Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960 in Augusta, Georgia) is an American singer-songwriter whose music has strong Christian themes. She was initially most successful in the "Christian pop" or CCM genre, and is notable for being one of the first CCM artists to have successfully crossed over into the mainstream pop music market. She has won multiple Grammy and Dove awards and was elected to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2003. To date she has 5 gold and 6 platinum albums.
Career
Signed to a record company at the age of sixteen, Grant's first, self-titled album (largely self-composed) in 1977, was a runaway success in terms of the Christian music market of the time. As an English major at Vanderbilt University, Grant quietly made a few more albums before abandoning her college career for one in music. These albums included 1979's My Father's Eyes (the title track written by Grant's future husband and singer-songwriter Gary Chapman) and Never Alone in 1980.
1982 marked a turning point in both Grant's career and personal life. After marrying Chapman in June, her album Age to Age forced critics to sit up and take notice. The breakthrough album contained the now signature track, "El Shaddai" and the Grant-Chapman penned song, "In A Little While." She was now a star. Grant received her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Gospel Performance, as well two Dove Awards for Gospel Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year.
Grant followed up this album with the first of her Christmas albums - albums that later would be the basis for her trademark Holiday shows. 1984 saw the release of another pop-oriented Christian hit, Straight Ahead , earning Grant her first appearance at the Grammy Awards show.
Hardly had Grant established herself as the rightful "Queen of Christian Pop", however, when she changed directions to widen her fan base (and hence her musical message). Her goal was to become the first Christian singer-songwriter who was also successful as a contemporary pop singer, being successful in both genres. 1985's Unguarded shocked some fans for its very mainstream sound (and Grant's leopard-print jacket, in four poses for four different covers). "Find a Way," from Unguarded, became the first Christian song to hit Billboard's Top 40 list. Amy Grant scored her first Billboard Number One hit with "The Next Time I Fall ", a breezy duet with Chicago frontman Peter Cetera
1988's Lead Me On , released after Grant had become a mother and undergone considerable strain in her marriage, is considered her most mature album, both lyrically and musically. This album, too, contained many songs that were not obviously "Christian," though the album's title track is now considered a CCM classic. The mainstream friendly song, "Saved by Love", was a minor hit, receiving airplay on radio stations featuring newly emerging Adult Contemporary format.
Nevertheless, when Heart in Motion was released three years later, many fans were shocked and outraged that the album was so clearly one of contemporary pop music. The track "Baby Baby" (written for Grant's new-born daughter, Millie), however, became a massive hit, and Grant was established as a name in the mainstream music world. Many Christian fans remained loyal, though, as the album also topped the Billboard's Contemporary Christian Chart for 32 weeks. Heart in Motion is her best-selling album, having sold over 5 million copies.
House of Love in 1994 continued in the same vein, boasting catchy pop songs mingled with spiritual lyrics. The album was a multi-platinum success and produced the minor pop hit "Lucky One," as well as the title track (a duet with country music star Vince Gill). 1997's Behind the Eyes , however, struck a much darker note, and it soon became clear that Grant's longtime marriage to Chapman was at an end. The two separated, then divorced, in 1999. Fans were not thrilled. Grant remarried the next year to country music singer Vince Gill, who also had recently divorced. This further outraged some fans, but the numbers were more than counterbalanced by those gained.
After giving birth to her fourth child (Corinna Grant Gill), Grant returned to her Gospel music roots with the 2002 release of Legacy... Hymns and Faith . The album featured a mix of bluegrass and gospel and marked Grant's 25th anniversary in the music industry. Grant followed this up with the highly-anticipated pop release, Simple Things , in 2003. Though a critics' favorite, the album did not see the success of her previous pop efforts.
Grant released a sequel to her hymns collection in 2005 entitled Rock of Ages . The singer also joined the Reality Television phenomenon by hosting Three Wishes , a show in which she and a team of helpers make wishes come true for small town residents.
Grant is a longstanding member of the Gospel Music Association (GMA), who awards the Dove Awards annually and is maintainer of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Albums
Greatest Hits
- Mountain Top (1977)
- Father's Eyes (1979)
- Too Late (1980)
- All I Ever Have To Be (1980)
- I'm Gonna Fly (1981)
- Sing Your Praise To The Lord (1982)
- In A Little While (1982)
- El Shaddai (1982)
- I Have Decided (1982)
- Emmanuel (1983)
- Angels (1984)
- Thy Word (1984)
- Where Do You Hide Your Heart (1984)
- Find A Way (1985)
- Everywhere I Go (1985)
- Stay For Awhile (1986)
- Love Can Do (1986)
- The Next Time I Fall (Duet With Peter Cetera) (1986)
- Saved By Love (1988)
- Lead Me On (1988)
- Baby Baby (1991)
- Every Heartbeat (1991)
- That's What Love Is For (1991)
- Good For Me (1991)
- I Will Remember You (1991)
- Lucky One (1994)
- House of Love (Duet With Vince Gill) (1994)
- Big Yellow Taxi (1994)
- The Things We Do For Love (1996)
- Takes A Little Time (1997)
- Like I Love You (1997)
- I Will Be Your Friend (1997)
- Simple Things (2003)
- The Water (2004)
- Come Be With Me (2004)
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