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Lee Ann Womack burst onto the country music scene in the late 1990s; her classic country sound was a recipe for success: Womack was nominated for Female Vocalist of the year at the 1997 Country Music Association Awards. After releasing her second album, 1998’s Some Things I Know<\/i>, Womack was recognized with five different awards from as many associations.<\/p>\n
But popular tastes seemed to be changing, heading away from classic sounds toward commercial \u201cpop-country.\u201d So at the direction of her label, Womack changed her sound. The single \u201cI Hope You Dance\u201d and the album of the same name were massively successful, and so for the next several years, Lee Ann Womack made music that \u2013 while selling quite well \u2013 wasn’t true to her country roots.<\/p>\n
Once she gained greater control over her career, Womack returned to the classic country sounds that had long inspired her. And she was rewarded for her perseverance: the accolades and commercial success continued to follow her. These days, Lee Ann Womack makes the kind of music that has always been close to her heart. But she isn’t bitter \u2013 nor particularly regretful \u2013 about the pop detour she took for those years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first went to Nashville and started pursuing a recording contract,\u201d Womack says, \u201cI understood that they have an agenda, and they have goals that they want to meet.\u201d She signed a contract for a seven-album deal \u2013 \u201cunheard of now, but common then,\u201d she says \u2013 and committed herself to making commercial country music.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately,\u201d she explains, \u201cduring the time that I had my contract, what was expected of a commercial country artist became less and less ‘country.’\u201d She hastens to add that she loves the people with whom she worked at that label, but admits than once her contract had run its course, she breathed a \u201chuge sigh of relief.\u201d<\/p>\n
The music that Womack heard as a young girl growing up in Jacksonville, Texas had been a major influence and inspiration. \u201cMy dad worked at a country radio station, and I had quite an education in classic country music. Our home was filled with Bob Wills and Ray Price records. Those \u2013 and songs by George Jones \u2013 are the songs that I learned to sing to.\u201d So once she had the chance to start making music in that style once again, Womack did just that.<\/p>\n
Womack released The Way I’m Livin’<\/i> in 2014; that highly-regarded album made it clear that the singer was determined to make music on her own terms. \u201cI wanted to make a statement, to tell people, ‘I’m doing something different now.’\u201d The record was released by the prestigious Sugar Hill Records, home to releases from Ricky Skaggs, Dolly Parton, Marty Stuart and other giants of the authentic side of country music.<\/p>\n
Womack also recorded a special release for 2015’s annual Record Store Day, a three-song, vinyl-only release called Trouble in Mind<\/i>. That stripped-down release made it clear that The Way I’m Livin’<\/i> was no one-off; Lee Ann Womack is committed to making the kind of music that speaks to her.<\/p>\n
The awards that she’s earned are gratifying, Womack admits. \u201cWhen I was a little girl and I would watch the Country Music Awards shows and see Conway and Loretta, George and Tammy, I wanted to be in the middle of that,\u201d she says. \u201cThat was important to me, to have that pat on the back from the industry.\u201d But the awards pale in comparison to the positive feedback she receives from regular people who enjoy her music. \u201cThe most important thing is when one individual plunks down money for your album or a concert ticket,\u201d she says. \u201cThat’s the best part of what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something else that Lee Ann Womack finds fulfilling is singing duets. \u201cI love it when somebody like Ricky Skaggs calls me in to sing harmony on something,\u201d Womack says. \u201cThat’s better than any trophy I’ve ever gotten.\u201d She’s recorded with Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, George Strait and a host of others. \u201cOne of my favorite things to do over the years has been to collaborate with other artists,\u201d she says. \u201cI’m now out on tour with Alan Jackson, and we do a duet every night.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the pop phase of her career well behind her, these days Lee Ann Womack concentrates on being the real deal. \u201cThe whole time I was in the commercial music industry,\u201d she recalls, \u201cI was looking over at the Americana artists, thinking, ‘When I grow up, I’m gonna go hang out with those guys!’\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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