ARTIST

Jo Dee Messina

From the start, Jo Dee Messina hit country music with the fiery brashness of a survivor. A half-Irish, half-Italian redhead from New Jersey, she is one of four children raised by a single mother who worked as a telephone operator. From her mother, Messina says she learned the value of hard work and of plugging ahead with spirit and tenacity--two of the primary qualities of her career. Her spirit informs her unusual songs, which are packed with attitude and heart. And her tenacity has given her the determination to outlast the disappointments that marked her early career.

Born Aug. 25, 1970, Messina grew up in Hollister, Massachusetts, a Boston suburb. She began performing at age 14 and formed her first band at age 16. Three years later she moved to Nashville, arriving with $500 and no contacts. She befriended Tim McGraw when both were struggling to get a break, and she gained the support of music publisher Byron Gallimore, who would later co-produce Messina's albums with McGraw.

Gallimore helped Messina get a recording contract with RCA Records, but she was cut from the label roster before issuing an album. In 1994, during the annual Fan Fair music festival in Nashville, Messina approached a Curb Records executive and said, "Y'all need a redhead on your label." The company signed her shortly thereafter.

In 1996, her initial singles "Heads Carolina, Tails California" and "You're Not In Kansas Anymore" reached the Top Five on the country charts. But follow-up singles failed to continue her success, so Messina stopped releasing records to radio to focus on her second album. She spent 18 months making the album, during which time several band members quit. The singer also considered filing for bankruptcy and borrowed money from Curb in order to pay her mortgage and bills.

Though she struggled financially, her decision paid off with the success of I'm Alright. Each of the album's first three singles--"Bye Bye," "I'm Alright," and "Stand Beside Me"--spent several weeks at No. 1 on the country charts. The album also earned her several major nominations from the Academy Of Country Music and the Country Music Association.

Written by Michael McCall