LeAnn's Biography

Future superstar" and Sensation" are just a couple of the terms that deejays, reporters and music industry veterans across the country are using to describe fourteen-year-old LeAnn Rimes, whose debut record Blue has taken the airwaves by storm. Blue entered Billboard's country chart at number 49, making Rimes the youngest country singer to debut that high.

Born August 28, 1982 in Jackson Mississippi, Rimes, an only child, began singing before she was two. "My dad has tapes of me doing 'You Are My Sunshine,' 'Getting to Know You' and 'Have Mercy' by the Judds," LeAnn says. At age five, LeAnn entered and won her first song-and-dance competition (with a version of "Getting to Know You") and told her parents, Wilbur and Belinda, she wanted a life in show business. The family moved to Texas when LeAnn was six to pursue that dream and she subsequently auditioned (and nearly snagged) the lead in "Annie II" on Broadway.

At seven, she made her stage debut in a Dallas musical production of UA Christmas Carol," playing the lead role of Tiny Tim. LeAnn was a two-week champion on the TV show, "Star Search" when she was eight and she has been a regular on Johnnie High's Country Music Review in Fort Worth. LeAnn built a dedicated following in Texas through her powerful acappela performances of the "Star Spangled Banner" at Dallas Cowboy games, the Walt Garrison Rodeo and the National Cutting Horse Championship in Fort Worth. In addition, LeAnn opened for Randy Travis at Starplex in Dallas and in 1995 she made over 100 concert appearances.

At age 11, she recorded her first album After All produced by Wibur, and released on the independent label Nor Va Jak. The LP featured a version of Blue, which had been sent to the Rimes' by its songwriter, Bill Mack. Mack had originally written the song more than 30 years ago and given it to Patsy Cline, who died before she could record it. The song lay dormant until Mack heard Rimes sing at one of her appearances and sent her a tape.

"My dad said the song was too old for me," Rimes recalls. "I loved it, though and I kept bugging him about it. Then I got the idea to put the yodel thing to it."

Wilbur and LeAnn headed to Norman Petty's old studio in Clovis, N.M. (where Buddy Holly recorded his first album) to cut LeAnn's LP. Lyle Walker, who runs the studio, became LeAnn's co-manager along with Wilbur. The first album, sold locally in the Dallas area, also created a stir in Nashville and sparked a bidding war among several labels for LeAnn's talents. Ultimately, LeAnn signed with Curb Records.

"Someone sent me her CD, I put it on and everyone just turned their heads and said, 'Who is that?'" Mike Curb says. LeAnn's first Curb CD will feature the reworked version of Blue as well as an updated version of a song that was on After All, "I'll Get Even With You." One of the highlights for LeAnn is a duet with the legendary Eddy Arnold on his classic hit, "Cattle Call." "It was Mike Curb's idea to do the song," LeAnn says. "Eddy Arnold was great. He kind of adopted me as his granddaughter and then as his daughter. One of the Blue's other highlights is "Talk to Me," an up-tempo cut that LeAnn co-wrote (with Ron Grimes and Jon Rutherford.) "I've been writing songs for six months and this is the first one I've recorded" LeAnn comments. "I'm really excited about 'Talk to Me' and I'm looking forward to continuing my songwriting."

LeAnn counts Barbra Streisand, Patsy Cline, Reba McEntire, Wynona and her parents among her musical influences. Off the road and out of the studio, she enjoys riding cutting horses, tennis, swimming and watching other performers' concerts. As for the future, LeAnn has diverse aspirations. "I want to continue singing and writing songs," she says. "I'd like to act. College is also an option for me. I've always wanted to help children and I've thought about studying speech pathology." From the impact she's already made on the entertainment world, it appears the blue sky is the limit for LeAnn Rimes.