Margaret LeAnn Rimes (born August 28, 1982 in Pearl, Mississippi) is an American country pop singer and songwriter. Her debut single, "Blue", was released when she was only 13 years old. By the age of 24 she had sold over 37 million albums. She has won an American Music Award, two Grammy Awards, three Academy of Country Music Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards.

She holds three important achievements in the music industry: the youngest person to win a Grammy; the first country artist to win the Grammy for Best New Artist; and her version of "How Do I Live" is the longest charting song on the U.S. Hot 100 at 69 weeks. Unlike most other child stars, Rimes has remained successful in music in adulthood, recording various kinds of music, including rhythm and blues and pop music.

Biography

Childhood before success

An only child, Rimes was born Margaret LeAnn Rimes in Pearl, Mississippi. She started singing before the age of two, and was only 8 years old when she appeared on Star Search in 1990. In 1991, she released her first album, titled Everybody's Sweetheart on a small independent label. The album's release garnered the attention of label executives and disc jockeys, including DJ Bill Mack, who was fascinated by Rimes's Patsy Cline-styled voice. Mack began to cultivate a plan to make Rimes a mainstream country music artist. Between the years of 1992 and 1994, Rimes continued to release albums under independent labels that failed to gain any success in the country music world. By then, her family had relocated to Garland, Texas. She continued honing her skills as a country artist, performing on Johnnie High's Country Music Revue in Arlington, Texas, a popular show that featured local artists and national acts. Throughout 1995, Rimes's career continued to gain momentum, as she performed more than 100 concerts and appeared on television shows across Texas.