Grant, Amy

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Amy Grant

Singer, songwriter

A my Grant is one of the first Christian singers to attract the attention of mainstream pop music fans. After gaining prominence in the early 1980s for her gospel songs, her 1985 album Unguarded propelled her into the realm of pop stardom. Grant and her back-up band have appeared in concert throughout the United States, garnering a steady following. Her award-winning albums have sold in the millions and engendered hit singles and videos. Grant has appeared often on talk shows and has been featured on a televised Christmas special.

The youngest of four daughters of a prominent radiologist, Grant was bom in Augusta, Georgia, and raised in Nashville, where she and her family attended the local Church of Christ. She did not become particularly interested in music until her teenage years, when she taught herself to play the guitar and began to write songs. She never had a formal music teacher. While attending Harpeth Hall, an exclusive girl’s prep school, Grant worked part-time at a recording studio, demagnetizing tapes and doing janitorial chores. She used the facilities at hand to make a tape for her parents of her own songs, which she accompanied on guitar. Unknown to Grant, someone at the Texas-based Word Records heard the tape, and she was later approached about recording an album.

Established a Musical Following

Released in 1976 on Word Records’ Myrrh label, Grant’s self-named debut album became an immediate bestseller in the field of Christian music. During the following years, the teenage singer tried to balance a recording career with her education. After graduating from Harpeth Hall, she attended Furman University in South Carolina before transferring to Vanderbilt University, where she majored in English. At this stage in her budding career, Grant performed solo in churches to her own guitar accompaniment. Two of her albums culled from concert performances became bestsellers in their field.

The late 1970s and early 1980s marked a period of striking change in both the personal and professional aspects of Grant’s life. In 1979, she met her future husband, guitarist and songwriter Gary Chapman, who would later become a member of Grant’s ten-piece touring band. While at Vanderbilt University in 1983, she recorded Age to Age, the first of her albums to see sales figures rise dramatically. With such promising indications of a successful performance career, Grant dropped out of college to become a professional singer.

For the Record…

Born c. 1961 in Augusta, GA; daughter of Burton Grant (a radiologist); married Gary Chapman (a singer and songwriter), June 1982; children: Matthew, Millie. Education: Attended Furman University and Vanderbilt University.

Vocalist and recording artist, 1976—; has performed in concert throughout the United States and abroad.

Awards: Received four Grammy awards, including one for gospel album of the year, 1983, for Age to Age, and one for female gospel vocalist of the year, 1985, for Unguarded; nominated for four additional Grammy awards, 1992; won five Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association.

Addresses: Record company —A&M Records, 1416 North La Brea, Los Angeles, CA 90028. Fan club —Friends of Amy, P.O. Box 50701, Nashville, TN 37204.

Chartered New Territory

In 1985 Word Records signed a distribution deal with A&M Records to launch various gospel artists. Grant was one of them. With its synthesized sound and upbeat songs expressing subtle Christian lyrics, her album Unguarded received much airplay and sold more than a million copies. When the single “Find a Way” hit the pop charts, and a duet with Peter Cetera, “The Next Time I Fall,” topped Billboard’s pop chart in 1987, Grant garnered criticism from some Christians who thought that in her quest for success, she had lost sight of her spiritual roots. Grant countered by suggesting that her songs need not mention Jesus by name in order to portray the message of love that he taught. Critics generally maintain that in concert, Grant aims to entertain her audience; she does not overtly attempt to convert listeners to Christianity.

At the end of the tour to promote Unguarded, Grant and her entourage needed a rest. Following a three-year recording hiatus, she released the 1988 album Lead Me On, which represents an even further departure from Grant’s previous efforts. Unlike the upbeat synthesized sound of Unguarded, Lead Me On primarily utilizes acoustic instrumentation, and the songs revolve around somber themes. The album reflects many of Grant’s concerns during her absence from the concert stage: accusations that she had sold out her faith, the trauma of a miscarriage, a difficult period in her marriage that was overcome through counseling, and the birth of her son, Matthew. Because none of its songs lent themselves readily to radio airplay, the album was largely ignored by radio stations. Nonetheless, Grant’s following remained loyal.

Topped the Pop Charts

Grant made a distinct attempt to find a place in the pop market with her 1991 release Heart in Motion, which contains songs that contemplate the earthly side of human love. “I did that for a few different reasons,” she told Chris Willman of the Los Angeles Times. “I have invested so much of my time and creative energy [in] writing contemporary Christian songs, and I was really wanting to try something new.” To answer her critics in the Christian community she added, “It had nothing to do with a loss of faith or change of lifestyle.… I think that Christians, no matter where they are, should be the same person whether they’re singing Gospel music or writing and performing a pop album.… We just ought to get out there and live life and be true to what we believe, and for those of us that write, just let what we do reflect that.”

Fans have had a chance to see Grant’s latest efforts portrayed on the small screen as well. When her video “Baby, Baby” aired on MTV, it caused considerable controversy and sparked both positive and negative criticism. While the song was inspired by Millie, the singer’s daughter, in the video Grant is seen singing romantically to a handsome actor—not her husband, with whom Grant has often performed in concert. In spite of the uproar surrounding the release, Heart in Motion brought Grant several 1992 Grammy nominations and a legion of new listeners.