Ladies in Music Alphabet--Lee Ann Womack

Lee Ann Womack was born and raised in Jacksonville, Texas, She was interested in country music from a very early age. Her father was a high school principal, and also a disc jockey, and often took her to work with him. She helped him choose records to play on the air. Lee Ann's mother was a schoolteacher. Womack spent time studying the piano as a child. She graduated Jacksonville High School, and then attended South Plains Junior College. This college offered country music degrees, and soon she was a member of the college band "Country Caravan". One year later, her parents agreed that she could leave that college, and enroll in Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Here, she was studying commercial ways of the music business. Interning at the A& R department of MCA Records and studying at the college until 1990; she left one year before graduation.

In the mid 90s, Womack reentered the country music business. In 1995 she started performing her country music in songwriting demos. Womack wrote lyrics with some popular Nashville songwriters, including Bill Anderson and Ricky Skaggs, who recorded one of them. Womack decided to pursue a career as a country music artist. She auditioned for MCA chairman Bruce Hinton. She accepted a contract from Decca Nashville in 1996.

Womack's self-titled debut album was released in 1997. Some of the songs contained her lyrics, some were written by other artists. That year she won major awards from the country music industry; Top New Female Vocalist from the Academy of Country Music Awards, Top Artist of the Year from the Billboard Magazine, and was nominated for the Horizon award by the Country Music Association.

Womack released her second studio album in 1998. "Some Things I Know" had two singles to go to #2 on the Billboard Country Chart. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA. This same year, she won Favorite New Country Artist from the American Music Awards.

Womack's third album, "I Hope You Dance" was released in 2000. From this album, the title track reached #1 on the Billboard Country chart for five weeks, and crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100. It also peaked at the top spot on the adult contemporary chart. At the end of that year, "I Hope You Dance" won the Country Music Association's "Song of the Year" and "Single of the Year" awards. Womack performed this song at the annual Nobel Peace Prize concert.

Lee Ann's fourth album, released in 2002, was called "Something Worth Leaving Behind". Leaning more toward pop-flavor, it did not react well, leading to poor record sales. She released a Christmas album later that year, and also collaborated with Willie Nelson on "Mendocino County Line", which won a Grammy. In early 2003, she landed a recurring role on the popular CBS drama "The District"

At the Republican National Convention in 2004, Womack performed "I Hope You Dance". In the same year, she released her first "Greatest Hits" album.
Womack's fifth studio album seemed to be more traditional country music. It was entitled "There's More Where That Came From". This album won the country Music Association's "Album of the Year "award in 2005.

Lee Ann Womack has been compared to Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette. Her contemporary style mixed with the country style, has proven to be effective in gaining fame and popularity in the country music industry.

Presently, Womack has released a total of 6 studio albums, and 2 compilations. She has received a Gold certification or higher on four of her albums. She has sold five million albums in the United States. She has to her credit: five Academy of Country Music Awards, five Country Music Association Awards, and two Grammy Awards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Ann_Womack