LeAnn Rimes Biography

LeAnn Rimes was born on August 28, 1982, in Jackson, Mississippi, USA, to Wilbur Rimes and Belinda Butler. She demonstrated the talent to sing in high pitch when she was just 18 months old and that is the reason why her parents got her enrolled in singing classes.

When Rimes was six, her family moved to Garland, Texas, where she continued to learn singing and dancing and gave her first local performance. She got an opportunity to perform in a production of A Christmas Carol in Dallas.

There was no looking back for LeAnn Rimes after her appearance on the Network television competition show Star Search. She then decided to pursue country music. During this time, she also appeared on Johnnie High's Country Music Revue a number of times.

LeAnn Rimes became an experienced professional singer by the age of nine, owing to all the media exposure that she got. She started to perform cappella renditions of The Star Spangled Banner at the Dallas Cowboys football games.

She toured with her father throughout the nation to take part in different musical endeavors and by 1991, he had started recording under the independent label Nor Va Jak. She released three albums under the label until 1996.

LeAnn Rimes was turned into an American star through the efforts of Dallas disc jockey and record promoter Bill Mack. In 1994, she recorded Mack’s self-composition titled Blue on her independent album All That.

Rimes released her debut studio album Blue in 1996 in which she re-released Mack’s composition Blue. The track peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Country Chart and the album sold four million copies in the States.

Owing to the success of Blue, she won two Grammys and became the youngest ever person to do so. She also won the Country Music Association's Horizon Award for Best New Artist of the Year.

In 1997, she released Unchained Melody: The Early Years and You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs, which contained more adult contemporary-styled music than country. She also released her first novel Holiday in Your Heart.

LeAnn Rimes released her adult contemporary and mid-tempo pop music-based album Sittin’ on the Top of the World in 1998. It debuted at number two on the Top Country Albums chart, and number three on the Billboard 200, adding to her success.

In 1999, Rimes released LeAnn Rimes, which sat at number one on the Top Country Albums chart and at number eight on the Billboard 200 album chart. She also sang a duet with Elton John for the musical Aida.

She ventured into Hollywood in 2000 with Coyote Ugly and sang its soundtracks, Can’t Fight the Moonlight and But I Do Love You. Can’t Fight the Moonlight became a cross-over pop hit, and won her a Blockbuster Entertainment Award.

In 2001, Rimes released a compilation album I Need You, which stood at number ten on Billboard 200. It was not a critically acclaimed work but sold large copies worldwide and gained commercial success.

 She released Twisted Angel in 2002; it was the first album of Rime’s career that was not released under her father’s production. The album peaked at number three on the Top Country Albums chart but was a critical failure.

In 2003, Rimes turned 21 and published her second book and first children’s book Jag. In the same year, she contributed a track titled We Can for Legally Blonde 2. She also released her Greatest Hits compilation.

She released The Best of LeAnn Rimes in 2004 and contributed to the Dr. Pepper commercial by teaming up with country singer Reba McEntire. She released her book Jag’s New Friend and the album What a Wonderful World.

In 2005, Rimes released her bestselling album in five years titled This Woman. The album was certified gold but received mixed critical reviews. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

She released an album titled Whatever We Wanna in 2006, which was meant for countries outside America and Canada. The album comprised tracks like And It Feels Like, a duet with Brian McFadden titled Everybody's Someone and Strong.

More than a decade in the business, Rimes released Family in 2007––a mix of genres like country, pop, and rock. She co-wrote all the tracks for the album and got nominated for the Academy of Country Music Award.

In 2010, Lady & Gentlemen, a cover album of country songs, was released. It comprised tracks like Swingin, Crazy Women, Give, etc. The release of the album was announced by Rimes on Twitter.

In 2013, she announced the release of her studio album Spitfire through Twitter. It was put up first for digital download in the United Kingdom and Australia and was released in the States a few months later. In 2014, she put out her extended play titled ‘One Christmas: Chapter 1.’ It was her second EP in 24 years and was well-received by critics.

She released her twelfth studio album Today Is Christmas in October 2015. It had songs like “Today Is Christmas,” “We Need a Little Christmas,” and “Celebrate Me Home.” The following year, she came out with her thirteenth album named ‘Remnants.’ The album made its debut at number 88 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart. In 2018, she put out her third EP under the name ‘Re-Imagined.’

She went on to release her fourteenth studio album Chant: The Human & the Holy in November 2020. All the tracks in the album were written by LeAnn Rimes in collaboration with Darrell Brown. In September 2022, she came out with her fifteenth studio album ‘God's Work’ which received positive reviews from critics.

Apart from music, LeAnn Rimes has also starred in television series and films such as ‘Holiday in Your Heart,’ ‘Coyote Ugly,’ ‘American Dreams,’ ‘Northern Lights,’ ‘Good Intentions,’ ‘Reel Love,’ and ‘Anger Management.’ In 2017, she made a cameo appearance in the American heist comedy film ‘Logan Lucky.’ The film opened to a positive reception and grossed over $48.5 million on a $29 million budget. In 2020, she participated in the fourth season of the reality singing competition series ‘The Masked Singer.’ She performed under the codename “Sun” and was declared the winner of the season. The following year, she starred in the Episode: "Blue" of the comedy series ‘Country Comfort.’

The release of LeAnn Rimes’ debut album Blue is considered to be the most defining point of her singing career. It made her the second-youngest country music star of America and got her two Grammys.

Rimes is the winner of two Grammy Awards for her album Blue. She also won the American Music Award for the same album in the category of Favorite New Artist. She is also the winner of Country Music Association Award.

While she was surrounded by legal battles, Rimes fell in love with dancer Dean Sheremet after meeting him at an Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony and got married in 2002. Their marriage came to an end within seven years.

She later started a relationship with actor Eddie Cibrian, who was married to Brandi Glanville at the time. She met Cibrian on the sets of Northern Lights.

In 2011, she and Eddie Cibrian got married in a private ceremony.

In 2012, Rimes took treatment for anxiety and stress.

She has been struggling with the autoimmune disease Psoriasis, which she finally spoke about in public in 2008.

Her voice and style of singing have been associated with the county music legend Patsy Cline.