Past Internet Articles About Amy Grant

May 9, 2007
Access "Grant"ed
By Cathy Higgins
Albany Herald
June 8, 2007

TIFTON � Contemporary Christian and pop music great Amy Grant is heading to Tifton next week to perform at the 36th annual Dollars for ABAC Scholars fund-raiser for the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Foundation. Since hitting the contemporary Christian music scene as a teenager in the late 1970s, Grant churned out such contemporary Christian hits as �El Shaddai� and �My Father�s Eyes.� In the 1990s, the Augusta native crossed over to mainstream pop music and topped the Billboard charts with such hits as �Baby Baby,� �Every Heartbeat� and �Lucky One.�

In a recent telephone interview with The Herald from a beach vacation spot, the 46-year-old discussed the upcoming concert in Tifton, her career and how family life with husband and country music star Vince Gill and their blended family of five children has affected her priorities.

Q: Looking back on your career, is there anything you would have done differently?

A: I don�t really look at life that way. So, I think I�d have to pass on that.

Q: Who are your own musical influences?

A: Early on, I was always inspired by singer/songwriters. And when I first started listening to music, there were a lot of great female artists that were really great. So I�d say Carole King, James Taylor, early Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Aretha Franklin.

I�m the youngest in my family, and my three older sisters had great record collections. So I�d go through those and take them back to my room.

Q: What�s been the highlight of your career?

A: I think that I have been able to do for my entire adult life what started as a childhood hobby.

From performing with the Camp Hole in the Wall Gang to traveling the world, none of that would have been an option if it wasn�t for the music.

Really, being able to travel would be the highlight. I don�t think I would have said, �I think I�ll go to Taipei, (China)� if I didn�t travel to perform.

Q: You�ve received a lot of awards and recognition over the years. Is there one that means the most to you?

A: I think more in terms of experiences, and I don�t really associate awards with those experiences. When you do receive an award, it�s a great pat on the back for all of your hard work. But when I�m looking back on my experiences I don�t think, �I remember when I won that award.�

Besides, I don�t look forward to putting on pantyhose and high heels you have to wear.

Q: What�s been the biggest challenge for you over the years?

A: Every season has its own challenge.

When my oldest children were young and I had to perform, I just packed everything up and took the kids with me. They had tutors on the road. So, I�d say learning how to juggle work and family has been a big challenge.

But as I�ve gotten older, it�s been much more the priority to put family first.

If I have a project I need to promote and it conflicts with family, I�ve actually not even shown up. I can always play a concert in Dallas some other time. But my daughter will only be in a school play her sophomore year in high school once.

Q: You�ve had a lot of hits over the years. Do you have a particular favorite?

A: Every one�s been really the focus of an amazing amount of work, especially those we recorded at Caribou Ranch.

Then I also did two collections of hymns with my husband, Vince. They have a different sound.

Q: Do you have new projects coming out soon?

A: They�re re-releasing some older material. I just signed a deal with EMI, and they�re re-releasing some earlier projects.

I have a book coming out on Oct. 16, �Mosaic.� It tells the stories behind the songs.

Q: When you were working on your book, did you find writing that required a different approach than when writing your music?

A: Oh, yes. With writing a song, it�s an exercise in using an economy of words. And it has to rhyme. And with writing prose, it stretches way beyond three minutes.

With music you�re creating something people will want to hear again. But when writing the book, I sometimes thought, �Boy, you better do this right once because you won�t get another chance to say what you want.� But it was really an enjoyable experience.

Q: What should we expect from next week�s fund-raiser for ABAC?

A: Because I�ve been basically working on the book, this is only the third show I�ve done this year. It�s going to be fun and loosey goosey � a different energy than when I perform 40 shows in a year.

CHECK IT OUT
� WHAT: Amy Grant performing at the 36th annual Dollars for ABAC Scholars fund-raiser
� WHEN: 8 p.m. on June 15
� WHERE: John Hunt Auditorium at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center
� COST: $125 for concert and meal, $1,250 for reserved dinner table and eight concert tickets, $75 for individual concert tickets only
� MORE INFORMATION: Call (229) 391-4897 or visit www.abac.edu

AMY FUN FACTS
� Can�t live without: Contact lenses and water
� Ringtone: Just the standard one on the phone
� Last movie seen: �Shrek the Third�
� Favorite TV show: �Planet Earth� documentary series
� Currently reading: �The Last Summer (of You and Me)� by Ann Brashares
� If her life was a soap opera, it would be called: �Wilderness Adventure�
� Pet peeve: When people are unnecessarily rude

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
� Received 25 Dove Awards throughout her career
� Inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006
� Inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2003
� Received Seminar in the Rockies Summit Award in 2003
� Named Nashvillian of the Year in 2001
� Received six Grammy Awards and five additional Grammy nominations between 1983 and 1994
� Received ASCAP Voice of America award in 1996
� Received American Music Award nomination in 1992
� Received MTV Award nomination in 1992
� Has four albums certified gold by the Recording Industry of America by reaching sales of 500,000 each
� Has six albums certified platinum by the Recording Industry of America by selling 1 million copies each
� Has albums certified double, triple and quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry of America by selling 2 million, 3 million and 4 million copies each
Source: Blanton, Harrell, Cook and Corzine Agency