Allison Moorer was born into a musical family and raised in the small southern Alabama town of Frankville; when Moorer's father shot her mother and then turned the gun on himself, older sister Shelby Lynne -- soon to become a country singer herself -- took charge of raising Allison. After attending the University of South Alabama, Moorer moved... [+] Read More

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When Alejandro Escovedo asked Amy Farris to join him on tour, the young fiddler told everyone at the law office she was working at that she would never be coming back. An Austin, TX native who was classically trained on violin, Amy Farris found out early into her lessons that she was a first-rate improviser. When Escovedo heard the violinist... [+] Read More

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Part of country music's late-'90s crop of female crossover stars, Jo Dee Messina's appeal nonetheless remained more with country fans than pop audiences. Messina was born August 25, 1970, in Framingham, MA, and grew up in nearby Holliston. She sang in musical plays starting at age eight but discovered country music at age 12 and got hooked on... [+] Read More

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By the time Shelby Lynne won her Best New Artist Grammy, she'd already completed six albums, and had over a decade of recording experience under her belt. Yet in a way, the award was appropriate, since I Am Shelby Lynne was the album that finally found her taking control of her music, following years of casting about in search of an identity.... [+] Read More

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In 2004, Michelle Branch took a break from her successful solo career to team with friend and touring backup singer Jessica Harp in a new project called the Wreckers. Previous to the Branch collaboration, Harp had been working as a singer/songwriter in Nashville, and those country music elements mixed with Branch's pop sensibilities to inform... [+] Read More

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