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B. Audrey Faith Perry, 21 September,
1967, Jackson, Mississippi, USA. Raised in the small
town of Star, Mississippi, USA, the 90s country
singer Faith Hill was singing at family gatherings
from the age of three. She was influenced by Reba
McEntire and formed her first band when she was 17
years old, performing at local rodeos. She moved to
Nashville in 1989 and her first job was selling
T-shirts at the Country Music Fan Fair. Attempts to
make a name for herself in Nashville were fruitless,
and Hill eventually accepted a secretarial job with
a music publisher.
Legend has it that the publisher/singer Gary Morris
urged her to leave the job and take up singing as a
career. She befriended songwriter Gary Burr, who
produced her demo tape, and suitably impressed
Warner Brothers Records. Hill has subsequently
recorded several of Burr's songs, including 'I Would
Be Stronger Than That', 'Just Around The Eyes' and
'Just About Now'. Her first album was produced by
Scott Hendricks, who had previously had some success
with Brooks And Dunn and Restless Heart. Her
sparkling debut US country single, the rocking 'Wild
One', topped the country charts and she followed it
with a version of Janis Joplin 's 'Piece Of My
Heart', another cheerful country-rocker. Take Me As
I Am was successful, but surgery on her vocal cords
delayed the making of It Matters To Me. This
included a song about wife-beating, 'A Man's Home Is
His Castle', a duet with Shelby Lynne, 'Keep Walkin'
On', and a song written for her by Alan Jackson, 'I
Can't Do That Anymore'. Her regular band features
Trey Grey (drum
s), Steve Hornbeak (keyboards), Tom Rutledge
(guitar, fiddle), Anthony Joyner (bass), Lou Toomey
(lead guitar), Karen Staley (guitar, vocals) and is
masterminded by dobro and steel guitarist Gary
Carter.
Much of Hill's popularity has been fuelled by having
one of the best touring bands in the business. 'It
Matters To Me' was a further US country chart topper
in 1996. In 1997 she recorded with her husband Tim
McGraw, resulting in the number 1 hit and CMA
Award-winning 'It's Your Love'.
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