Leanne Rimes Biography

LeAnn Rimes was born Margaret LeAnn Rimes in 1982 in Jackson, Mississippi but grew up in Texas. LeAnn began singing and performing when she was still a child, and decided to pursue a career in country music after competing on Star Search. Rimes’s father established his own independent music label so that LeAnn could begin recording, and three albums were released under his label before LeAnn was signed to her first recording contract.

LeAnn’s major label debut, Blue, was released in 1996 and the title track rose to number ten on the country charts. The album eventually rose to the number one spot and spawned three additional hit singles: “One Way Ticket (Because I Can),” “The Light in Your Eyes,” and “Hurt Me.” Blue gave LeAnn Rimes the recognition she sought, and at the age of fourteen she became the youngest ever Grammy winner for Best New Artist in 1997. That same year, she also won the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. From there on, LeAnn Rimes released a series of albums and singles which helped her to cross over to mainstream success in addition to enjoying continued success on the country charts: Sittin’ On Top of the World (1998), LeAnn Rimes (1999), Twisted Angel (2002), What a Wonderful World (2004), This Woman (2005), Whatever We Wanna (2006), Family (2007), Lady & Gentlemen (2011), “The Light in Your Eyes,” “On the Side of Angels,” “Commitment,” “Big Deal,” “I Need You,” “Nothin’ ‘bout Love Makes Sense,” “Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” and “How Do I Live,” which at sixty-nine weeks on the chart became the longest running single in chart history.

In addition to her achievements in music, LeAnn Rimes also launched an acting career at the turn of the new millennium. After her film debut in Coyote Ugly (2000), she went on to appear in other films, including: American Dreams (2003), Northern Lights (2009), Good Intentions (2010), and Reel Love (2011.) She has also published a series of children’s books: Holiday in Your Heart (1997), Jag (2003), Jag’s New Friend (2004), and What I Cannot Change (2009.)

In addition to her Grammies, for her achievements in music, LeAnn Rimes has also earned an American Music Award, a Country Music Association Award, three Academy of Country Music Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards. Thus far, her albums have sold more than thirty-five million records worldwide, and Rimes has placed more than forty singles on the charts since her major label debut. LeAnn Rimes’s most recent album, Spitfire, was released in 2013.