A Legend from a Young Age: Country Artist LeAnn Rimes Takes the UCPAC Stage

Winner of the Junior Vocalist category on Star Search at age 7, with an album at age 11, two Grammy Awards at age 14, and now with over 44 million albums sold at age 34, LeAnn Rimes is bringing her unmistakable vocal talent to Rahway, NJ. On April 30 at 6 PM, patrons will crowd into the historic Union County Performing Arts Center to hear "How Do I live," "Blue," "One Way Ticket," "I Need you," and many more hits from the award-winner singer.

LeAnn Rimes' full name is Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian. Born in Mississippi in 1982 and moving to Texas at age 6, Rimes' first forays into the world of professional entertainment began with winning a talent competition at age 5 and singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the National Cutting Horse Championships and Dallas Cowboys football games at age 6. In 1993, her father produced her album All That, which released on an independent label. It was this album that got the young singer noticed by Bill Mack, a Dallas based record promoter and DJ. Three years later, her debut album Blue was on its way to selling eight million copies. In 1997, Rimes won the Grammys for both Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocalist. The receipt of these awards was ground-breaking in two major ways: to date, Rimes remains the youngest person to receive a Grammy, and she will forever be remembered as the first country artist to win Best New Artist. Rimes' full award list since her debut also includes twelve Billboard Music Awards and three Academy of Country Music Awards. Her full repertoire thus far is three independent albums, thirteen studio albums (the most recent being Remnants in 2016), eight compilation albums, and two extended plays. Aside from country, Rimes also falls under the genre of pop music.

In addition to her music career, Rimes has also delved into the worlds of both writing and acting. In regards to the former, Rimes has written two novels about her life and songs and two children's books about a young Jaguar named Jag. Rimes' first appearance in film was actually in a made-for-television movie called Holiday in Your Heart (1997) based on her autobiography. A few years later, she appeared as herself in Coyote Ugly. Some of her other television credits include: Days of Our Lives (1998), Drop Dead Diva (2011), and Anger Management (2013).

Rimes has performed for many charitable causes. After Hurricane Katrina, Rimes performed to raise money for relief efforts. In 2008, she sang in the song "Just Stand Up" alongside 14 other artists (including Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus and Mariah Carey) to benefit Stand Up to Cancer. That same year, Rimes announced publicly that she has psoriasis; since then, she has participated in PSAs to raise awareness and has spoken on her own life-long experiences with the condition. Sheer Cover, a make-up that strives to aid those with psoriasis, is fortunate to have LeAnn Rimes as a prominent spokesperson. In 2010, Rimes sang "The Rose" with The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles as a tribute to gay teenagers who had tragically committed suicide.

Tickets for LeAnn Rimes range from $30 to $75 and can be purchased online at ucpac.org, over the phone by calling (732) 499-8226 or in person at the box office. Box office hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11 AM- 5 PM, with extended hours of 11 AM- 8 PM on Thursdays. The Union County Performing Arts Center is located in downtown Rahway at 1601 Irving Street and is easily accessible to major roads and public transportation.

Photo Credit: Steven Sebring

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