Country singer Patricia “Trisha” Yearwood became an overnight star after the release of her first single in 1991, “She’s In Love With the Boy.” Yearwood grew up in Georgia, but moved to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Belmont College and work on her singing career. She worked sporadically on songwriters’ demos and toured withGarth Brooks before signing a record contract with MCA. Her first single was released in 1991 and quickly made its way to the top of the country charts. During the ’90s she released several albums, chalking up hit songs (“Wrong Side of Memphis” and “Walkaway Joe,” among others) and earning among critics a reputation as a thoughtful singer whose choices were based more on artistic integrity than hit potential. Yearwood won a Grammy in 1994 for her duet with Aaron Neville, a cover of thePatsy Cline hit, “I Fall To Pieces,” but it wasn’t until 1997 that she received industry-wide acclaim. That year her duet with Garth Brooks, “In Another’s Eyes,” won the Best Country Vocal Collaboration Grammy, and Yearwood won Best Female Country Vocal Performance; the Country Music Association awarded her the award for Female Vocalist of the Year in both 1997 and 1998. Yearwood joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1999, appeared on cable television in A&E’sLive By Request and even had a recurring dramatic role on the TV seriesJAG (1997-2001), before nearly dropping out site for four years, working on what became her 2005 album,Jasper County.

Extra credit

• Patsy Cline
• Garth Brooks