Rimes, LeAnn
LeAnn Rimes
Country singer
Shocks Country Music Community
Assessing the career of adolescent country singer LeAnn Rimes is much like squinting to count tree-rings in a sapling oak—one might say she has only stepped on the precipice of what could be called a career. Yet Rimes has demonstrated a mastery of performance as well as huge mass appeal, evidenced by her 1997 Grammy Award for Best Female Vocalist in Country Music. While some critics have written off Rimes’s style as derivative of earlier country music heroes like as Patsy Cline, and have chalked up her popularity to novelty appeal, few have discounted her powerful voice itself.
Born on August 28, 1982 to parents Belinda and Wilbur in Jackson, Mississippi, Rimes was initiated into the performing arts at a surprisingly early age. Having no siblings, she received the lavish affection parents of only children often afford, and was enrolled in vocal and dance training by the age of two. Whether she was motivated by avid stage parents or by an indelible performing urge, Rimes was singing in pitch when she was 18 months, assuring Belinda and Wilbur to continue nurturing their precocious child’s talents. Following the advice of LeAnn’s vocal coach, Rimes’s parents decided to plunge their daughter into the often hectic world of child talent competitions, and successfully ushered her on the stage by age five. Within a year, Rimes won her first song and dance contest, with her version of “Getting to Know You,” and professed to her parents that she wanted performing to be a permanent part of her life.
Lone Star Stardom
Eager to realize his daughter’s dreams, Wilbur Rimes “sold his truck and his dogs and everything,” as LeAnn told USA Today, and left Jackson in 1988 to relocate to Garland, Texas. It was in the Lone Star State that the youthful star-to-be began making rapid inroads to success. Rimes nearly landed the lead role in a sequel to the blockbuster Broadway musical Annie. Persistent, she continued auditioning for stage roles until she was chosen to play Tiny Tim in a Dallas production of A Christmas Carol. After a triumph on the television showcase for aspiring amateurs, Star Search, and a string of appearances on Johnny High’s Country Music Revue in Fort Worth, Texas, Rimes began to attract the attention of national talent scouts.
Not even a decade old, Rimes was already a virtual veteran of live performances. She regularly performed an a capella rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” during the opening ceremonies of Dallas Cowboys football games, adding to her local legion of fans. In addition, Rimes and her father embarked on trips around
For the Record…
Born August 28, 1982, in Jackson, MS; daughter of Belinda (a homemaker) and Wilbur (a salesman), moved to Garland, TX, in 1988.
Began singing when 18 months old, won first talent contest at age six for performing “Getting To Know You;” competed on the television talent showcase Star Search, 1988; performed “The Star Spangled Banner” at Dallas Cowboys football games in early 1990s.
Awards: Grammy Award for best female vocalist in Country and Western, 1997.
Addresses: Record company-Curb, 3300 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91510.
the country to perform over a hundred stage dates per year. Nonetheless, touring and word of mouth could only generate so much attention, and the next logical step in Rimes’s career path was to enter the recording studio.
The creation of Rimes’s debut album, After All, was a relatively quiet affair. Recorded at an old studio in Clovis, New Mexico for the independent label Nor Va Jak, After All did not receive the promotional fanfare that accompanies major label debuts. Rimes’s father, a salesman byprofession, served as the record’s producer, and the result was neither slick nor seamless. While the album saw an impressive sales run within Texas, Nor Va Jak could not give After All the push it needed to sweep a national audience. Yet, Rimes and her father were quickly hit by an onslaught of contract offers from major labels to record a second album.
Shocks Country Music Community
The primary source of record industry hype over Rimes’s debut, After All, was largely provoked by that album’s cut “Blue,” a bittersweet composition that perfectly displayed the range of Rimes’s vocal stylings. The song was penned over 30 years prior to its recording, and was originally intended for country legend Patsy Cline, who died tragically before she could perform it. Cline’s distinctive, haunting voice had served to influence several generations of singers, many of them outside the realm of country music. For them, Cline stood as a model not only of artistic precision and clarity, but also of resonant emotional expression. In order for the song’s author Bill Mack to have given to a newcomer a piece tailored expressly for Cline’s style and mastery, Rimes must have evidenced some of the elder singer’s attributes. Indeed, some critics have argued that Rimes’s talent is only in reproducing Cline’s unique sound without offering any innovation, while others have claimed that although technically almost flawless, Rimes’s singing is devoid of emotional depth that only a life of experience can provide. In fact, Rimes’s father initially turned down “Blue” on the grounds that a sensual lament of love was not appropriate for a young girl’s repertoire. “My dad said the song was too old for me,” Rimes remembered. “I loved it, though, and I kept bugging him about it. Then I got the idea to put the yodel thing to it.” Whether though her yodeled twists or through her youthful freshness, Rimes managed to make “Blue” her own, and whatever the critical verdict, she was on the eve of becoming a national sensation.
In the meantime, Rimes’s personal life underwent some changes. With so much public attention imbued upon her as well as the beginnings of a plane-hopping lifestyle, Rimes quickly found herself at odds with the normal routine of a young student. By the time she entered junior high school, Rimes was occasionally harassed by classmates in response to her rising fame. For sake of convenience, she withdrewfrom school and continued her education with a tutor. While a private education only helped Rimes excel, it also effectively withdrew her from her peers at a critical age. However, Rimes sees the experience as a positive one. “I don’t think I’m giving up a lot, because I’m achieving a lot right now,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I do have a different life and I’ve grown up in an adult world… I don’t mind giving up the prom kind of thing and all that. I really don’t think I’m missing out on anything ’cause this is what I want to do.”
With this kind of devotion, Rimes began work on her sophomore release, after signing with the Curb label, an outfit known for its roster of country artists. The result was the album Blue, whose title cut was a reworked version from After All, now made available to audiences around the world. The album included “Cattle Call,” a duet between Rimes and country great Eddy Arnold; “I’ll Get Even With You,” another refurbishing from After All; and “Talk To Me,” which the then 13 year old Rimes co-wrote. However, it was still “Blue” itself that turned heads and invaded radio playlists. With no video promotion, the single “Blue” debuted at number 49 on Billboard magazine’s country music charts, making Rimes the youngest singer to do so, and the single rapidly peaked in the Top 10. The album Blue fared equally well in sales, and Rimes was instantly country music’s hottest property.
Whatever speculations some critics may have made, Rimes was showered with kudos from the music industry. She was nominated for both Single of the Year and the Horizon Award by the Country Music Association (CMA), making her the youngest nominee in CMA’s history. More impressively, Rimes earned the Grammy Award for best female vocalist in Country and Western, beating outfour other seasoned nominees as the youngest recipient ever to win that award. Slowly, the voices accusing Rimes of being a mere novelty began to subside, if not disappear.
Rimes greater role in the history of country music remains to be written, but a spirit of devotion and expansion cannot said to be lacking. “I want to continue singing and writing songs,” Rimes told the Great American Country website. “I’d like to act. College is also an option for me. I’ve always wanted to help children and I’ve thought about studying speech pathology.”
Selected discography
After All, NorVaJak, 1994.
Blue, Curb, 1996.
Sources
Periodicals
Los Angeles Times, July 27, 1996; November 6, 1996.
USA Today, June 11, 1996.
Online
http://www.countrystars.com/artists/lrimes.html
—Shaun Frentner
Rimes, LeAnn
LeAnn Rimes
Country singer
Young country star LeAnn Rimes has demonstrated a mastery of performance as well as huge mass appeal, evidenced by her two Grammy Awards and multiplatinum record sales. While some critics have written off Rimes's style as derivative of earlier country music heroes such as Patsy Cline, and chalked up her popularity to novelty appeal, few have discounted her powerful voice itself.
Born on August 28, 1982, to parents Belinda and Wilbur in Jackson, Mississippi, Rimes was initiated into the performing arts at a surprisingly early age. Having no siblings, she received the lavish affection that parents of only children often afford, and was enrolled in vocal and dance training by the age of two. Whether she was motivated by avid stage parents or by an indelible performing urge, Rimes was singing in pitch when she was 18 months, assuring Belinda and Wilbur to continue nurturing their precocious child's talents. Following the advice of LeAnn's vocal coach, Rimes's parents decided to plunge their daughter into the often hectic world of child talent competitions, and successfully ushered her on the stage by age five. Within a year, Rimes won her first song and dance contest, with her version of "Getting to Know You," and professed to her parents that she wanted performing to be a permanent part of her life.
Eager to realize his daughter's dreams, Wilbur Rimes "sold his truck and his dogs and everything," as LeAnn told USA Today, and left Jackson in 1988 to relocate to Garland, Texas. It was in the Lone Star State that the youthful star-to-be began making rapid inroads to success. Rimes nearly landed the lead role in a sequel to the blockbuster Broadway musical Annie. Persistent, she continued auditioning for stage roles until she was chosen to play Tiny Tim in a Dallas production of A Christmas Carol. After a triumph on the television showcase for aspiring amateurs, Star Search, and a string of appearances on Johnny High's Country Music Revue in Fort Worth, Texas, Rimes began to attract the attention of national talent scouts.
Not even a decade old, Rimes was already a virtual veteran of live performances. She regularly performed an a capella rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" during the opening ceremonies of Dallas Cowboys football games, adding to her local legion of fans. In addition, Rimes and her father embarked on trips around the country to perform over a hundred stage dates per year. Nonetheless, touring and word of mouth could only generate so much attention, and the next logical step in Rimes's career path was to enter the recording studio.
The creation of Rimes's debut album, After All, was a relatively quiet affair. Recorded at an old studio in Clovis, New Mexico for Norman Petty's old independent label Nor Va Jak, After All did not receive the promotional fanfare that accompanies major label debuts. Rimes's father, a salesman by profession, served as the record's producer, and the result was neither slick nor seamless. While the album saw an impressive sales run within Texas, Nor Va Jak could not give After All the push it needed to sweep a national audience. Yet, Rimes and her father were quickly hit by an onslaught of contract offers from major labels to record a second album.
The primary source of record industry hype over Rimes's debut, After All, was largely provoked by that album's cut "Blue," a bittersweet composition that perfectly displayed the range of Rimes's vocal stylings. The song was penned over 30 years prior to its recording, and was originally intended for country legend Patsy Cline, who died tragically before she could perform it. Cline's distinctive, haunting voice had served to influence several generations of singers, many of them outside the realm of country music. For them, Cline stood as a model not only of artistic precision and clarity, but also of resonant emotional expression. In order for the song's author Bill Mack to have given to a newcomer a piece tailored expressly for Cline's style and mastery, Rimes must have evidenced some of the elder singer's attributes. Indeed, some critics have argued that Rimes's talent is only in reproducing Cline's unique sound without offering any innovation, while others have claimed that although technically almost flawless, Rimes's singing is devoid of emotional depth that only a life of experience can provide.
Rimes's father initially turned down "Blue" on the grounds that a sensual lament of love was not appropriate for a young girl's repertoire. "My dad said the song was too old for me," Rimes remembered. "I loved it, though, and I kept bugging him about it. Then I got the idea to put the yodel thing to it." Whether through her yodeled twists or through her youthful freshness, Rimes managed to make "Blue" her own, and whatever the critical verdict, she was on the eve of becoming a national sensation.
For the Record . . .
Born Margaret LeAnn Rimes on August 28, 1982, in Jackson, MS; daughter of Wilbur (a salesman) and Belinda (a homemaker) Rimes; married Dean Sheremet, February 23, 2002.
Began singing when 18 months old, won first talent contest at age six for performing "Getting To Know You"; competed on the television talent showcase Star Search, 1988; performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at Dallas Cowboys football games, early 1990s; a regular on Johnnie High Country Musical Revue early to mid-90s; recorded her debut LP After All for the Texas-based label Nor Va Jak, 1994; began her association with Curb Records where her debut Blue made her commercial breakthrough, 1996; recorded the LP You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs and her first book of fiction Holiday in Your Heart is released, 1997; releases the album Sittin' on Top of the World, 1998; released LeAnn Rimes, 1999; appeared in the movie Coyote Ugly, 2000; issued two new Curb albums, I Need You and God Bless America for Curb, 2001; teleased the more rock/pop-oriented Twisted Angel LP and portrayed Connie Francis on the NBC retro-drama American Dreams, 2002; co-wrote her first children's book Jag and at the age of 22 released her first Greatest Hits collection on Curb, 2003.
Awards: Grammy Award, Best New Artist, 1996; Academy of Country Music, Top New Female Vocalist, Single of the Year for "Blue," Song of the Year, 1996; American Music Award, Favorite New Artist, 1997; CMA Horizon Award, 1997; TNN/Music City News, Female Star of Tomorrow, 1997; Grammy Award, Best Female Country Vocal Performance, 1997; Billboard Award, Coyote Ugly, 2001.
Addresses: Record company— Curb, 330 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91510, website: http://www.curb.com. Fan club —Prodigy Entertainment, P.O. Box 150667, Nashville, TN 37215. Website— LeAnn Rimes Official Website: http://www.rimestimes.com.
In the meantime, Rimes's personal life underwent some changes. With so much public attention imbued upon her as well as the beginnings of a plane-hopping lifestyle, Rimes quickly found herself at odds with the normal routine of a young student. By the time she entered junior high school, classmates in response to her rising fame occasionally harassed Rimes. For sake of convenience, she withdrew from school and continued her education with a tutor. While a private education only helped Rimes excel, it also effectively withdrew her from her peers at a critical age. However, Rimes sees the experience as a positive one. "I don't think I'm giving up a lot, because I'm achieving a lot right now," she told the Los Angeles Times. "I do have a different life and I've grown up in an adult world … I don't mind giving up the prom kind of thing and all that. I really don't think I'm missing out on anything 'cause this is what I want to do."
With this kind of devotion, Rimes began work on her sophomore release, after signing with the Curb label, an outfit known for its roster of country artists. The result was the album Blue, whose title cut was a reworked version from After All, now made available to audiences around the world. The album included "Cattle Call," a duet between Rimes and country great Eddy Arnold, "I'll Get Even With You," another refurbishing from After All, and "Talk To Me," which the then-13-year-old Rimes co-wrote. However, it was still "Blue" itself that turned heads and invaded radio playlists. With no video promotion, the single "Blue" debuted at number 49 on Billboard magazine's country music charts, making Rimes the youngest singer to do so, and the single rapidly peaked in the Top 10. The album Blue fared equally well in sales, and Rimes was instantly country music's hottest property.
Whatever speculations some critics may have made, Rimes was showered with kudos from the music industry. She was nominated for both Single of the Year and the Horizon Award by the Country Music Association (CMA), making her the youngest nominee in CMA's history. More impressively, Rimes earned the Grammy Award for Best Female Vocalist in Country and Western, beating out four other seasoned nominees as the youngest recipient ever to win that award. Slowly, the voices accusing Rimes of being a mere novelty began to subside, if not disappear.
Her third album, You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs, an album of covers of classic songs, came out in 1997. Her fictional debut, Holiday in Your Heart, was also published that year—a short novel cowritten with Tom Carter. This was also the title of the television Christmas special based on the novel that Rimes appeared. Some bad news that year occurred in October, when her parents separated; they divorced in 1999.
Rimes set a new record in 1998 when her song, "How Do I Live," became the longest-running single in Billboard 's Hot 100 Singles chart's history. She released the album, Sittin' on Top of the World, that year. She recorded "Written in the Stars" with Elton John for the stage musical, Aida, and released the album, LeAnn Rimes, in 1999.
Rimes filed a lawsuit on May 2, 2000, in the Dallas County District Court, alleging that her father, Wilbur C. Rimes, and her former manager, Lyle Walker, took more than $7 million from her over five years. The lawsuit claimed the two men charged unreasonable fees and manipulated LeAnn's company for their own financial gain. She was seeking unspecified damages because her attorneys didn't know how much money was gone. Her lawyer said accountants hired by LeAnn's mother to investigate the two men discovered that the pair had received more than $8 million in royalties—$5 million more than did LeAnn. In November of 2000, Rimes filed another lawsuit, this time against her label, Curb Records. She was asking to be released from the contract her parents signed on her behalf when she was 12 years old. Rimes also wanted Curb to turn over the rights to all of her past music and video work, give up publishing interests, and destroy all her recordings now being distributed. A happier occurrence was her acting debut in the film Coyote Ugly, in which her four songs on the soundtrack—written by Diane Warren—signalled a stylistic move away from country music. Her legal battles were resolved in part in December of 2001, when Curb Records agreed to rewrite her contract to meet Rimes's approval. In another courtroom drama—also resolved at that time—her former bodyguard, Robert Lavetta, made a deal with prosecutors, thus avoiding prison time in an extortion case by which Rimes was victimized by Lavetta.
As for the legal feud between Rimes and her father, the two made peace in time for him to attend her February 23, 2002, wedding at Perkins Chapel in Dallas, Texas. Rimes married Dean Sheremet, a dancer whom she met while hosting the Academy of Country Music Awards in May of 2001.
Although 2003 saw the publication of her first children's book Jag by Dutton Books and the release of her Greatest Hits album, Rimes's greater role in the history of country music remains to be written. However, her versatility and longterm creative ambitions may help her escape the dour fate of many other former child stars.
Selected discography
After All, Nor Va Jak, 1994.
Blue, Curb, 1996.
Unchained Melody: The Early Years, Curb, 1997.
You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs, Curb 1997.
Sittin' on Top of the World, Curb, 1998.
LeAnn Rimes, Curb, 1999.
Sittin' on Top of the World, Polydor, 2000.
God Bless America, Curb, 2001.
I Need You, Curb, 2001.
Twisted Angel, Curb, 2002.
Greatest Hits, Curb, 2003.
Sources
Periodicals
Los Angeles Times, July 27, 1996; November 6, 1996.
People, March 11, 2002.
USA Today, June 11, 1996.
Online
Great American Country, http://www.countrystars.com/artists/lrimes.html (January 31, 2004).
"LeAnn Rimes," All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (January 30, 2004).
LeAnn Rimes Official Website, http://www.rimestimes.com (January 31, 2004).
Richard De La Font Agency, Inc, http://www.delefont.com/music_acts/leann-rimes.htm.http://www.countrystars.com/artists/lrimes.html (January 30, 2004).
—Shaun Frentner and Ken Burke
Rimes, Leann
LEANN RIMES
Born: Jackson, Mississippi, 28 August 1982
Genre: Country
Best-selling album since 1990: Blue (1996)
Hit songs since 1990: "Blue," "One Way Ticket," "How Do I Live"
Following in the footsteps of precocious country singers of the past such as Brenda Lee and Tanya Tucker, LeAnn Rimes achieved stardom at an extremely young age—thirteen. Catapulting to fame with her first single, "Blue" (1996), Rimes exhibited a strong, confident voice, marked by a maturity that belied its years. Instantly earning critical comparisons to late country legend Patsy Cline, Rimes became country music's most promising young star, her career largely shaped and guided by her father, Wilbur. Echoing a pattern that characterized the early career of Lee, however, Rimes's follow-up releases indicated a lack of artistic direction; largely abandoning her country audience, Rimes actively pursued the pop market, choosing material that many critics dismissed as inappropriate. By 2000 Rimes was making efforts to forge her own personal and artistic independence, engaging in prolonged lawsuits with her father and record label. While Rimes's publicized troubles had a delaying effect on her recording career, she resolved these disputes in 2002, releasing a new album that celebrated her adulthood with a clean-edged pop sound.
Childhood Stardom
Spending her early years in Jackson, Mississippi, Rimes won her first talent contest at the age of five, having exhibited an ability to sing on pitch before she could talk. When she was six her father, a salesman of oil-field pipe, and mother, a devout Baptist who worked at a hair salon to help pay bills, moved Rimes to Dallas, Texas, in order to spur her performing career. Setting up a recording studio in the family's small, two-bedroom apartment, Wilbur rehearsed and coached his daughter each night. By the early 1990s Rimes was singing the National Anthem at Texas Rangers baseball games and appearing on the popular television program Star Search. In 1994, having recorded an album in a small New Mexico studio, she met Dallas disc jockey Bill Mack, who decided to help promote her career. Mack presented Rimes with a song, "Blue," that he had originally written years before for Cline, whose death in a plane crash had prevented her from recording it. The next year, Mack arranged for Rimes to sign with Curb Records, a label known for its tough, shrewd business practices. In a move that would later come back to haunt Rimes, Curb had a court remove the "disability of minority" provision in her contract, ensuring that she would be prevented from backing out of the agreement once she turned eighteen.
Blue, Rimes's debut for Curb, was a resounding hit, selling 7 million copies and winning her a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. A solid, professional sounding country album, Blue is highlighted by Mack's hit title track, in which Rimes recalls Cline's spirited style through expressive, yodeling vocals. Like Lee and Tucker before her, Rimes exhibits an uncanny maturity, belting with the strength and power of an adult. Equally impressive is the full-bodied tone of Rimes's voice, which displays richness and warmth, particularly in its lower register. Proving her facility with a range of country styles, Rimes handles the up-tempo rhythm of the hit, "One Way Ticket," with ease, and duets with country legend Eddy Arnold on "Cattle Call." The song, pairing country's oldest, most venerable performer with its youngest, qualifies as one of Blue 's most charming, satisfying moments. Eager to capitalize on the album's success, Curb quickly unearthed Rimes's 1994 demo album and repackaged it as Unchained Melody: The Early Years (1997). During these years Rimes worked to the point of exhaustion, making almost 500 live appearances between 1996 and 1998.
Prepared to conquer the lucrative pop market, Rimes recorded "How Do I Live," a ballad by hit songwriter Dianne Warren, for the soundtrack to the film Con Air (1997). Although it was rejected by the film's producers in favor of a version by country star Trisha Yearwood, Rimes's recording became a pop crossover smash, remaining on the Billboard charts for a record-breaking sixty-nine weeks. Having reached the peak of her fame, Rimes included the song on her next album, You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs (1997). This time, critics were less kind to Rimes, claiming that her voice was wasted on covers of slick pop songs such as the title track, best known from the hit 1977 recording by pop singer Debby Boone. A perplexing selection of material also informed Rimes's next album, Sittin' on Top of the World (1998). Sporting the now-standard production credit of Wilbur C. Rimes, the album contains an awkward cover of "Purple Rain," the 1984 hit by R&B innovator Prince. Rimes returned to her earlier country sound for LeAnn Rimes (1999), although the album features only one original song, the spirited hit "Big Deal." By this point, critics were pointing to both Wilbur Rimes and Curb Records as forces likely inhibiting Rimes from reaching her full artistic potential.
Personal Conflict and Legal Battles
In May 2000, prompted by questions from her new boyfriend, television actor Andrew Keegan, Rimes and her mother (now divorced from her father) arranged for accountants to investigate Wilbur Rimes's business finances. Discovering that her father had assigned himself a 31 percent producer's fee, a 30 percent management fee, and a 10 percent guardian fee, Rimes and her mother sued, claiming that her father's company had usurped at least $7 million over the course of five years. At the same time, Rimes sued Curb Records in an attempt to break free of her onerous 1996 contract, which, due to the removal of the disability of minority provision, committed her to twenty-one albums instead of the industry standard of seven. During the acrimonious proceedings that ensued, the public was treated to dramatic allegations of adultery, theft, alcoholism, and promiscuity. Appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Rimes denounced her latest album on Curb, I Need You (2001), encouraging audiences not to buy it. At one point during the trial proceedings with Curb, she turned to her father and mouthed, "I hate you." In 2002, after nearly two years of bad press, Rimes, now living in Los Angeles, settled with her father out of court. In a sign of improving relations, Wilbur attended her wedding that year to dancer Dean Sheremet.
Losing her suit against Curb Records, Rimes released Twisted Angel (2002), a pop album that presents her as a full-grown, independent woman. Writing much of the album's material, Rimes includes lines on "Suddenly" that celebrate her new adulthood: "It's Independence Day, I'm free / And it's a strange place to be." The barbed lyrics of "Life Goes On" seem directed at her father, ex-boyfriend Keegan, and others who lost her trust: "You sucked me in then played my mind / Just like a toy you would crank and wind." Her powerful voice undiminished, Rimes brings a new bite to these songs, performing them with a liberated sense of vigor. While making note of the album's arresting lyrics, however, reviewers criticized its pop sound as bland and overly produced. In its review, rock magazine Rolling Stone expressed a longing for the Rimes country sound of the past: "Let's hope Nashville will take her back, and quick."
SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:
Blue (Curb, 1996); Unchained Melody: The Early Years (Curb, 1997); You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs (Curb, 1997); Sittin' on Top of the World (Curb, 1998); LeAnn Rimes (Curb, 1999); I Need You (Curb, 2001); Twisted Angel (Curb, 2002).
WEBSITE:
david freeland
Rimes, (Margaret) LeAnn 1982-
RIMES, (Margaret) LeAnn 1982-
Personal
Born August 28, 1982, in Jackson, MS; daughter of Wilbur C. Rimes (a car salesman and music producer) and Belinda (Butler) Rimes Miller (a fan-club manager); married Dean A. Sheremet (a dancer, actor, and writer), February, 2002.
Addresses
Home— Nashville, TN. Office— Prodigy Entertainment, Ltd., P.O. Box 150667, Nashville, TN 37215.
Career
Recording artist, actress, songwriter, and author. Signed with Curb Records, Nashville, TN, c. 1995; vocal recordings include singles "Ten Thousand Angels Cried," "You Light up My Life," "How Do I Live, Blue," "Looking through Your Eyes," 1998, "Big Deal," 1999; "Can't Fight the Moonlight," 2000, "God Bless America," 2001, "Life Goes On," 2002, "We Can," 2003, and "This Love," 2004; albums include All That, 1993, Blue, 1996, Unchained Melody: The Early Years, 1997, You Light up My Life: Inspirational Songs, 1997, Sittin' on Top of the World, 1998, Leaving's Not Leaving, 1999, God Bless America, 2001, I Need You, 2001, with bonus tracks, 2002, Twisted Angel, 2002, Life Goes On, 2002, Greatest Hits (To Be Continued), 2003, What a Wonderful World, 2004, and This Woman, 2005. Contributor to recordings, including Elton John and Tim Rice's "Aïda," 1999; Divas Live/99, 1999; The Ultimate Popular Christian Songs, 2000; Coyote Ugly (film soundtrack), 2000; and Angel Eyes (film soundtrack), 2001. Actress in films, including Coyote Ugly, 2000; Actress in television, including LeAnn Rimes in Concert, 1997; Holiday in Your Heart (TV movie), 1997; (host) Academy of Country Music Awards, 2001; LeAnn Rimes Live, 2003; (host) CMT 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music Concert, 2003; Intimate Portrait: LeAnnRimes, 2003; LeAnn Rimes: Custom Concert, 2004; actress in numerous other awards programs, talk shows, variety shows, and specials, and in television commercials. Spokesperson for Children's Miracle Network, 2004.
Awards, Honors
Won first talent show, 1987; Grammy Awards, 1997, for Best New Vocalist, and Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for Blue; Horizon Award, Country Music Association (CMA), 1997; Lone Star Film and Television Awards Special Award for Rising Star Actress, 1998; Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Song from a Movie (Internet Only), 2001, for "Can't Fight the Moonlight," from Coyote Ugly; BPI Award for Best Album, 2004, for The Best of LeAnn Rimes; numerous other CMA and American Country Music awards.
Writings
(With Tom Carter) Holiday in Your Heart (novel), Doubleday (New York, NY), 1997.
Jag, illustrated by Richard Bernal, Dutton Children's Books (New York, NY), 2003.
Jag's New Friend, illustrated by Richard Bernal, Dutton Children's Books (New York, NY), 2004.
SONG LYRICS; AND VOCALIST
(With Andreas Carlsson and Desmont Child) Life Goes On, Curb Records (Nashville, TN), 2002.
(With others) Twisted Angel (musical recording), Curb Records (Nashville, TN), 2002,
Also contributor to lyrics in other recordings.
Work in Progress
Further children's books in the "Jag" series; numerous musical projects.
Sidelights
Beginning her career as a country-western vocalist while she was still enrolled in elementary school in her home-town of Garland, Texas, LeAnn Rimes has mustered her independent spirit and determination to make it in a highly competitive industry. Blessed with an extraordinary singing talent, she achieved national fame with "Blue," a song originally written for country singer Patsy Cline decades before Rimes was born, and then followed that success with "You Light up My Life." Her back-to-back Grammy awards in 1997 and a recording contract with Nashville-based Curb records also fueled Rimes' career, and led her to become one of the most popular—and youngest—crossover artists during the late 1990s.
In the 2000s, Rimes has more fully come into her own as a musician, as well as a young woman, and her marriage to dancer Dean Sheremet in 2002, as well as the recording Twisted Angel, signaled what many music reviewers have seen as a new phase in Rimes' career. Indeed, on more recent recordings, her songwriting skills have become more focused, showing Rimes to be a talented writer as well as vocalist. Her writing talents have also surfaced in the 1997 coauthored novel Holiday in Your Heart, which was adapted as a television film, as well as in a series of books for young children that feature a spunky young jaguar who learns to confront and overcome changes in her life.
In Jag, which was published in 2003, young Jacqueline the Jaguar is worried about her first day at school, but not for typical reasons having to do with meeting strangers or being away from home. Instead, Jag dreads the swimming lessons she will be forced to take. At school, she discovers a new challenge when her classmates start to ridicule her. When the group turns from her to taunt a new student, Simon, who has no spots, Jag must make an important choice: whether to follow the crowd and join in teasing Simon or risk being ridiculed again by becoming the new student's friend. The young jaguar's adventures are continued in Jag's New Friend, which like Jag feature colorful illustrations by Richard Bernal.
As Rimes explained to Billboard contributor Carla Hay, Jag "has a lot to do with my experiences growing up. I was picked on by other kids at school, and I think a lot of kids are dealing with those life experiences right now. The message of the book is be yourself, conquer your fears and stand up for yourself in a good way." Raised in the popular spotlight, Rimes learned such lessons early, and commented on the effects of her early fame on the Curb Records Web site: "You can't put a child in this business and expect them not to grow up fast.… I missed out on some things, but I was at the Grammys when I was 14. It was fun. It's been a lot of work, too. Life has taught me that everything you go through brings you to some place you never imagined. Whether it's an exciting once-in-a-lifetime experience or something incredibly trying that you feel fortunate to have survived—it's all an avenue to discovering just what you're made of and what you're capable of achieving."
Biographical and Critical Sources
PERIODICALS
Billboard, August 6, 2003, Carla Hay, "Artists Add New Voice to Children's Books," p. 5.
Good Housekeeping, September, 2003, Amy Wallace, "'I Just Want to Be Normal': She Was Famous at 13 … and Adrift a Few Years Later. Now Happily Married, with a New Album and Book, LeAnn Rimes Is Trying to Recapture What She Lost along the Way," p. 125.
In Style, January 1, 2004, Degen Pener, "The Country Girl," p. 148.
People, December 1, 2003, J. D. Reed, "Prime-Time Rimes," p. 189.
Publishers Weekly, August 18, 2003, review of Jag, p. 77.
ONLINE
Country Stars Online, http://www.countrystarsonline.com/ (October 18, 2004), Cheryl Harvey Hill, review of Greatest Hits.
Curb Records Web site, http://www.curb.com/ (March 11, 2004, "LeAnn Rimes Has Come a Long Way in Six Short Years."
Official LeAnne Rimes Web site, http://www.rimestimes.com/ (July 28, 2004).*