Jo Dee Messina

Messina released her self-titled debut album in 1996. It spawned two top-10 hits, starting with the lead single, "Heads Carolina, Tails California", which peaked at number two on the country charts and its follow-up, "You're Not in Kansas Anymore" gained similar success.[3] However, the two additional singles released from the album, "Do You Wanna Make Something of It" and "He'd Never Seen Julie Cry" peaked outside the country top 40 and were minor hits between 1996 and 1997. Following her major success, Messina performed 215 shows in 1996 and became one of the most successful new female vocalists of the 1990s. Her debut album sold over 500,000 copies and was certified gold by the RIAA.

Messina's finances suffered due to a series of poor business decisions and a change of management that led her to nearly declaring bankruptcy; she nearly lost her home and her car.[2] She spent nearly a year trying to write new songs and material for a new album that could help bring herself out of bankruptcy.[5] She credited the radio success of "Bye, Bye" and "I'm Alright" with giving her a "second chance".[6]

Messina released her second album in 1998, I'm Alright. The album spawned three number-one hit singles on the Billboard Country Chart that year: "Bye, Bye";[7] "I'm Alright"; and "Stand Beside Me", all three of which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, as well. The fourth single, "Lesson in Leavin", was a cover of Dottie West's 1980 number-one country hit. The song peaked at number two for seven weeks. In 1999, she had another top-10 hit from the album, "Because You Love Me", which peaked at number eight on the Billboard Country Chart.

In 2000, Messina received the Country Music Association's Horizon Award, which is awarded to new country music artists.[7] She also won Billboard's "Most Played Female at Country Radio", and won three major awards from the Boston Music Awards, located in her home state of Massachusetts.[4]

Messina's album also became her biggest-selling album to date, selling over two million copies in the US, receiving an RIAA certification of double platinum. Around the same time, Messina had guest roles on the television shows, Crash and Burn, Nash Bridges, and Touched by an Angel. She guest-starred on the series a few years earlier and stayed in touch with the show's producer/creator. In the episode titled "Bring On the Rain" (named after Messina's hit song), she appeared as Annie, the single mother of a teenaged girl.[4]

She released her third studio album, Burn in 2000, which aimed towards country pop-styled music.[3] The album's lead single, "That's the Way" peaked at number one on the Billboard Country Chart and also became her highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 25. Following that success, she had two additional top-10 hits with "Burn" and "Downtime".[7]

Messina had another number-one hit from the album in 2001 with "Bring On the Rain", a duet with Tim McGraw that also became a top-10 hit on the Adult Contemporary Chart, peaking at number six.

In addition to headlining concerts, she also toured with Vince Gill, George Strait, and The Judds' reunion tour.[8]

Messina released her first holiday album in 2002 with A Joyful Noise. The title track was released as a single and peaked at number 16 on the adult contemporary chart in 2003. The album consisted of remakes of holiday songs previously made famous by other singers.

Messina planned to release a new album in 2003, but a Greatest Hits album was released, instead, due to delays.[8] The album covered most of Messina's hits between 1996 and 2003, and also included four new songs, including two that were released as singles. The first, "Was That My Life", peaked in the top 25 and the second, "I Wish", became a top-15 hit. The album was also certified gold by RIAA.

In 2005, Messina released her first country music studio album since 2000, Delicious Surprise.[3] It peaked at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 9 on the Billboard 200.[9] It sold over 500,000 copies and became her fourth album to receive an RIAA gold certification.[10] The lead single, "My Give a Damn's Busted" (co-written by country music star Joe Diffie), peaked at number one on the Billboard Country Chart and became Messina's first number-one single since 2001. The three follow-up singles - "Delicious Surprise (I Believe It)" "Not Going Down," and "It's Too Late To Worry" - were minor top-40 hits on the Billboard country chart between 2005 and 2006.

Messina in 2013

Messina released a new single in July 2007, "Biker Chick", from her fifth studio album, Unmistakable. It was written by Kelly Archer and Max T. Barnes and was recorded in the fall of 2006 in Nashville.[11] Although the album was set for release on November 6, 2007, it was shelved, and the single was dropped from country radio after spending 9 weeks on the charts, rising to a peak of number 48.

On March 22, 2008, Messina released her second single from Unmistakable, titled "I'm Done". The single peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Country Chart. Messina, who co-wrote the song, explained that the release of the album was "truly dictated by the success of the single."[12] On June 10, 2008, Messina and Phil Vassar opened the 2008 CMA Music Festival, where she performed her two number-one hits, "Bye, Bye" and "I'm Alright", both co-written by Vassar.[13] She also performed her latest single, "I'm Done", which received a positive reaction from the audience that day.[14] In early 2009, she released Shine, but at the last minute, her record label decided not to release it, and the album was pushed again.

In January 2010, Messina released the single, "That's God",[15] although it failed to chart. Messina began debuting the single in late 2009 on her Music Room Series tour. "My heart is exploding with excitement. This song is truly what I want to say. I believe in it and its message."[16] Having had her first child in January 2009,[17] Messina was inspired to write the song while spending time with her son on a trip to Jasper, Canada, where she saw mountains with glacier lakes.[18] The single received a negative review at Engine 145, where critic Sam Gadzidak thought that it was derivative of Lee Ann Womack's "There Is a God".[19]

She later announced that the album would be released in a trilogy of extended plays, beginning with Unmistakable: Love, released on April 27, 2010. It was followed by two additional extended plays, Drive and Inspiration, both released on November 9, 2010, in MP3 format.

In 2011, Jo Dee Messina signed to promote the WD-40 line of cleaners with a campaign called "Unmistakably Clean". A collection of her songs is available for free download with the purchase of specially marked Spot Shot, Carpet Fresh, 2000 Flushes, or X-14.[20]

In 2012, Messina was featured on the fourth season of Bravo's hit reality show The Real Housewives of Atlanta. On the show, Messina and cast member Kandi Burruss collaboratively wrote a song, Burruss' first effort at creating country music.

In December 2012, Messina completed her 17-year contract with Curb Records.

In May 2013, Messina started a Kickstarter campaign to fund her next album. The lead single, "Peace Sign", was released on August 23, 2013, by Dreambound Records. The full-length album, Me, was released on March 18, 2014, featuring 12 new songs. "A Woman's Rant" and "He's Messed Up" were released in 2014 as the second and third singles from the album, respectively, and Messina embarked on the Me Tour in support of the album in October 2014.

Messina has been performing new self-penned songs "Will You Love Me" and "Masquerade" at shows since 2015.[21] While Messina anticipated that they would be a part of a new EP, entitled Masquerade, she has since reassessed the direction of her music and is continuing to write new material, mostly faith-based in an effort to share God's word, for an eventual project.[22]

In April 2018, Messina appeared on Huckabee on Trinity Broadcasting Network, to debut her new song, written by Messina with producer Seth Mosley, "Bigger Than This".[23] The song caught the attention of the country music and Christian music industries, giving Messina the opportunity to bring new tracks to existing fans, while also introducing herself into an entirely new space.[24] To follow up her faith-based, original song, Messina released her own version of Cory Asbury's award-winning "Reckless Love" to country and Christian radio.[25]

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Messina has been nominated twice.[33]

In addition to her two Grammy Award nominations, Messina has also won an Academy of Country Music Award, a Billboard Magazine Award, three Boston Music Awards, and a Country Music Association Award.