- The little girl from Pearl became an overnight success in the 1990s. She’ll be performing in the Bologna Performing Arts Center on the campus of Delta State on September 19.
The world was first introduced to the soon-to-be singing sensation LeAnn Rimes when she was just 13 years old. Her version of “Blue”– a song that was pitched to Patsy Cline before she died – was released on Nashville’s Curb Records label in 1996. The single became a top ten hit on the Billboard country song chart, selling 123,000 copies in its first week. That’s a very big deal for a little girl who was born in Jackson, Mississippi on August 28, 1982. At the age of 14, she became the youngest person to ever win a GRAMMY award.
Now 42, Rimes has risen to the top of the country music stratosphere with 17 albums under her belt. Her powerhouse vocals combined with her poise and maturity at such an early age set her up for a successful recording career. Today she continues to record and perform. She is also an actress, author, and she has a popular podcast, Wholly Human.
Early Life
The only child of Wilbur Rimes and Brenda Butler, LeAnn began singing as a young child in Pearl, Mississippi. Recognizing her ability to sing in high pitch, her parents enrolled her in singing and dancing classes. She began competing in local talent shows when she was five.
When she was six years old, the family moved to Garland, Texas where LeAnn continued singing classes. Her parents supported Rimes’ desire to perform.
Her first foray into musical theater came when she performed in a production of A Christmas Carol in Dallas. She auditioned for the lead role in the Broadway musical Annie and nearly got the role. When she appeared on Star Search in 1990, eight-year-old Rimes charmed Ed McMahon, the host of the network competition television show. Back in Texas, she appeared on Johnnie High’s Country Music Revue, which drew the attention of local talent scouts.
By the age of nine, Rimes was an experienced professional singer. Her father toured her across the country to perform. Rimes also sang The Star-Spangled Banner a cappella at several Dallas Cowboy games. Her first album, Everybody’s Sweetheart, was released on an independent record label.
First Grammy before her first car
She was discovered by a local disc jockey and record promoter, Bill Mack, who worked on her behalf to get a record deal with a major country music label. He arranged a recording contract for LeAnn with Curb Records in Nashville in 1996, recording a song written by Bill Mack, “Blue.”
The album by the same name was released in 1996 and peaked at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, and it debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. The little girl from Pearl was an overnight success.
Two other singles from the album made the Top 40 Billboard country singles chart: “The Light in Your Eyes,” which peaked at number five, and “One Way Ticket,” which peaked at number one. Barely in her teens, LeAnn Rimes was on her way to stardom.
Over the years, she has had over 63 singles on international charts. She rose to success as a country music artist, but genre-hopped, successfully crossing over to pop, contemporary Christian, and other genres. Her departure from country came with her 1997 pop music hit, “How Do I Live,” one of the best selling singles of the 1990s. That track was on her next album, You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs, which became a certified quadruple platinum album.
Rimes has sold over 48 million albums worldwide. During the decade of the 1990s, she was the number 17 selling artist.
In the early 2000s, Rimes broke away from her father’s management and released a gold-certified pop album in 2002 called Twisted Angel. Two years later she released a Christmas album, What a Wonderful World. By 2005, she returned to her country roots with her album This Woman.
Other albums followed. In 2014, Rimes ended her long-time professional relationship with Curb Records. She went on to release another Christmas album, Today is Christmas, in 2015 followed in 2016 by a pop studio album, Remnants, which featured two number one Billboard dance club hits.
Exploring Her Spiritual Side
Over the years, Rimes has explored themes of resilience, faith, and strength as a way to find solace in the belief that in facing adversity and despair, we are not alone.
She uses her music to connect listeners to their own experiences of overcoming their challenges in life. The symbolism of angels plays a prominent role in her song “On the Side of Angels,” which also touches on the importance of faith and believing in something greater than oneself.
She released Chant: The Human & the Holy in 2020, followed by God’s Work in 2022.
Acting Career
Rimes has also had a successful acting career.
Her first acting job was on one of her favorite daytime soap operas, Days of Our Lives. At age 16, she played teen runaway Madison on the series. She also made appearances in Drop Dead Diva and Anger Management.
In 1997, she appeared in the film Holiday in Your Heart.
She met her husband, Eddie Cibrian, on the set of the television film Northern Lights in 2009.
Other acting credits include Good Intentions, Reel Love, and It’s Christmas Eve.
This year she became a coach for both The Voice Australia and The Voice UK.
Writing Life
In addition to being a talented songwriter, Rimes has also authored four books.
Her first, Holiday In Your Heart, was co-written with Tom Carter when Rimes was just 15. The 1997 novel’s name is derived from the song, “Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart.”
She wrote two children’s books, Jag (2003) and a follow-up, Jag’s New Friend (2004).
Why I Cannot Change, was co-authored with Darrell Brown and released in 2009. Based on her song by the same name, the book includes stories from people who have experienced their own journeys of change. A bonus is that the book includes an accompanying CD.
LeAnn Rimes’ Life Today
Rimes has a busy touring schedule, on tour through January 2025.
She’ll be performing in the Bologna Performing Arts Center on the campus of Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi on September 19.
Her podcast, Wholly Human, features Rimes interviewing guests on a wide range of topics relating to personal growth, health, and spirituality.
LeAnn lives with her husband and her two stepchildren in Hidden Hills, California.
Susan Marquez
