Amy Grant

Amy Lee Grant PhD USA 1960-present Born at Augusta, GA, the youngest of four girls, her family moved to Nashville, TN, in 1967. She is the great granddaughter of Nashville philanthropist, A M Burton (founder of Life & Casualty Tower, WLAC Radio, and WLAC TV, and Lillie Burton). The Burtons attended the Nashville Ashwood Church of Christ, as did she. She wrote her first song: ‘Mountain Top’, at Harpeth School, Nashville, an all-girls school where she attended. In 1977 Grant was offered a recording contract before her 16th birthday after a recording studio owner heard her sing on a demo tape. That studio recorded her first 11 albums. She attended Furman U, Greenville, SC, and later Vanderbilt U, Nashville, TN. She held her first ticketed concert while attending Furman in 1978. In 1982 she married Gary Chapman. They had three children: Matthew Garrison, Gloria Mills (Millie), and Sarah Cannon. Chapman wrote the title track for her 2nd album, and they toured together in 1979. In 1980 she transferred to Vanderbilt U. She became a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She made a few more albums before dropping out of college to pursue her recording career. In 1989 her album released was titled: ‘Never Alone’. Another album in 1982 was titled: ‘Age to Age’. In the mid-80s, she began touring and recording with Michael W Smith, and they developed a strong friendship, sometimes writing songs or contributing vocals to each other’s albums. Grant was also a back-up singer for Bill Gaither. She released her first Christmas album in 1983. NBC noticed and asked her to star in her own Christmas special. She developed a reputation as ‘Queen of Christian Pop. In 1984 her album: ‘Straight Ahead’ was released. She also saw success in 1985 as a contemporary pop singer, and released an album titled: ‘Unguarded’. In 1986 she performed secular music with a number of other artists, including, Peter Cetera, Randy Stonehill, and Art Garfunkel. Her album: ‘The Animals Christmas’ came out, and her first book came out that year titled: Amy Grant’s Heart to Heart Bible Stories’. In 1988 her album: ‘Lead Me On’, containing both Christian and secular music was voted the ‘greatest Contemporary Christian album of all time’. In 1991 she released her album: ‘Heart in Motion’, strictly contemporary pop music. Her famous track, ‘Baby, Baby’ was dedicated to her six-week-old daughter, Millie. To date, it has sold over 5 million copies. In 1992 she released her 2nd Christmas album: ‘Home for Christmas’. Another album followed in 1994: ‘House of Love’. In 1997 she released an album: ‘Behind the Eyes’. In 1999, she released her 3rd Christmas album: ‘A Christmas to Remember’. She and Gary Chapman also divorced that year. In 2000 she remarried to Vince Gill, and they have remained married to date. They have a daughter, Corina Grant from this marriage. In 2001 she won $125,000 on the TV show: ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’. That year she also did an audio book titled: ‘The Creation’ (Bible stories for children). In 2002 Grant returned to Christian pop music and released an album of hymns: ‘Legacy.. Hymns and Faith’, a mix of bluegrass and pop music. This was her 25th anniversary in the music industry. Another album in 2003, ‘Simple Things’, was not as successful as earlier releases. In 2005 she released another album: ‘Rock of Ages.. Hymns and Faith’. That year she also hosted a NBC TV show titled ‘Three Wishes’. It featured a team of helpers making wishes come true for small-town residents. It was canceled after its first season due to high production costs. In 2006 she recorded a live CD/DVD titled: ‘Time Again’ at Fort Worth, TX, in Bass Performance Hall. In 2007 she released her book: “Pieces of My Life So Far’ (memories, song lyrics, poetry, and some pictures). In 2007, Grant left Word/Warner and contracted with EMI CMG, who released her regular studio albums as remastered versions. In 2008 she joined a writing team from Compassionart and recorded as a guest vocalist in London. That year she also re-released her 1988 album, ‘Lead Me On’. In 2009 she released an EP with two new songs and some old ones to benefit the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s (EIF) Women’s Cancer Research Fund. In 2010 she released an album titled: ‘Somewhere Down the Road’. In 2012 she received an honorary doctorate degree from Grand Canyon U, Phoenix, AZ, for music performance. That year Grant took part in a campaign called ’30 Songs / 30 Days’ to support the group ‘Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide’. It was a multi-platform media project. That year she also was a guest narrator for Disney’s Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World. She repeated as narrator in 2013 and 2015. In 2013 she released an album: ‘How Mercy Looks from Here’. In 2014 she released an album: ‘In motion: the Remixes’. That year she also had a new single in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month titled: ‘Welcome Yourself’. In 2015 she released a new compilation album: ‘Be still and Know’. In 2016 she released another album: ‘Tennessee Christmas’. It contained old and new music. She and her husband toured the U S and Canada with Christmas concerts, along with Michael W Smith and Jordan Smith. More similar concerts ensued in 2017. In 2020, Grant had an open-heart surgery to repair a congenital heart condition (PAPVR). In 2022 she sustained a concussion, cuts and bruises, requiring hospitalization, after falling from her bicycle while riding near Nashville’s Harpeth Hills Golf Course. Between 1983-2007 Grant received some 22 Dove Awards for music performance; six Grammies; and other awards, including: JCC Young Tennessean (1992); Pax Christi, St Johns U; Harmony, Nashville Symphony (1994); Sarah Cannon Humanitarian; Minnie Pearl Humanitarian; Voice of America; Golden Plate: Academy of Achievement (1996); Nashville Symphony: TN Performing Arts Center; Amy Grant Room for Music & Entertainment at Target House, St Jude’s Children Hospital (1999); Easter Seals Nashvillian of the Year (2001); Gospel Music Hall of Fame: GMA; Summit: Seminar in the Rockies (2003); Amy Grant Performance Platform: Nashville Schermerhorn Symphony Center; Hollywood Walk of fame (a star) (2006); Christian Music Hall of Fame (2007); Class of 1966 Friend of West Point (2008); Number 52 in the Top Female Artists of the Rock Era-1955-2015 (2015); Kennedy Center Honoree (2022). In 2023 she was again honored with a doctorate in Fine Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN. The family continues to live in the Nashville, TN, area.

John Perry