• August 28, 1982
• Born Margaret LeAnn Rimes, the country singer spent her early childhood in Pelahatchie, the small town outside of Jackson, Mississippi, that inspired her 2007 single "Nothin' Better To Do." Her family moved to Garland, Texas, when she was 6.
• She appeared on Star Search when she was 8 years old. Although she only lasted a week in the talent competition, she wowed the judges with her rendition of the Marty Robbins classic "Don't Worry."
• Wilbur Rimes, who acted as his daughter's producer in her early days, actually threw out Bill Mack's demo of "Blue" because he thought it sounded too old-fashioned. Eleven-year-old LeAnn fished it out of the garbage and recorded it out of rebellion. It became her first hit.
• At 14, she became the youngest person to win a Grammy when she took home the prizes for Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Blue" in 1997.
• She and Trisha Yearwood released separate versions of the Diane Warren-penned ballad "How Do I Live" on the same day in 1997. Rimes' version went to #2 on the Hot 100 and spent a record-breaking 69 weeks on the chart.
• Her first film appearance is at the end of the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly, where she shows up to sing "Can't Fight The Moonlight," one of four songs she sang for the soundtrack.
• In 1998, the already-famous singer landed her first TV role on Days Of Our Lives after proclaiming it was her favorite soap opera. She played a teen runaway named Madison for a few episodes.
• She met her second husband, Eddie Cibrian, when they starred together in the 2009 TV movie Northern Lights. Their romance caused a scandal because they were both married to other people at the time. The affair provided material for Rimes' Spitfire album.
• In 2014, Rimes and Cibrian starred in their own VH1 reality show, LeAnn & Eddie, which was the controversial couple's attempt to "take back our lives in a way and show a different side of us than what people really believe." It lasted one season.
• Rimes is passionate about LGBTQ issues because she saw the unfair judgment her uncle endured for being gay. He died of AIDS when the singer was 11 years old, a loss that's referenced in her 2007 song "Family."
• She struggles with psoriasis, an autoimmune disease that causes dark patches of itchy, dry skin. After a stress-related flare-up in 2020, she posed nude for Glamour magazine to promote awareness of the disorder.
• She won season 4 of The Masked Singer in 2020. Prior to her reveal in the finale, Rimes - who masqueraded as Sun throughout the season - performed an a cappella rendition of Billie Eilish's "When The Party's Over."
• Leann Rimes' mother says she's her miracle child. "She tried for 12 years to have me," Rimes told The Daily Mail's You magazine. "Then she prayed for me one day and six weeks later found out she was pregnant."

Comments

More Songfacts:

Electric AvenueEddy Grant

The "Electric Avenue" in the Eddy Grant song is a real street. It got its name because it was the first street in London with electric lights.

Year Of The CatAl Stewart

The title of Al Stewart's "Year Of The Cat" comes from Vietnamese astrology. The Year of the Cat comes every 12 Years: 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023...

ScreamMichael Jackson

The video for Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream" in 1995 was the most expensive ever made at the time, costing $7 million.

Bangla DeshGeorge Harrison

George Harrison's 1971 song "Bangla Desh" was the first major charity single. It was part of a concert held to bring relief to the people of Bangladesh, who were fighting for independence and suffering from a famine.

The WayFastball

"The Way" by Fastball was inspired by the story of an elderly couple from Texas who drove to a nearby family reunion and kept going. Fastball's bass player imagined them taking off and having fun like they were young. The story didn't end well: the couple was later found dead after they crashed in a canyon.

Happiness Is A Warm GunThe Beatles

John Lennon got the title of the Beatles song "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" from an article in a magazine published by the National Rifle Association.

Editor's Picks

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

Joe JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Joe talks about the challenges of of making a Duke Ellington tribute album, and tells the stories behind some of his hits.

George ClintonSongwriter Interviews

When you free your mind, your ass may follow, but you have to make sure someone else doesn't program it while it's wide open.