Amy Grant was one of the first faces in the twentieth century to breathe life and meaning into contemporary Christian music. Additionally, she was one of the first Christian artists to successfully transition to the pop music market. Over the years, her music has provided a more substantial, spiritual platter for listeners to draw from, but she, like every other artist, has encountered triumphs and setbacks. In fact, her songs are life lessons that resound with meaning, truth, and tender wisdom. The majority of her life events served as inspiration for the type of music she produced during her prime years. She signed her first recording contract at a very young age and quickly rose to prominence in the world of Christian music. During her peak, she successfully transitioned into the pop music genre, and while some of her Christian fans were taken aback by the abrupt change, many remained loyal and even backed her pop music success. Apart from her musical career, she has hosted the reality television show ‘Three Wishes’ and authored several books, the most popular of which is her memoir ‘Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far’. Continue reading to learn more about this well-known figure.
Childhood & Adolescence
Amy Lee Grant was born in Augusta, Georgia, the youngest of her parents’ four daughters. She grew up in a close-knit family in Nashville, Tennessee, and it was her early church attendance that sparked her interest in Christian stories, hymns, and songs, which influenced her later work.
She attended Harpeth Hall School, where she was a frequent stage performer. She taught herself to play the guitar as a teenager and also worked part-time in a recording studio.
She signed her first recording contract with a Christian music label and later released her self-titled debut album in 1978. She made her debut performance in a sold-out concert the same year she began her freshman year at Furman University.
In 1979, at her second album’s release party for ‘My Father’s Eyes,’ she met her future husband, Gary Chapman. The following year, she transferred to Vanderbilt University, where she joined the Kappa Alpha Theta guild.
Career of Amy
She dropped out of college to pursue a music career. When she released her breakthrough coming-of-age album, ‘Age to Age,’ in 1982, she achieved instant celebrity.
She rode a wave of success following the release of her album ‘Age to Age,’ and then began releasing a series of Christmas albums that would later be used in her holiday concerts. In 1984, she released ‘Straight Ahead,’ a Christian album with pop influences.
1985 was a year characterized by tenacity and sheer grit. She desired to expand her fan base and was more determined than ever to become the first Christian Pop singer-songwriter, and thus released her album, ‘Unguarded,’ which surprised (both pleasant and rude) a number of her Christian fans.
In 1988, she released another album, ‘Lead Me On,’ which featured an extensive collection of love and Christian-themed melodies. This album would go on to become one of the all-time great Contemporary Christian records.
In 1991, she debuted in the pop music genre with the release of ‘Heart in Motion’. Many fans were taken aback by her sudden desire to switch genres, and some even expressed reservations about her musical choices. Grant added, however, that she intended to deviate in order to broaden her fan base. The album was a success, and she established herself as a popular face in the mainstream world.
Between 1992 and 1994, she released two Christian albums that incorporated pop elements, including ‘Home for Christmas’ and ‘House of Love.
‘Behind the Eyes,’ her fifteenth album, was released in 1997 and focused on darker themes such as heartbreak, marriage, divorce, and themes of optimism. Although she believed the album would be a commercial success, it fell flat with the audience, who were already losing interest in her newly discovered interest in mainstream music.
Nonetheless, she returned with a bang in 1999 with the album ‘A Christmas to Remember.’ The album was a smash hit, and her popularity gradually began to rise again.
With the release of ‘Legacy…Hymns and Faith’ in 2002, she returned to her gospel music roots. The following year, she released ‘Simple Things,’ a pop album that did not fare as well.
In 2005, she released ‘Rock of Ages… Hymns and Faith,’ a sequel to her hymn collection. The following year, she joined NBC as a host on the reality show ‘Three Wishes,’ which was canceled after a brief run due to prohibitively high production costs.
She published her memoirs titled ‘Mosaic: Pieces of My Life Thus Far’ in 2007. The same year, she celebrated her 30th year in the music industry by re-releasing the majority of her albums following their re-mastering by the record label EMI CMG.
In 2010, she released ‘Somewhere Down the Road,’ a Billboard chart-topper that featured the single ‘Better than a Hallelujah.’
She later became involved in a campaign to support a media project called ‘Half the Sky: Transforming Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide’ two years later.
On May 14, 2013, she released her latest album, ‘How Mercy Looks From Here.’
Amy Grant’s debut album as a teenager, released in 1977, was initially sold exclusively in Christian stores.
Nonetheless, the album became her magnum opus, selling 50,000 copies in its first year. Three of the album’s singles reached Christian radio, including ‘What a Difference You’ve Made,’ ‘Old Man’s Rubble,’ and ‘Beautiful Music.’
In 1988, she released ‘Lead Me On,’ demonstrating her determination as a contemporary Christian singer-songwriter. It was named CCM Magazine’s ‘#1 Christian Album of All Time’ and was also included in the list ‘WOW #1s: 31 of the Greatest Christian Music Hits Ever’. Three of the album’s singles spent two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.
Awards and Accomplishments
In 1982, she won a Grammy Award for ‘Best Contemporary or Inspirational Gospel Performance’ for the album ‘Age to Age.
In 1983, she was named ‘Artist of the Year’ by the GMA Dove Awards. She was presented with the Nashville Symphony’s Harmony Award in 1994.
She received the ‘Academy of Achievement’ Golden Plate Award in 1996. In 2005, she was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2007, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Christian Music. Grand Canyon University bestowed upon her an Honorary Doctorate of Music and Performance in 2012.
Personal History and Legacies
On June 19, 1982, she married Gary Chapman. The couple was blessed with three children. They divorced, however, after 16 years of marriage.
She married Vince Gill on March 10, 2000, and gave birth to their daughter, Corinna, the following year.
Estimated Net Worth
Amy Grant net worth: Amy Grant is a singer and songwriter from the United States of America. She has a net worth of $55 million dollars.
Amy Grant began her singing career in her adolescent years as a professional singer. It was here in the 1980s that she began singing in the Christian genre before transitioning to pop music.
Trivia
While performing on stage, this well-known Christian contemporary singer-songwriter would always take off her shoes and perform barefoot, claiming that it gave her a sense of comfort. This would eventually become her signature ‘concert’ gimmick.