Diva's Quality of Faith

Background:

Faith Hill was one of the biggest female country stars of the '90s. Enormously successful throughout the world, it is difficult to deny that her physical appearance was indeed an attribute. Hill owned the star power of a diva. 

Faith struggled for success in her early career. Her struggle included work like selling T-shirts at the Country Music Fan Fair. "In order to succeed you can't be afraid to fail." Faith says.

Hill did begin to succeed with live performance albums. Over 10,000 people filled the Hedrick Stadium and thousands lined the streets in Fayetteville, North Carolina to just catch a glimpse of her. Hill performed in the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta and at the Oscars.

As a star, Faith appeared as a spokeswoman for Cover Girl cosmetics and in Pepsi commercials. She was also voted as one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.

Born to Sing

Childhood and Family:

Audrey Faith Perry, was born on September 21, 1967, in Jackson, Mississippi and grew up in the small town of Star, Mississippi. Her parents, Ted and Edna, were a factory worker and a former bank employee. Faith started singing at the age of three at family reunions and gatherings. When she was seven years she performed at a 4-H luncheon. Hill spent much of her childhood singing wherever the opportunity arose.

Reba McEntire influenced Hill's music. Faith formed her first band at age 17 and performed at local rodeos, fairs, churches and schools. At age 19 she quit college and moved to Nashville in an attempt to pursue her dreams of singing. Faith found her first job selling T-shirts at the Country Music Fan Fair. Meanwhile, she met Dan Hill, a music executive, and married him in 1987. In 1991, the couple separated.

In October of 1996, Faith Hill married country singer, Tim McGraw. The couple welcomed three daughters born in 1997, 1998 and 2001.

Breathe of Success

Career:

In Nashville, after selling T-shirts, Faith's next job came as secretarial work for the Gary Morris' publishing company. Just like an answered prayer, this job eventually opened doors for her. Gary Burr, a songwriter and friend of hers, heard Hill singing privately while she was on the job and had Faith begin singing as a backup singer. He convinced Hill to make a demo of a song which was heard by Garry Morris. Her voice impressed Warner Brothers Records, and soon, Hill was recording the album Take Me As I Am. The album, released in 1993, sold 2 million copies and her country single, "Wild One", ranked in at number one. Followed by "Piece of My Heart", a countrified cover of Janis Joplin, Hill's career was set to rocket upward.

Two years later, in the summer of 1995, her next album "It Matters To Me" was released. The album netted her triple platinum status. "A Man's Home Is His Castle" and the title track album topped the charts for weeks. In addition, the album sold over 3 million copies. After that Faith Hill was firmly established as a country hit maker.

Not long after giving birth to her daughter, Faith, together with husband Tim McGraw, created their duet "It's Your Love" which instantly burned up the country chart, ranking number one for six weeks.

Hill's third album, Faith, drew in even more surprising numbers. The album sold more than 4 million copies. Her next Album, Breathe, sold over 7 million copies, and her single "This Kiss" received airplay on country music stations, pop stations and adult contemporary stations around the world for weeks. Faith earned an Academy Country Music Award for Favorite New Female in 1994, the TNN/Music City News Single of the Year in 1998, and was named Female Vocalist of the Year in 1999 by TNN/Music City News. The singles "Breathe" and "The Way You Love Me" also ranked on top in the charts for 4-6 weeks. "Breathe" gained her an Academy of Country Music Award for Top Female Vocalist and Video of the Year.

In 2002 Faith released her fifth album Cry. The album sold double what her record-breaking 1999 Breathe did. Hill also appeared in Pepsi commercials and landed guest performances on several TV shows and movies.

"As an artist that is who I am. I've always tried to achieve and to do better." Faith Hill

Awards:

- People's Choice Awards: Favorite Female Musical Performer, 2004
- Grammy: Best Female Country Vocal Performance, Cry, 2003