Description

By the end of the 1990s, Faith Hill (n‚e Audrey Faith Perry) had become half of the First Couple of Country Music--the nickname given to her and her husband, fellow superstar Tim McGraw. Hill combines Cover Girl good looks (literally--she was a model for the cosmetics company) with a big, powerful voice that mixes influences from pop, gospel, rock, and classic country. In 1999, Hill crossed over to the pop charts with her worldwide smash single "This Kiss." Ever since then, she's been as much a pop diva as a country siren, though her passionate duets with McGraw continue to delight country fans.

Biography

b. Audrey Faith Perry, 21 September, 1967, Jackson, Mississippi, USA. Raised in the small town of Star, Mississippi, USA, this popular country singer was singing at family gatherings from the age of three. She was influenced by Reba McEntire and formed her first band when she was 17 years old, performing at local rodeos. She moved to Nashville in 1989 and her first job was selling T-shirts at the Country Music Fan Fair. Attempts to make a name for herself in Nashville were fruitless, and Hill eventually accepted a secretarial job with a music publisher. Legend has it that the publisher/singer Gary Morris urged her to leave the job and take up singing as a career. She befriended songwriter Gary Burr, who produced her demo tape, and suitably impressed Warner Brothers Records. Hill subsequently recorded several of Burr's songs, including "I Would Be Stronger Than That", "Just Around The Eyes" and "Just About Now". Her first album was produced by then flame Scott Hendricks, who had previously had some success with Brooks And Dunn and Restless Heart. Her sparkling debut US country single, the rocking "Wild One", topped the country charts and she followed it with a version of Janis Joplin's "Piece Of My Heart", another cheerful country-rocker. Take Me As I Am was successful, but surgery on her vocal cords delayed the making of It Matters To Me. This included a song about wife-beating, "A Man's Home Is His Castle", a duet with Shelby Lynne, "Keep Walkin' On", and a song written for her by Alan Jackson, "I Can't Do That Anymore".
Hill's regular band features Trey Grey (drums), Steve Hornbeak (keyboards), Tom Rutledge (guitar/fiddle), Anthony Joyner (bass), Lou Toomey (lead guitar), Karen Staley (guitar/vocals) and is masterminded by dobro and steel guitarist Gary Carter. Much of Hill's popularity has been fuelled by having one of the best touring bands in the business. "It Matters To Me" was a further US country chart topper in 1996. In 1997, she recorded with her husband Tim McGraw, resulting in the number 1 hit and Country Music Association Award-winning "It's Your Love". The following year's Faith broke into the US Top 10. "This Kiss" climbed steadily to a peak position of 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October, and also provided Hill with her debut entry on the UK singles chart. The chart-topping Breathe followed in the footsteps of the previous album in terms of enormous success, although it was not such a strong album in terms of quality.
In 2001, Hill's "There You'll Be" was featured in the end credits of Pearl Harbor. Her new studio album, Cry, topped the US charts the following November. Country critics would say that Hill has strayed from her country path into "rock chick" territory. Clearly there is an attempt at the AOR rock market, but Hill is still in amazingly good voice, as demonstrated by stand-out tracks such as "If This Is The End" and "This Is Me". The album certainly has some mainstream moments, but there are enough epic ballads, scorching Telecaster guitars and pedal steel vignettes to keep her credibility intact.
DISCOGRAPHY: Take Me As I Am (Warners 1993)***, It Matters To Me (Warners 1995)****, Faith (USA) Love Will Always Win (UK) (Warners 1998)****, Breathe (Warners 1999)***, Cry (Warners 2002)****.
VIDEOGRAPHY: Piece Of My Heart (Deaton Flanigen 1994), When The Lights Go Down (Warners 2003).
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Piece Of My Heart, James L. Dickerson. Faith Hill & Tim McGraw: Soul 2 Soul, Jim Brown.

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