Timeline

 

LeAnn Rimes was born August 28, 1982 in Mississippi and raised in Texas. At the tender age of 13, LeAnn started her journey toward country sensation and had her vocals being compared to the likes of Patsy Cline. Within a year of conquering the country music scene, LeAnn was able to crossover to pop radio and in 1997 was named Billboard magazine's biggest selling artists (of singles and LPs). LeAnn's childhood was filled with singing and entering talent contests. LeAnn was singing by the time she was 2 years old and has said, "...my dad has tapes of me doing "You Are My Sunshine," "Getting To Know You" and "Have Mercy" by the Judds." She also won twice on the show Star Search when she was 8. LeAnn has also turned her singing talent into a few acting and stage performances. When LeAnn was 6 and her family first moved to Texas, she auditioned and almost got the lead role in Annie II on Broadway. A year later she was making her stage debut in a Dallas production of A Christmas Carol, playing Tiny Tim.

1993...

                button.gif (123 bytes) LeAnn's talent and desire for show business led the family to Texas and eventually led to an independent LP (when LeAnn was 11). Under the guidance of Bill Mack, a record promoter and DJ from Dallas, LeAnn performed throughout 1995 on television and concerts, and became a local favorite in the Dallas area.

#193 Singles Artist of the Year

                  button.gif (123 bytes)Mack had LeAnn record a version of his song "Blue" (which he claims was originally written for Patsy Cline before she died) and the song became a hit on country radio.

                   

                   button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn's debut LP, Blue, was released and became a multi-million selling country and pop LP. Critics hailed the LP as unbelievably bold for such as young vocalist. Entertainment Weekly said of the LP: "...ironically, such raw, old-fashioned country music, with such a big, twangy, sexy voice at the center, wouldn't be making such a stir in bland 90s Nashville if LeAnn weren't 13... the hype machine has inadvertently coughed up a gem." The LP also contained a duet with Eddy Arnold and went on to sell over 8 million copies in the U.S.
                                                                                                                                                                                   

                     June
                     button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn hit the Top 40 with "Blue."
                     button.gif (123 bytes)Blue topped the Billboard Country Albums chart for 27 weeks into 1997.

                     button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn became the youngest artist to ever be nominated for a Country Music Award (she was nominated for 2 of the awards, but                          won neither that year).

                      December
                     button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn topped the Billboard Country Singles chart for 2 weeks with "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)."

  1997...# 30 Singles Artist of the Year

                 

January
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn won an American Music Award for Favorite New Country Artist.
button.gif (123 bytes)Blue was certified 3x platinum.

LeAnn Rimes - Early Years: Unchained Melodybutton.gif (123 bytes)Februarybutton.gif (123 bytes)
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn won 2 Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Country Performance, Female ("Blue").
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn released Unchained Melody - The Early Years - a collection of songs recorded before Blue. Tracks include a version of the Beatles' "Yesterday" and Dolly Parton's classic "I Will Always Love You."

March
button.gif (123 bytes)Unchained Melody - The Early Years topped the Billboard 200 Albums chart for a week and the Billboard Country Albums chart for 10 weeks.

June
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn hit the Top 40 with "How Do I Live."

August
button.gif (123 bytes)The single "How Do I Live" was certified platinum. "How Do I Live" began a long streak of 32 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Country Singles Sales chart (the run lasted in 1998).

            LeAnn Rimes - You Light Up My Life - Inspirational Songs September
            button.gif (123 bytes)"How Do I Live" topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for 11 weeks.
            button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn released You Light Up My Life - Inspirational Songs and had her second #1 LP on the Pop LP charts (3rd on the                Country LP charts).
            button.gif (123 bytes)You Light Up My Life - Inspirational Songs topped the Billboard 200 Albums chart for 3 weeks     

weeks. The LP contained LeAnn's first Top 10 pop hit, "How Do I Live" (a version of the song used for the summer hit movie, Con Air), as well as the remake of "You Light Up My Life" which was certified gold during the month.

October
button.gif (123 bytes)You Light Up My Life - Inspirational Songs was certified 2x platinum.
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn hit the Top 40 with "You Light Up My Life" while "How Do I Live" hit the Top 10.

November
button.gif (123 bytes)Blue was certified 5x platinum, The Early Years: Unchained Melody was certified 2x platinum, and the single "How Do I Live" was certified 2x platinum.

December
button.gif (123 bytes)SoundScan proclaimed LeAnn's You Light Up My Life - Inspirational Songs the tenth best-selling LP of 1997 - selling over 2.9 million copies in the U.S.
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn starred also in a holiday television movie.
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn also ended the year with numerous wins at the Billboard Music Awards taking home honors for Artist of the Year, Country Artist of the Year, and Country Album of the Year for Blue.
button.gif (123 bytes)At the Country Music Awards LeAnn won the Horizon Award.
button.gif (123 bytes)You Light Up My Life - Inspirational Songs was certified 3x platinum.
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for 2 weeks with "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)."

1998...# 133 Singles Artist of the Year

January
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn was nominated for 2 American Music Awards for Favorite Female Artist Country and Favorite Album Country.
button.gif (123 bytes)You Light Up My Life - Inspirational Songs was certified 4x platinum.

February
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "How Do I Live" (but lost to Trisha Yearwood for the same song).
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn topped the Billboard Maxi-Singles Sales chart with "How Do I Live" for a week.

March
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn's single "How Do I Live" became the biggest selling country single when it was certified 3x platinum.

May
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn's next LP, Sittin' On Top Of The World, was released and she hit the charts with "Looking Through Your Eyes."
button.gif (123 bytes)At the World Music Awards held in Monte Carlo, LeAnn was awarded World's Best-Selling Country Artist and Best-Selling American Artist/Group.
button.gif (123 bytes)The single "Looking Through Your Eyes" hit the Top 40 and was certified gold.

June
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn cancelled a performance in Colorado and found herself in a hospital complaining of "weakness." LeAnn was in the emergency for an hour before being released. The reason was later said to be a low-grade viral infection which hampered the singer after performing in extreme heat the day before.

LeAnn Rimes June
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn told Entertainment Weekly that movies may be her next big adventure: "We've been talking about bringing back A Star Is Born. Something along the lines of a love story that involved my music. A film with an edge."
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn aired her feelings about losing a Grammy to Trisha Yearwood for the same song, "How Do I Live," - "I wasn't a happy person... I felt betrayed. Not by fans but by people in the business... it's disheartening to see what the fans like and (have) politics take it from me."
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn told Country Weekly: "When I become 20, hopefully, it won't be the teen thing anymore. Then they'll probably call me a young adult singing sensation. They'll come up with something. They always do."
button.gif (123 bytes)Sittin' On Top Of The World was certified platinum.

August
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn was forced to cancel 3 concerts due to a respiratory infection.

September
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn set a record on the Billboard pop charts by having the longest running single for "How Do I Live" (70 weeks on the Hot 100 as of October) and most weeks in the Top 10 (32 weeks).

November
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn talked with Country Weekly about making plans for the new year including a country classics LP and a pop LP: "I've had so many people ask me to do an album of country's more traditional songs... and I've wanted to do one because I love traditional country music...I've always blended country and pop songs on the same album, but now I think it's time to split up the music and go 2 ways... I love country music and I will never turn my back on country music or Nashville... but I also enjoy singing other styles of music."

1999...# 94 Singles Artist of the Year

January
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Country Female Artist.

March
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn could be heard on the Top 40 duet with Elton John, "Written In The Stars" from the Elton John And Tim Rice's Aida compilation.
button.gif (123 bytes)Blue was certified 6x platinum.

April
   button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn could be seen on VH1 as part of VH1 Divas Live '99.
   button.gif (123 bytes)The single "Written In The Stars" was certified gold.

October
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn's next LP, LeAnn Rimes, was released.                                                 

  LeAnn Rimes - LeAnn Rimes LPNovember

 

 

 button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn hit the Top 40 with "Big Deal."
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn Rimes topped the Billboard Country Albums chart  for 2 weeks.
December

button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn Rimes was certified gold.

2000...# 76 Singles Artist of the Year

January
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn Rimes was certified platinum.

button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn hit the Top 10 Country charts with "I Need You" from the TV movie, Jesus.

May
button.gif (123 bytes)LeAnn filed a lawsuit against her father and former manager for over $7 million. Her attorney stated: "It would appear that her father didn't always act in a fatherly way to her."

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