Alison Krauss helped bring bluegrass to a new audience in the '90s. Blending bluegrass with folk, Krauss was instantly acclaimed from the start of her career, but it wasn't until her platinum-selling 1995 compilation Now That I've Found You that she became a mainstream star. Between her 1987 debut Too Late to Cry and Now That I've Found You, she... [+] Read More

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CCM singer/songwriter Michelle Tumes was born in Adelaide, Australia, and began studying piano at the age of four. While in her teens, she enrolled in a two-year classical piano program, an experience which left her so disillusioned about performing that she instead turned to studying dentistry. At that point, her little sister gave Tumes $40... [+] Read More

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Taylor Swift has been singing all her life, motivated by her grandmother, who was a professional opera singer. She began performing locally around her town and county at the age of ten, and at age 11 sang the national anthem before a Philadelphia 76ers game. By the time she was 12, she had picked up the guitar and began practicing four hours... [+] Read More

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Wild child Avril Lavigne hit big in summer 2002 with her spiky-fun debut song, "Complicated," shifting pop music into a different direction. Lavigne, who was 17 at the time, didn't seem concerned with the glamour of the TRL-dominated pop world and such confidence allowed her star power to soar. The middle of three children in small-town Napanee,... [+] Read More

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Arguably the only teen pop star with the potential to rival or surpass the popularity of Britney Spears -- albeit with a very different approach -- Hilary Duff made a name for herself on the enormously successful Disney Channel/ABC Kids show Lizzie McGuire, which she parlayed into careers as a pop singer and film actress. Like most overnight... [+] Read More

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A contemporary folkie renowned for her expressive, crystalline voice, singer/songwriter Jewel was among the most successful of the many new female performers who dominated the pop charts throughout the 1990s. Born Jewel Kilcher on May 23, 1974, in Payson, UT, she was raised in remote Homer, AK, and began her music career at the age of six,... [+] Read More

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Contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Nichole Nordeman grew up in Colorado and was working as a waitress in Los Angeles when she entered a contest sponsored by the Gospel Music Association's Academy of Gospel Music Arts, winning with her song, "Why," in which the crucifixion is viewed by a child. This led to the release of her first album,... [+] Read More

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Rich Mullins was many things to the CCM community: a beloved performer nominated for 12 Dove Awards, an expert on several instruments (including hammered dulcimer, piano, guitar) and a very successful songwriter, responsible for one of the most popular contemporary praise songs in existence, "Awesome God." Born in 1955 in Richmond, Indiana, he... [+] Read More

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Sara Groves, a former high school teacher in her native Rosemont, MN, burst onto the gospel scene at the dawn of the new millennium with her fresh vocals and spiritual songwriting. She's been compared to the likes of Shawn Colvin and Rich Mullins, however, Groves defines her own musical demeanor. She cannot be limited to one exact label, for her... [+] Read More

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