Born Margaret LeAnn Rimes in Jackson, Mississippi, her father played the guitar part-time and Rimes began her musical career at the tender age of two, with tap dancing and singing. Her parents entered her in talent contests and she had her first win at age five. When she was six, the family moved to Garland, Texas, where she was raised.
From age seven, Rimes used to sing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at the Dallas Cowboys games and the National Cutting Horse Championships in Fort Worth. Her parents had recordings of these songs and sold them at the shows. She won ‘Star Search’ (1983) in 1990, at age eight, in the junior vocalist competition. By age 11, she had recorded her first album, ‘All That’ (1993), produced by her father at Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico, on an independent record label, Nor Va Jak. Later that year, Rimes met Bill Mack, a DJ and record promoter from Dallas. He was impressed by the young Rimes and wanted to help her break into the mainstream. His plan was for her to sing ‘Blue’, a song he had written in the 1960s.
Rimes burst out of nowhere, at age 13, with her debut single ‘Blue’ (1996) and captured the attention of country fans across America. Her rich and powerful vocals led people to compare her to Patsy Cline whilst everyone marvelled at how young she was. Her album ‘Blue’ (1996) sold eight million copies and ensured her instant stardom. Rimes performed ...
