Lee Ann Womack

Lee Ann Womack – born in Jacksonville, Texas on August 19, 1966 – is a Grammy-winning country music singer and songwriter best known for 2000 crossover hit “I Hope You Dance”. She became interested in pursuing country music as a career while in college in the late 1980s, joining Country Caravan, a band made up of college classmates. She transferred to a college in Nashville, Tennessee and began studying aspects of the music business. She became an intern at MCA Records, eventually leaving college in 1990. After a several year break spent raising her family, she reentered the music business and began to play songwriting showcases and submitting demos. In 1996, she signed a deal with Decca Nashville and released her self-titled debut album a year later. Two of the album’s singles – “The Fool” and “You’ve Got To Talk To Me” – reached Number 2 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Her musical style was a mixture of both traditional and modern country. By 2000, she was one of the best-selling female country artists. Her album, I Hope You Dance, was a departure for Lee Ann Womack, blending pop leanings into her country sound. She hit Number 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart with the single “I Hope You Dance”. The song became a crossover hit, reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. “I Hope You Dance” also became a hit in Canada (Number 1) and the UK (Number 40) as well as several other countries. Lee Ann Womack scored an additional 13 Top 40 hits in the Country charts. By the mid-2000s, she reverted back to her more traditional country sound, eventually embracing an original mix of her traditional sound and Americana. Over the course of her career, Lee Ann Womack was honored many Grammy Awards, Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, ASCAP Awards, American Music Awards, and many others.