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Audrey Faith Perry McGraw, best known as
Faith Hill (born September 21, 1967 in Jackson,
Mississippi), is an American country singer, known for
her commercial success as well as her marriage to
country singer Tim McGraw. Hill's "soulful and
rasping voice" and talent for picking songs have
helped her to sell over 30 million records and
accumulate 11 number one singles. She is the only female
artist to have three consecutive albums debut at Number
One on the Billboard albums chart.
Hill has been honored by the Country Music Association,
the Academy of Country Music, the Grammy Awards, the
American Music Awards and the People's Choice Awards.
Her Soul2Soul II Tour 2006 with husband McGraw became
the highest-grossing country tour of all time.
Early life: Faith Hill was born Audrey Faith
Perry in Jackson, Mississippi. She was adopted as an
infant, and raised by a loving couple in the nearby town
of Star. Her parents raised their two sons and Hill in a
very Christian environment
Hill's vocal talent was apparent early, and she had her
first public performance, a 4-H luncheon, when she was
seven. By the time she was a teenager, Hill was a
regular performer at area churches, even those not in
her own Baptist denomination. At seventeen, Hill formed
a band that played in local rodeos. She briefly attended
college, but at 19 quit school to move to Nashville and
pursue her dream of being a country singer. In her early
days in Nashville, Hill auditioned to be a backup singer
for Reba McEntire, but failed to secure the job.After a
stint selling t-shirts, Hill became a secretary at a
music publishing firm.
Apart from her quest for entry into the music industry,
Hill also began working towards a more robust family
life. In 1988 she married songwriter and music executive
Dan Hill, who provided the surname she would use as she
became famous. Two years later she began a search for
her biological mother, whom she eventually met and with
whom she still corresponds.
A coworker heard Hill singing to herself one day, and
soon the head of her music publishing company was
encouraging her to become a demo singer for the firm.
She supplemented this work by singing backup vocals for
songwriter Gary Burr, who often performed his new songs
at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe. During one of those
performances, an executive from Warner Bros. Records was
in the audience, and, impressed with Hill's voice, began
the process of signing her to a recording contract.
1993 – 1997: Country success: Hill's debut
album was Take Me as I Am (1993); sales were strong,
buoyed by the chart success of "Wild One".
Hill became the first female country singer in 30 years
to hold Billboard's #1 position for four consecutive
weeks when "Wild One" managed the feat in
1994. Her version of Erma Franklin's "Piece of My
Heart", also went to the top of the country charts
in 1994, although rock fans drew unflattering
comparisons to Janis Joplin's cover. The album sold a
total of 3 milliion copies. Shortly after the release of
her album, Hill found her marriage falling apart. She
and Dan Hill divorced in 1994.
The recording of Faith's second album was delayed by
surgery on her vocal cords. It Matters to Me finally
appeared in 1995 and was another success, with the title
track becoming her fourth #1 country single. Several
other top 10 singles followed, and this album also sold
over 3 million copies.In the spring of 1996 Hill began
the Spontaneous Combustion Tour with country singer Tim
McGraw. At that time Hill had recently become engaged to
her former producer, Scott Hendricks, and McGraw had
recently broken an engagement. McGraw and Hill were
quickly attracted to each other and Hill broke her
engagement so that she and McGraw could begin dating.
The pair became engaged on the tour and
married on October 6, 1996. They have three daughters
together: Gracie Katherine (b. 1997), Maggie Elizabeth
(b. 1998) and Audrey Caroline (b. 2001). Since their
marriage, Hill and McGraw have strived to never be apart
for more than three consecutive days.
1998 – 2004: Pop crossover: After the release
of It Matters to Me, Hill took a three-year break from
recording to give herself a rest from four years of
touring and to begin a family with McGraw. During her
break, she joined forces with her husband for their
first duet, "It's Your Love." The song stayed
at Number 1 for six weeks and won awards from both the
Academy of Country Music and the Country Music
Association. Hill has remarked that sometimes when they
perform the song together, " it [doesn't] feel like
anybody else was really watching."
She reentered the music business with 1998's Faith, The
album moved her closer towards a mainstream,
pop-oriented sound, although it retained some country
sound. "This Kiss" became a #1 country hit,
and was the first of her singles to place on the pop
charts, peaking at #7. The album sold over six million
copies and delivered several other Number 1 country
hits, including another duet with McGraw, "Just To
Hear You Say That You Love Me."
Hill used her 1999 tour to support a
national children's book drive. Fans who donated books
at one of her concerts were entered into a drawing to
meet her personally after the show. The effort resulted
in the donation of 35,000 children's books, which were
distributed to hospitals, schools, libraries, and
daycare centers in 40 cities across the United States.
2000 was an especially busy year for Hill. Besides a
successful tour with her husband, Hill was featured in a
CBS television special, VH1's Behind the Music, Divas
2000m, and the Lifetime cable channel's Intimate
Portraits series. She signed an endorsement deal with
CoverGirl makeup., performed at the Academy Awards and
the Grammy Awards, appeared on the cover of numerous
magazine, and performed the national anthem at the Super
Bowl. Hill was also named to Mr. Blackwell's 10-best
dressed women of 2000, the only singer listed among
actresses and other celebrities.
Musically, in 2000 Hill recorded a song for the movie
Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. She also
released Breathe, which debuted at Number 1 on the
Billboard overall charts, ahead of albums by Mariah
Carey and Savage Garden. Although the album had few
overt country sounds, it "complement[ed] her vocal
strengths." For the first time, the album consisted
solely of songs about love and did not venture into the
more somber territory that her previous albums had
touched. The title track, "Breathe," reached
Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "The Way
You Love Me" hit the top ten as well (#6), and
became one of the longest running singles in the history
of the Billboard Hot 100 (57 weeks).The album won Hill
three Grammy Awards including Best Country Album. It
also marked a step away from her girl-next-door image,
as the videos and promotional pictures all portrayed a
much sexier image.
Hill's success on the pop charts disturbed some country
music insiders, who questioned whether she was trying to
dismiss her country roots and move into the pop genre.
Despite the grumbling, Hill won the CMA Female Vocalist
of The Year Award, and in her acceptance speech
annouced, "I love this business and I love this
industry...and my heart is here."
In 2002, Hill released Cry. The album
"spotlight[ed] her impressive set of pipes,"
but also marked the completion of her
"transformation into a pop diva," containing
few nods to her country roots. Though the album debuted
at #1 on Billboard magazine's pop and country album
charts, and Hill made her debut as musical guest on
Saturday Night Live, the album's singles (including the
title track "Cry", written and originally
performed by Angie Aparo) received much less radio
airplay than her previous smashes.The album did win one
Grammy Award and has sold nearly 3 million copies
worldwide.
Hill was also interested in branching out into acting.
Although she was rumored to have won a part in Mel
Gibson's We Were Soldiers, she did not actually appear
in the movie. Her movie debut came in the summer of
2004, when Hill co-starred with Nicole Kidman, Matthew
Broderick and Glenn Close in director Frank Oz's remake
of the 1975 thriller The Stepford Wives.
2005 – present: Back to country roots: 2005
marked Hill's return to music after another three year
break. Fireflies debuted at Number 1 on the Bilbboard
Country albums chart. The debut single,
"Mississippi Girl," became Hill's
highest-debuting single. The song was written
specifically for her by John Rich (of Big and Rich) and
Adam Shoenfield of MuzikMafia, and tells the abbreviated
story of her life. Hill recorded two other songs by
Rich, "Sunshine and Summertime" and "Like
We Never Loved at All," both of which became
successful singles. The album marked a return to Hill's
country roots and succeeded in reestablishing her place
on country radio.
Her focus changed to charitable endeavors in 2005. In
the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina, Hill
and her husband, who was raised in Louisiana, joined
groups taking supplies to Gulfport, Mississippi. The two
also hosted several charity concerts to benefit those
who were displaced by the storm. Later in the year the
couple established the Neighbor's Keeper Foundation,
which provides funding for community charities to assist
with basic humanitarian services in the event of a
natural disaster or for desperate personal
circumstances.
After a six-year break from touring following the birth
of her youngest daughter, in 2006 Hill and husband Tim
McGraw embarked on their Soul2Soul II Tour 2006. The
tour became the highest grossing country music tour ever
with a gross of $90 million. It was named "Major
Tour of the Year" by the prestigous Pollstar
Magazine, beating out such heavyweights as Madonna and
the Rolling Stones. In a special gesture, the couple
donated all of the profits from their performance in New
Orleans to Hurricane Katrina relief.
2006 CMA Awards Controversy: In November 2006,
Hill made entertainment news headlines when she appeared
to react angrily to losing the Female Vocalist of the
Year award to Carrie Underwood at the CMA Awards. Hill,
who was backstage at the time, could be seen pacing in
anticipation and throwing both hands in the air as if
she had won, and then mouthing "What!?" into
the camera and then stepping away from the camera after
Underwood's name was called. Hill claimed that her
reaction was a joke, saying in a statement, "The
idea that I would act disrespectful towards a fellow
musician is unimaginable to me.
For this to become a focus of attention, given the
talent gathered, is utterly ridiculous. Carrie is a
talented and deserving female vocalist of the
year." She later called Underwood to congratulate
her and to clear up any misconceptions between the two
singers. Underwood has stated in public that she
believes Hill meant no ill-will, and that although she
did not believe Hill needed to apologize, her immediate
attempt to make amends elevated Underwood's respect for
her. Some fans, especially those of Underwood, remain
unconvinced and believe that Hill was in fact upset at
Underwood's win.
Plans for 2007: Hill recently said in a radio
interview that she will be releasing two albums in 2007.
One being holiday album, which is almost complete and
another album. Recently, Amazon.com and CMT.com both
list July 24 as the release date for a Greatest Hits
album. Although this date hasn't yet been confirmed, a
press release appeared on April 26 on Hill's website
saying, "THE HITS ...Coming Soon. Stay with
FaithHill.com for more information on Faith’s upcoming
album."
Hill will be heard on Aretha Franklin's upcoming album A
Woman Falling Out of Love planned to be released on
February 2007. She has also recorded a duet called
"Sleeping with the Telephone" for Reba
McEntire's upcoming Duets album, scheduled to be
released mid to late 2007. Faith is also featured on
husband Tim McGraw's new album Let It Go. She sings two
duets with him, "I Need You" and "Shotgun
Rider." Both songs were sung at the couples
critically acclaimed 2006 Soul2Soul II Tour 2006. It has
recently been announced that she and McGraw will do an
encore of their Soul2Soul II Tour. Soul2Soul 2007 will
begin in June and run through August. |
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