/chart?f=355|title=Amy Grant|magazine=] |access-date=April 14, 2016|archive-date=May 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513023901/http://www.billboard.com/artist/278956/amy-grant/chart?f=355|url-status=dead}}</ref> On August 19, 2014, she released an album of hits remixed by well known engineers and DJs. The album was titled '']''. It charted at 110 on the US ] chart<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/278956/amy-grant/chart?f=305|title=Amy Grant|magazine=] |access-date=February 12, 2016|archive-date=March 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319154847/http://www.billboard.com/artist/278956/amy-grant/chart?f=305|url-status=dead}}</ref> and at No. 5 on the ] chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/278956/amy-grant/chart?f=322|title=Amy Grant|magazine=] |access-date=February 12, 2016|archive-date=March 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319154901/http://www.billboard.com/artist/278956/amy-grant/chart?f=322|url-status=dead}}</ref> To promote the album, several new remix EPs were released on iTunes the following month including "], "]", "], "]" and "]". 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. ].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/278956/amy-grant/chart?f=359|title=Amy Grant|magazine=] |access-date=February 12, 2016|archive-date=March 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319154916/http://www.billboard.com/artist/278956/amy-grant/chart?f=359|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 ], proceeds of the single go to breast cancer research. | |||
On February 12, 2015, she announced a new compilation album titled '']'', to be released. The album was released on April 14, 2015, and charted at No. 7 in the U.S. on the '']'' ] chart. .<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hallels.com/articles/12497/20150213/amy-grant-returns-with-third-hymns-album-announces-ryman-residency.htm |title=Amy Grant Returns with Third Hymns Album & Announces Ryman Residency |date=February 13, 2015 |access-date=February 26, 2015 |publisher=Hallels |last=Yap |first=Timothy |quote=Amy Grant will release her third collection. 'Be Still And Know... Hymns & Faith' will be released on April 14. |archive-date=February 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213201015/http://www.hallels.com/articles/12497/20150213/amy-grant-returns-with-third-hymns-album-announces-ryman-residency.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Grant released a Christmas album on October 21, 2016, '']'', which is a combination of classic Christmas songs and original material. It charted in the U.S. at No. 31 on the ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/amy-grant/chart-history/tlp/|title=Amy Grant Tennessee Christmas Chart History|magazine=] |access-date=November 29, 2017|archive-date=February 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207024601/https://www.billboard.com/music/amy-grant/chart-history/billboard-200/song/998883|url-status=live}}</ref> and at No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Top Holiday Albums chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/amy-grant/chart-history/xml/|title=Amy Grant Chart History|magazine=] |access-date=November 29, 2017|archive-date=July 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708213405/https://www.billboard.com/music/Amy-Grant/chart-history/holiday-albums|url-status=live}}</ref> The single from the album, "To Be Together", reached No. 32 on the Hot Christian Songs chart<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/amy-grant/chart-history/ico/|title=Amy Grant Chart History|magazine=] |access-date=November 29, 2017|archive-date=July 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708203151/https://www.billboard.com/music/Amy-Grant/chart-history/christian-songs|url-status=live}}</ref> and No. 19 on the Holiday Digital Song Sales chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/amy-grant/chart-history/xdt/|title=Amy Grant Chart History|magazine=] |access-date=November 29, 2017|archive-date=February 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207024635/https://www.billboard.com/music/amy-grant/chart-history/holiday-season-digital-song-sales|url-status=live}}</ref> She supported the album with a series of Christmas concerts with ] at the ]. She also toured the U.S. and Canada with Christmas concerts accompanied by ] and season 9 winner of '']'', ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://amygrant.com/press-release-130000-celebrate-christmas-amy-grant-michael-w-smith-jordan-smith/|title=PRESS RELEASE: Over 130,000 Celebrate Christmas with Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and Jordan Smith |website=Amy Grant|date=December 21, 2016|access-date=November 29, 2017|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035635/http://amygrant.com/press-release-130000-celebrate-christmas-amy-grant-michael-w-smith-jordan-smith/|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2017, she released a new song, "Say It With a Kiss", with accompanying video.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thechristianbeat.org/index.php/new-music/3154-amy-grant-drops-new-song-say-it-with-a-kiss|title=Amy Grant Drops New Song 'Say It with a Kiss'|first=Herb|last=Longs|website=thechristianbeat.org|date=February 17, 2017|access-date=November 29, 2017|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035636/http://www.thechristianbeat.org/index.php/new-music/3154-amy-grant-drops-new-song-say-it-with-a-kiss|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ryman.com/christmasattheryman/|title=Amy Grant & Vince Gill|date=October 22, 2016|access-date=November 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035856/https://ryman.com/christmasattheryman/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gospelmusic.org/amy-grant-michael-w-smith-announce-2017-christmas-tour-featuring-jordan-smith-winner-of-the-voice-full-symphony-orchestra/|title=Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith Announce 2017 Christmas Tour Featuring Jordan Smith, Winner Of 'The Voice,' Full Symphony Orchestra|date=August 8, 2017|access-date=November 29, 2017|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031433/http://www.gospelmusic.org/amy-grant-michael-w-smith-announce-2017-christmas-tour-featuring-jordan-smith-winner-of-the-voice-full-symphony-orchestra/|url-status=live}}</ref> Grant has been a guest narrator for ] at ] in 2012, 2013, and 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/travel/florida/celebrity-lineup-for-epcot-christmas-includes-neil-patrick-harris-meredith/2252638/ |newspaper=] |date=November 4, 2015 |first=Sharon Kennedy |last=Wynne |title=Celebrity Lineup for Epcot Christmas |access-date=August 21, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Candlelight Processional Overview |url=https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/candlelight-processional.htm |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=www.wdwmagic.com}}</ref> | |||
== Personal life == | |||
] in 2004]]On June 19, 1982, Grant married fellow Christian musician ]. Their marriage produced three children.<ref name="orr-amy">{{cite web|url=http://amygrant.offramp.org/info/articles/sep/36.html#t |title=Amy starts over: Grant picks up pieces after divorce, with the help of her soaring career and, yes, Vince Gill |access-date=August 29, 2008 |publisher=John Lam |date=October 9, 1999 |first=Jay |last=Orr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080629014306/http://amygrant.offramp.org/info/articles/sep/36.html |archive-date=June 29, 2008 }} Article text from ] included in Lam's Amy Grant website.</ref> In March 1999 she filed for divorce from Chapman. On March 10, 2000, Grant married country singer-songwriter ], who had been previously married to country singer Janis Oliver of ].<ref name="meers">{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20129901,00.html |title=Finally a Duet |access-date=December 25, 2008 |work=People |date=November 29, 1999 |author=Erik Meers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205020742/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0%2C%2C20129901%2C00.html |archive-date=February 5, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> Grant and Gill have one daughter together, Corrina Grant Gill, born March 12, 2001.<ref name="people2">{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20133970,00.html|title=In Perfect Harmony|access-date=December 25, 2008|date=March 26, 2000|work=People|archive-date=November 13, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113131848/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20133970,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
In the November 1999 ''CCM Magazine'', Grant explained why she left Chapman and married Gill: {{Blockquote|I didn't get a divorce because 'I had a great marriage and then along came Vince Gill.' Gary and I had a rocky road from day one. I think what was so hard—and this is (what) one of our counselors said—sometimes an innocent party can come into a situation, and they're like a big spotlight. What they do is reveal, by comparison, the painful dynamics that are already in existence.<ref name="CCM1">{{cite web|url=http://www.ccmmagazine.com/ccmmag/99nov/cover_story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000301120523/http://www.ccmmagazine.com/ccmmag/99nov/cover_story.html|archive-date=March 1, 2000|title=Judging Amy|publisher=CCM (Contemporary Christian Music)|date=November 1999|author=Gregory Rumburg}}</ref>}} | |||
In June 2020, Grant had an open-heart surgery to repair ] (PAPVR), a congenital heart condition.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Amy Grant undergoes open-heart surgery to fix rare condition|url=https://www.today.com/health/amy-grant-undergoes-surgery-fix-rare-heart-condition-t183213|access-date=June 4, 2020|website=TODAY|first=Gina|last=Vivinetto|date=June 3, 2020|publisher=NBC|archive-date=June 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604193219/https://www.today.com/health/amy-grant-undergoes-surgery-fix-rare-heart-condition-t183213|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
== 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/11/us/religion-journal-a-chastened-singer-returns-to-christian-basics.html |title=Religion Journal; A Chastened Singer Returns to Christian Basics |access-date=June 2, 2022 |last=Rabey |first=Steve |date=May 11, 2002 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118200720/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/11/us/religion-journal-a-chastened-singer-returns-to-christian-basics.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
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."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://amygrant.offramp.org/info/articles/ung/8.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051018082843/http://amygrant.offramp.org/info/articles/ung/8.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 18, 2005 |title=Amy Grant: 'I'm Not a Prude.' |access-date=July 5, 2012 |last=Jahr |first=Cliff |date=December 1985 |work=Amy Grant Article Archive |publisher=Ladies' Home Journal }}</ref> The article which was based on that interview was constructed in such a manner so as to make it appear as though Grant condoned ]. 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.{{'"}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.todayschristianmusic.com/artists/amy-grant/features/amy-s-own-words/ |title=Amy's Own Words |access-date=July 12, 2012 |last=Styll |first=John |work=Today's Christian Music |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109021517/http://www.todayschristianmusic.com/artists/amy-grant/features/amy-s-own-words/ |archive-date=November 9, 2016 }}</ref> | |||
== Discography == | |||
{{Main|Amy Grant discography}} | |||
] in 2011]] | |||
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em| | |||
* '']'' (1977) | |||
* '']'' (1979) | |||
* '']'' (1980) | |||
* '']'' (1982) | |||
* '']'' (1983) | |||
* '']'' (1984) | |||
* '']'' (1985) | |||
* '']'' (1986) | |||
* '']'' with ] (1986) | |||
* '']'' (1988) | |||
* '']'' (1991) | |||
* '']'' (1992) | |||
* '']'' (1994) | |||
* '']'' (1997) | |||
* '']'' (1999) | |||
* '']'' (2002) | |||
* '']'' (2002) | |||
* '']'' (2003) | |||
* '']'' (2004) | |||
* '']'' (2005) | |||
* '']'' (2006) | |||
* '']'' (2007) | |||
* '']'' (2008) | |||
* '']'' (2010) | |||
* '']'' (2013) | |||
* '']'' (2014) | |||
* '']'' (2015) | |||
* '']'' (2016) | |||
}} | |||
== Bibliography == | |||
* ''Amy Grant's Heart to Heart Bible Stories''; Worthy Pub (1985), {{ISBN|978-0-8344-0130-3}} | |||
* '']''; W Publishing Group (2001), {{ISBN|0-8499-1732-8}} | |||
* "The Creation" (narrator), in ''Rabbit Ears Beloved Bible Stories: the Creation, Noah and the Ark'' (audio book); Listening Library (Audio) (2006), {{ISBN|978-0-7393-3709-7}} | |||
* ''Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far''; Flying Dolphin Press (2007), {{ISBN|0-385-52289-4}} | |||
<!-- Trivia items are not appropriate for encyclopedias, see ], most artists have their songs used in movies/TV shows, have had their likeness parodied, joked about, etc., but these do NOT relate directly to the subject's biography, and they are not encyclopedic. Please see talk page. Thanks! --> | |||
== Awards and achievements == | |||
{{see also|List of awards and nominations received by Amy Grant}} | |||
=== Grammy Awards === | |||
{{awards table}} | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || '']'' || ] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || '']'' || ] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || '']'' || ] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || '']'' || ] || {{won}} | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || '']'' || rowspan="3"|] || {{won}} | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || "]" || {{won}} | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="2" align="center"|] || '']'' || {{won}} | |||
|- | |||
|"I Could Never Say Goodbye" || ] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || "]" || |] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || '']'' || Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Female || {{won}} | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || "]" || Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Female || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="4" align="center"|] || '']'' || ] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="3"|"]" || ] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| ] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| ] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || ''The Creation'' || ] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || "When I Look Into Your Heart" || ] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || '']'' || ] || {{won}} | |||
<!-- ] was nominated for an award in 2011 for a cover of Grant's gospel song "]", though it did not win (and would not have been a Grant win). As of the 66th Grammy awards, Grant's award nominations stand at 19 with 6 wins. | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || "]" || ] || {{nom}} | |||
--> | |||
|- | |||
| align="center"|] || "Threaten Me with Heaven" || ] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
|} | |||
=== GMA Dove Awards === | |||
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em| | |||
* 1983: ] | |||
* 1983: ] – ''Age to Age'' | |||
* 1983: Recorded Music Packaging – ''Age to Age'' | |||
* 1984: Recorded Music Packaging – ''A Christmas Album'' | |||
* 1985: ] – ''Straight Ahead'' | |||
* 1986: Artist of the Year | |||
* 1986: Recorded Music Packaging – ''Unguarded'' | |||
* 1988: Short Form Music Video of the Year – "Stay For a While" | |||
* 1989: Artist of the Year | |||
* 1989: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – ''Lead Me On'' | |||
* 1989: Short Form Music Video of the Year – "Lead Me On" | |||
* 1990: Country Song of the Year – "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" | |||
* 1992: Song of the Year – "Place in This World" | |||
* 1992: Artist of the Year | |||
* 1994: ] – ''Songs from the Loft'' | |||
* 1996: Special Event Album of the Year – ''My Utmost for His Highest'' | |||
* 1998: ] – ''Behind the Eyes'' | |||
* 2000: ] – ''Streams'' | |||
* 2003: ] – ''Legacy...Hymns & Faith'' | |||
* 2003: Song of the Year – "The River's Gonna Keep on Rolling" | |||
* 2006: ] – ''Rock of Ages...Hymns & Faith'' | |||
* 2007: ] – ''Time Again... Amy Grant Live'' | |||
}} | |||
=== Special awards and recognitions === | |||
]s in the Amy Grant Music Room at ]]] | |||
] being awarded the Class of 1966 Friend of West Point Award in 2008]] | |||
{{BLP sources section|date=August 2016}} | |||
* 1992: ] Young Tennessean of the Year | |||
* 1994: ] Pax Christi Award | |||
* 1994: ] Harmony Award | |||
* 1996: Sarah Cannon Humanitarian Award – ] | |||
* 1996: ] Humanitarian Award – ] | |||
* 1996: Voice of America Award – ] | |||
* 1996: ] Golden Plate Award<ref>{{cite web|title=Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement|website=www.achievement.org|publisher=]|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/|access-date=December 8, 2020|archive-date=December 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215023909/https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2009 |title=2009 Summit Highlights Photo |url=https://achievement.org/summit/2009/ |quote=Golden Plate Awards Council member Amy Grant sings "El Shaddai" at the St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town. |access-date=December 8, 2020 |archive-date=October 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025135556/https://achievement.org/summit/2009/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
* 1999: "An Evening with the Arts" Honor – The Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Symphony, and ] | |||
* 1999: The Amy Grant Room for Music and Entertainment – The Target House at ] | |||
* 2001: ] Nashvillian of the Year Award | |||
* 2003: Inducted into the GMA ] | |||
* 2003: Summit Award – Seminar in the Rockies | |||
* 2006: Amy Grant Performance Platform – Nashville ] | |||
* 2006: ] star unveiled<ref name=gettystar/> | |||
* 2007: Charter member of Tiffany Circle – ] | |||
* 2007: Inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame<ref name="cmhfm">{{cite web|url=http://hallmuseum.com/induction.htm |title=Christian Music Hall of Fame Inductees |access-date=October 16, 2008 |publisher=Christian Music Hall of Fame and Museum |year=2007 |author=Christian Music Hall of Fame and Museum |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090819062030/http://hallmuseum.com/induction.htm |archive-date=August 19, 2009 }}</ref> | |||
* 2008: Class of 1966 Friend of West Point award with Vince Gill | |||
* 2012: ] Degree of Music and Performance – ] | |||
* 2015: No. 52 in ''The Top 100 Female Artists of the Rock Era (1955–2015)''<ref>{{cite book|last1=Couch|first1=Rod|title=The Top 100 Female Artists of the Rock Era (1955–2015)|date=2016 |publisher=CreateSpace|isbn=9781530081219|pages=351–54|edition=First}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=June 2016|reason=Seems like a fan, not an expert. Book is self-published so it's not more reliable than a blog}} | |||
* 2022: ]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/07/22/amy-grant-kennedy-center-honors | title=Amy Grant tapped for Kennedy Center Honors | date=July 22, 2022 |website=Axios |first=Adam |last=Tamburin |access-date=August 31, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/07/21/amy-grant-kennedy-center-honoree-alongside-u-2-george-clooney/10115248002/ |title=Amy Grant to be Kennedy Center Honoree alongside U2, George Clooney |date=July 21, 2022 |newspaper=The Tennessean |first=Dave |last=Paulson |access-date=August 31, 2022 }}</ref> | |||
* 2023 ] Doctorate in Fine Arts – ]<ref>{{cite news | url=https://gospelmusic.org/news/amy-grant-receives-honorary-doctorate-from-university-of-notre-dame | title=Amy Grant Receives Honorary Doctorate From University of Notre Dame |date=May 22, 2023 |website=] |access-date=May 25, 2023 }}</ref> | |||
{{Clear}} | |||
== References == | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
==External links== | |||
{{sister project links|d=Q464213|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|c=Category:Amy Grant|wikt=no|s=no}} | |||
* {{Official website}} | |||
* {{IMDb name | id=0004973 | name=Amy Grant}} | |||
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p2295|label=Amy Grant}} | |||
{{Amy Grant|state=expanded}} | |||
] | |||
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 2020s}} | |||
] | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Amy}} | |||
] | |||
] | ] | ||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] |
Latest revision as of 20:46, 25 December 2024
American singer-songwriter, musician (born 1960) This article is about the Christian musician. For the American politician, see Amy Grant (politician). For the American singer born in 1880, see Amy Allison Grant.
Amy Grant | |
---|---|
Grant in October 2008 | |
Born | Amy Lee Grant (1960-11-25) November 25, 1960 (age 64) Augusta, Georgia, U.S. |
Education | |
Occupations |
|
Spouses |
|
Children | 4 |
Awards | Full list |
Musical career | |
Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
Genres | |
Instruments |
|
Years active | 1976–present |
Labels | |
Website | amygrant |
Musical artist |
Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She began her music career in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the mid-1980s. Grant has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop".
Grant made her debut as a teenager, gaining fame in Christian music during the 1980s with hits such 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 album Heart in Motion, which became her best-selling album, topping the Billboard Christian album chart for 32 weeks. It sold five million copies in the U.S. and produced her second no. 1 pop single "Baby Baby", as well as another three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "That's What Love Is For", "Every Heartbeat" and "Good for Me".
As of 2009, Grant 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 the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 for her contributions to the entertainment industry, and in 2022 she was announced as a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors. Grant is the author of several books, including a memoir, Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far, 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 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. According to the Singing Carrots website, based on her recorded songs, Grant has a mezzo-soprano voice type, also able to perform in the soprano and contralto ranges.
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. While 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 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. 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 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. Grant continues to take off her shoes midway through performances, as she has said, "it is just more comfortable."
In 1982 she released 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 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
Shortly after Grant established herself as the "Queen of Christian Pop" she changed directions to widen her fan base. 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. "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 which were about Christianity and love relationships, but some interpreted it as not being enough of a "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 from the album.
In the mainstream
When Heart in Motion was released in 1991, many fans were surprised that the album was 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, containing 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. In the same year Grant won $125,000 for charity on the "Rock Star Edition" of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Return to Gospel Roots
Grant returned to Christian pop 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; however it was canceled at the end of its first season due to 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 said 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 Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far, 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.
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 Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends 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 Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, 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. Grant has been a guest narrator for Disney's Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World in 2012, 2013, and 2015.
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. 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:
I didn't get a divorce because 'I had a great marriage and then along came Vince Gill.' Gary and I had a rocky road from day one. I think what was so hard—and this is (what) one of our counselors said—sometimes an innocent party can come into a situation, and they're like a big spotlight. What they do is reveal, by comparison, the painful dynamics that are already in existence.
In June 2020, Grant had an open-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.'"
Discography
Main article: Amy Grant discography- Amy Grant (1977)
- My Father's Eyes (1979)
- Never Alone (1980)
- Age to Age (1982)
- A Christmas Album (1983)
- Straight Ahead (1984)
- Unguarded (1985)
- The Collection (1986)
- The Animals' Christmas with Art Garfunkel (1986)
- Lead Me On (1988)
- Heart in Motion (1991)
- Home for Christmas (1992)
- House of Love (1994)
- Behind the Eyes (1997)
- A Christmas to Remember (1999)
- Her Greatest Inspirational Songs (2002)
- Legacy... Hymns and Faith (2002)
- Simple Things (2003)
- Greatest Hits 1986–2004 (2004)
- Rock of Ages... Hymns and Faith (2005)
- Time Again... Amy Grant Live (2006)
- Greatest Hits (2007)
- The Christmas Collection (2008)
- Somewhere Down the Road (2010)
- How Mercy Looks from Here (2013)
- In Motion: The Remixes (2014)
- Be Still and Know... Hymns & Faith (2015)
- Tennessee Christmas (2016)
Bibliography
- Amy Grant's Heart to Heart Bible Stories; Worthy Pub (1985), ISBN 978-0-8344-0130-3
- Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song); W Publishing Group (2001), ISBN 0-8499-1732-8
- "The Creation" (narrator), in Rabbit Ears Beloved Bible Stories: the Creation, Noah and the Ark (audio book); Listening Library (Audio) (2006), ISBN 978-0-7393-3709-7
- Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far; Flying Dolphin Press (2007), ISBN 0-385-52289-4
Awards and achievements
See also: List of awards and nominations received by Amy GrantGrammy Awards
GMA Dove Awards
- 1983: Artist of the Year
- 1983: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – Age to Age
- 1983: Recorded Music Packaging – Age to Age
- 1984: Recorded Music Packaging – A Christmas Album
- 1985: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – Straight Ahead
- 1986: Artist of the Year
- 1986: Recorded Music Packaging – Unguarded
- 1988: Short Form Music Video of the Year – "Stay For a While"
- 1989: Artist of the Year
- 1989: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – Lead Me On
- 1989: Short Form Music Video of the Year – "Lead Me On"
- 1990: Country Song of the Year – "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus"
- 1992: Song of the Year – "Place in This World"
- 1992: Artist of the Year
- 1994: Praise and Worship Album of the Year – Songs from the Loft
- 1996: Special Event Album of the Year – My Utmost for His Highest
- 1998: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – Behind the Eyes
- 2000: Special Event Album of the Year – Streams
- 2003: Inspirational Album of the Year – Legacy...Hymns & Faith
- 2003: Song of the Year – "The River's Gonna Keep on Rolling"
- 2006: Inspirational Album of the Year – Rock of Ages...Hymns & Faith
- 2007: Long Form Music Video of the Year – Time Again... Amy Grant Live
Special awards and recognitions
This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. Find sources: "Amy Grant" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
- 1992: Junior Chamber of Commerce Young Tennessean of the Year
- 1994: St. John University Pax Christi Award
- 1994: Nashville Symphony Harmony Award
- 1996: Sarah Cannon Humanitarian Award – TNN Awards
- 1996: Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award – Columbia Hospital
- 1996: Voice of America Award – ASCAP
- 1996: Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award
- 1999: "An Evening with the Arts" Honor – The Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Symphony, and Tennessee Performing Arts Center
- 1999: The Amy Grant Room for Music and Entertainment – The Target House at St. Jude's Children's Hospital
- 2001: Easter Seals Nashvillian of the Year Award
- 2003: Inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame
- 2003: Summit Award – Seminar in the Rockies
- 2006: Amy Grant Performance Platform – Nashville Schermerhorn Symphony Center
- 2006: Hollywood Walk of Fame star unveiled
- 2007: Charter member of Tiffany Circle – Red Cross
- 2007: Inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame
- 2008: Class of 1966 Friend of West Point award with Vince Gill
- 2012: Honorary Doctorate Degree of Music and Performance – Grand Canyon University
- 2015: No. 52 in The Top 100 Female Artists of the Rock Era (1955–2015)
- 2022: Kennedy Center Honoree
- 2023 Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts – University of Notre Dame
References
- "Interview With Amy Grant and Vince Gill". ABC News. October 3, 2002. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
When Amy Grant and Vince Gill sang a duet for her 1994 album House of Love, he was the king of country and she was the queen of Christian pop.
- Brounstein, Laura (November 2006). "In Perfect Harmony: Vince Gill & Amy Grant". Ladies' Home Journal. Archived from the original on July 29, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
In 2000 her world turned upside down when she, the Queen of Christian Pop, and he, the King of Country, got married, leaving behind first spouses and their fans' mountain of expectations.
- Ruhlmann, William. "Amy Grant – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ^ "Interview With Amy Grant, Vince Gill". CNN. 2003. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
- ^ "Amy Grant Receives a Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame". Getty Images. September 19, 2006. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
- Ulaby, Neda (July 21, 2022). "George Clooney and Gladys Knight are among the 2022 Kennedy Center honorees". NPR.
- ^ Amy, Grant (2007). Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far. Flying Dolphin Press. pp. 198–203. ISBN 978-0-385-52289-2.
- Carey, Bill (December 7, 2003). "Burton Pinched Pennies, then Gave most of Fortune Away". The Tennessean – via ProQuest.
- Zepp, George (September 6, 2006). "Learn Nashville". The Tennessean – via ProQuest.
- "L&C Tower at 40". Nashville Banner. October 30, 1997 – via ProQuest.
- Loew, Karen (November 17, 2002). "70 YEARS ALOFT: 1]". The Tennessean – via ProQuest.
- Beck, Ken (August 4, 2004). "50 Years of Channel 5 CORRECTION APPENDED]". The Tennessean – via ProQuest.
- Robertson, Seth (Winter 2015). "Shining through: Amy Grant, '82, finds inspiration and purpose in the power of community". Vanderbilt Magazine. Vol. 96. pp. 30–35. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015. See esp. p. 32.
- "Amy Grant vocal range". Singing Carrots. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- Preston and Steve radio show excerpt; May 2008
- "When Is It OK To Go Barefoot In Public?". Feet and Shoes Guide. The Fun Times Guide. May 24, 2008. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- Beverly Keel. "Bill Gaither: The Gospel of Giving". American Profile. Archived from the original on January 29, 2009. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
- Michael Goldberg (June 6, 1985). "Amy Grant wants to put God on the charts" (PDF). Rolling Stone. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 20, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- "Amy Grant Albums (Top Albums) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- Gale Group (1989). "Rabbit stars in Target holiday promo". Gale Group. Archived from the original on September 12, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
- Perkes, Kim Sue Lia (May 18, 1991). "Christian Fans Ask Too Much of Amy Grant". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
- RIAA (2008). "Amy Grant – RIAA". RIAA. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
- Colucci, Rosa (September 15, 2002). "Amy Grant's career comes full circle". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on June 12, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
- Liane Bonin (February 9, 2001). "Mark McGrath and Sisqo rock Millionaire". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- Robert L. Doerschuk. "Legacy...Hymns & Faith". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Rock of Ages...Hymns & Faith". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
- "Three Wishes". CMT. 2008. Archived from the original on March 27, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
- "Hardcover Nonfiction". The New York Times. November 4, 2007. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2007.
- "EMI Music Signs Worldwide Catalog Partnership with Amy Grant". EMI Christian Music Group. 2007. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2007.
- "The Holidays, Country Style". Oprah. 2007. Archived from the original on December 3, 2007. Retrieved December 6, 2007.
- Price, Deborah Evans (May 23, 2009). "A Spirited Philosophy". Billboard. Vol. 121, no. 20. p. 35. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- Amy Grant: "Somewhere Down the Road" Archived August 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. CBN.
- "30 Songs / 30 Days for Half the Sky". Half the Sky Movement. August 30, 2012. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- "How Mercy Looks from Here ". EMI. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
- "How Mercy Looks from Here". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
- "Amy Grant". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- "Amy Grant". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- "Amy Grant". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- "Amy Grant". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- "Amy Grant". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- Yap, Timothy (February 13, 2015). "Amy Grant Returns with Third Hymns Album & Announces Ryman Residency". Hallels. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
Amy Grant will release her third collection. 'Be Still And Know... Hymns & Faith' will be released on April 14.
- "Amy Grant Tennessee Christmas Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- "Amy Grant Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- "Amy Grant Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- "Amy Grant Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- "PRESS RELEASE: Over 130,000 Celebrate Christmas with Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and Jordan Smith". Amy Grant. December 21, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- Longs, Herb (February 17, 2017). "Amy Grant Drops New Song 'Say It with a Kiss'". thechristianbeat.org. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- "Amy Grant & Vince Gill". October 22, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- "Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith Announce 2017 Christmas Tour Featuring Jordan Smith, Winner Of 'The Voice,' Full Symphony Orchestra". August 8, 2017. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- Wynne, Sharon Kennedy (November 4, 2015). "Celebrity Lineup for Epcot Christmas". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
- "Candlelight Processional Overview". www.wdwmagic.com. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- Orr, Jay (October 9, 1999). "Amy starts over: Grant picks up pieces after divorce, with the help of her soaring career and, yes, Vince Gill". John Lam. Archived from the original on June 29, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2008. Article text from The Tennessean included in Lam's Amy Grant website.
- Erik Meers (November 29, 1999). "Finally a Duet". People. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved December 25, 2008.
- "In Perfect Harmony". People. March 26, 2000. Archived from the original on November 13, 2008. Retrieved December 25, 2008.
- Gregory Rumburg (November 1999). "Judging Amy". CCM (Contemporary Christian Music). Archived from the original on March 1, 2000.
- Vivinetto, Gina (June 3, 2020). "Amy Grant undergoes open-heart surgery to fix rare condition". TODAY. NBC. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- Rabey, Steve (May 11, 2002). "Religion Journal; A Chastened Singer Returns to Christian Basics". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- Jahr, Cliff (December 1985). "Amy Grant: 'I'm Not a Prude.'". Amy Grant Article Archive. Ladies' Home Journal. Archived from the original on October 18, 2005. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
- Styll, John. "Amy's Own Words". Today's Christian Music. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement. Archived from the original on December 15, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- "2009 Summit Highlights Photo". 2009. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
Golden Plate Awards Council member Amy Grant sings "El Shaddai" at the St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town.
- Christian Music Hall of Fame and Museum (2007). "Christian Music Hall of Fame Inductees". Christian Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on August 19, 2009. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
- Couch, Rod (2016). The Top 100 Female Artists of the Rock Era (1955–2015) (First ed.). CreateSpace. pp. 351–54. ISBN 9781530081219.
- Tamburin, Adam (July 22, 2022). "Amy Grant tapped for Kennedy Center Honors". Axios. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- Paulson, Dave (July 21, 2022). "Amy Grant to be Kennedy Center Honoree alongside U2, George Clooney". The Tennessean. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- "Amy Grant Receives Honorary Doctorate From University of Notre Dame". Gospel Music Association. May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
External links
Amy Grant | |
---|---|
Studio albums | |
Christmas albums | |
Compilation albums | |
Live albums | |
Singles/EPs |
|
Television | |
Related articles |
Kennedy Center Honorees (2020s) | |
---|---|
2020 | |
2021 | |
2022 | |
2023 | |
2024 | |
- 1960 births
- A&M Records artists
- American child singers
- American members of the Churches of Christ
- American mezzo-sopranos
- American performers of Christian music
- American pop rock singers
- American women pop singers
- American soft rock musicians
- Christian music songwriters
- Christians from Tennessee
- Furman University alumni
- Grammy Award winners
- Living people
- Musicians from Augusta, Georgia
- Myrrh Records artists
- Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee
- People with congenital heart defects
- Performers of contemporary Christian music
- Sparrow Records artists
- Vanderbilt University alumni
- Ward–Belmont College alumni
- Word Records artists
- Writers from Augusta, Georgia
- 20th-century American women singers
- 20th-century American singers
- 21st-century American women singers
- 21st-century American singers
- Kennedy Center honorees