Taylor Swift and Carrie
Underwood are enjoying enormous success on the country charts these days, headlining arena tours and selling millions
of albums along the way. Those statistics are especially impressive in this digital era. However, if you were a country fan
in the 1990s, you're familiar with a whole generation of female country singers who achieved similar multi-platinum success
with clever songs, relentless touring and distinctive personalities. But if you weren't listening closely back then, please
allow me to introduce them to you.
Mary Chapin Carpenter,
Come On Come On (1992) -- 4x platinum
At the peak of her fame, Mary Chapin Carpenter established her fan base
by writing smart lyrics about uncertainty -- whether in marriage ("He Thinks He'll Keep Her"), the family dynamic ("Only a
Dream") or a withering community ("I Am a Town"). And her warm alto is equally inviting on the fun songs ("I Feel Lucky,"
"Passionate Kisses"). She rarely released slow songs
as singles, so her concerts were always a lot of fun, too.
Deana
Carter, Did I Shave My Legs for This? (1996) -- 5x platinum
As a hippie chick with whispery vocals,
Deana Carter immediately stood out from the pack. The wistful nostalgia of "Strawberry
Wine" clicked with listeners, paving the way for two more No. 1 country hits -- the carefree "We
Danced Anyway" and the flirtatious "How Do I Get There." Cute title, too. A sexy gal with a sense of humor is hard to
beat.
Dixie Chicks, Wide Open Spaces (1998) -- 12x
platinum
As their signature song, "Wide Open Spaces"
spoke to the dreamer inside young fans while the Texas trio's fiddle-banjo-vocals approach satisfied more mature traditionalists.
After hearing "Tonight the Heartache's on Me," who wouldn't join them at the bar? Another smart move: They accepted a tour
invitation with Lilith Fair, bringing their sassy perspective to an audience that might otherwise not bother with contemporary
country.
Faith Hill, Breathe (1999) -- 8x platinum
The
title track was played at country radio about, oh, every 10 minutes,
but fans still snapped up Hill's most successful album. No wonder she's making the touchdown gesture on the cover. To prepare
for the windswept video shoot, she took lessons from a movement coach, and there's never been a luckier bed sheet. The album
also contains her catchiest single to date, "The Way You Love
Me." ("... love me, whoa-whoa-whoa!")
Martina McBride,
Evolution (1997) -- 3x platinum
When the show-stopping "A
Broken Wing" finally arrived at radio, man, you ought to have seen her fly. With strong material, both upbeat ("Happy
Girl") and downtrodden ("Wrong Again"), the little-but-loud vocalist was among country's most popular female singers at the
end of the decade.
Reba McEntire, For My Broken Heart
(1991) -- 4x platinum
This album is a linchpin in Reba McEntire's catalog. After a plane crash killed seven of her
band members, her road manager and the pilot and co-pilot of the chartered flight in 1991, she could have been forgiven for
sappy sentimentality. Instead, she offered this mostly subdued collection of songs about longing, grief and moving on. You
might get through it without crying -- at least until the triple whammy at the end: "The Greatest Man I Never Knew," "I Wouldn't
Go That Far" and "If I Had Only Known."
LeAnn Rimes, Blue
(1996) -- 6x platinum
Almost overnight, this typical Texas teenager turned into a singing sensation with "Blue"
-- despite the yodeling or perhaps because of it. She promptly won two Grammy awards and followed up that retro tune with
the perky "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)." It wasn't long until crossover success beckoned and she finally shook off those
"new Patsy Cline" comparisons, but for a few years there, she was America's country sweetheart.
Shania
Twain, The Woman in Me (1995) -- 12x platinum
Sure, she's beautiful, but have you ever tried to get
a Shania Twain song out of your head? Impossible! With iconic videos (dancing around a wagon, showing off the midriff) and
an unbeatable formula (writing and producing with then-husband Mutt Lange), Twain instantly won the love of millions of fans.
She encountered some flak for her pop influences, yet "No
One Needs to Know," in particular, sure sounds country today.
Wynonna,
Wynonna (1992) -- 5x platinum
After the Judds split up, Wynonna
stepped into the spotlight with a surprisingly soft single, "She Is His Only Need." Of course, the powerful singer picked
up momentum with the regretful "I Saw the Light" and the rousing "No
One Else on Earth." She also showed her spiritual side on "When I Reach the Place I'm Goin'" and "Live With Jesus." By
the way, did you know her famous mother co-wrote "My Strongest Weakness"?
Trisha
Yearwood, Songbook -- A Collection of Hits (1997) -- 4x platinum
If you're lucky enough to see Trisha
Yearwood in concert, she'll likely sing every one of these songs from early in her career. Although Songbook was intended
as a "greatest hits" album, she wisely added a few new tunes -- which all turned out to be monster hits ("How
Do I Live," "In Another's Eyes," "Perfect
Love"). And deservedly so.
Twelve Women Who Paved the Way for Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood
Shania Twain, Martina McBride, Dixie Chicks Enjoyed Multi-Platinum Success in the 1990s
