Lee Ann Womack

Lee Ann Womack was born on August 19, 1966, in Jacksonville, Texas. Her father was a radio DJ, fostering her early interest in country music. She studied piano and later attended South Plains Junior College, one of the first institutions to offer country music degrees, where she performed with the college band, Country Caravan. Womack later enrolled at Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee, to study the commercial aspects of the music business, interning at MCA Nashville’s A&R department. After a period focusing on raising her daughter, Aubrie, Womack re-entered the music industry in the mid-1990s, performing in songwriting demos and showcase concerts. In 1995, she signed with Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s Tree International Publishing, co-writing the song “Am I the Only Thing That You’ve Done Wrong” for her debut album. She also wrote with country singers like Bill Anderson and Ricky Skaggs, with Skaggs recording her composition “I Don’t Remember Forgetting” in 1997. After divorcing Jason Sellers, Womack signed a contract with Decca Nashville in 1996.

Womack’s self-titled debut album was released by Decca in May 1997. Produced by Mark Wright, the album included collaborations with Ricky Skaggs, Sharon White, and Mark Chesnutt. The singles “The Fool” and “You’ve Got to Talk to Me” both reached number two on the country charts. Her second Decca release, “Some Things I Know” (1998), produced the successful singles “A Little Past Little Rock” and “I’ll Think of a Reason Later,” both peaking at number two on the country charts. By September 1999, “Lee Ann Womack” achieved platinum certification and “Some Things I Know” was certified gold by the RIAA. Womack moved to MCA Nashville Records after Decca Nashville closed. Her third album, “I Hope You Dance” (2000), was a significant success. The title track, a collaboration with Sons of the Desert, reached number one on the Billboard country singles chart and number 14 on the Hot 100. This song earned her CMA “Song of the Year” and “Single of the Year” awards and a Grammy nomination in 2001. By 2002, “I Hope You Dance” was triple-platinum in the US and double-platinum in Canada. In 2003, she won a Grammy Award for her duet with Willie Nelson, “Mendocino County Line.”

In 2005, Womack released “There’s More Where That Came From,” an album widely praised for its return to traditional country, featuring string and steel guitar arrangements. This album won the CMA “Album of the Year” award, and its lead single, “I May Hate Myself in the Morning,” was a Top 10 hit and CMA “Single of the Year.” After leaving MCA Nashville in 2012, she signed with Sugar Hill Records in 2014, releasing “The Way I’m Livin’,” which received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album in 2015. “Chances Are” also earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Solo Performance in 2016. In 2017, she released “The Lonely, the Lonesome & the Gone” on ATO Records, which was nominated for Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song at the Grammy Awards in 2019. In 2018, she received the ASCAP Golden Note Award.