Lee Ann Womack

Lee Ann Womack was born in Jacksonville, Texas; and without taking conventional vocal lessons, became a country music artist with platinum and gold selling albums. 1997 brought Lee Ann Womack into the country scene with a self-titled album which included singles, “Never Again, Again” and “The Fool.”

In 1998 Lee Ann released her sophomore album, Some Things I Know. The album went gold with songs such as “A Little Past Little Rock” and “I’ll Think of a Reason Later.” However, it was her third album, I Hope You Can Dance, which was known as her crossover album and found her the most success. The album went triple platinum and the single, “I Hope You Can Dance,” was number one on the US Country charts. The music video for the song even featured her two daughters Aubrie and Anna Lise.

Only two singles were released in 2002 from Lee Ann’s fourth album, Something Worth Leaving Behind. The two singles “Forever Everyday” and “Something Worth Leaving Behind” both took spots on the top 40 country charts. 2002 also brought the award winning “Mendocino Country Line,” with Willie Nelson. The song gave Lee Ann a Grammy, and awards from the Country Music Association as well as the Academy of Country Music.

In 2005, Lee Ann appeared to go back to her original sound with There’s More Where That Came From. As a result, she won three more awards at the Country Music Awards for Best Musical Event, Single of the Year and Album of the Year.

Julie Roberts

With her deep, blues-soaked voice that poignantly captures the pain of the wronged and forgotten, Julie Roberts has quickly became a favorite of the fans and fickle music critics alike.

The daughter of an engineer and accountant, Roberts has been singing as long as she can remember. She performed at every opportunity, including class musicals, summer camp productions and beauty pageants. During junior high and high school, she spent her weekends playing festivals in the Southeast. She spent summers working at music shows in Carowinds, a theme park in Charlotte, N.C., and Dollywood in East Tennessee.

She attended the University of South Carolina-Lancaster for two years before transferring to Nashville’s Belmont University to focus on her music. She performed in local clubs and restaurants until graduation, after which she landed a job as the assistant to Luke Lewis, Co-Chairman of Universal Music Group Nashville. Without telling any of her co-workers, she began working during her off-time with producer Brent Rowan, who eventually played Roberts’ demo to Lewis without telling him who it was. Floored by the demo, Lewis asked to meet the singer, so Rowan directed the surprised music executive to the young woman sitting just outside his door.

Entertainment Weekly awarded her 2004 self-titled debut CD an ‘A’, calling it “one of the most auspicious debuts in years.” The New York Times said Roberts’ aching and resolute hit, “Break Down Here,” was “one of the year’s best country ballads.” Spotting her talent early, CMT selected Roberts to be the first artist ever to appear in In the Moment, the music network’s hour-long documentary on the making of a star.

The album was certified gold and led to two Horizon Award nominations from the Country Music Association, as well as a Top New Artist nomination, Top New Female Vocalist nomination from the Academy of Country Music Awards, as well as a Breakthrough Artist nomination from the CMT Awards. She delivered two memorable performances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and was chosen over artists in all musical genres to sing the “Good To Go” theme song of the television show Good Morning America. “It’s been amazing,” she says of her success. “We’ve played so many places and I’ve been to so many places. But I haven’t really had time to sit back and reflect on all we’ve done.”

With her debut CD, Roberts was country music’s Cinderella, a stunning blonde from Lancaster, S.C., who stole everyone’s heart with her honest music, cover-girl looks, exuberant personality and irresistible laughter. And now with her second album, Men & Mascara, Roberts proves she’s in it for the long run.

Men & Mascara, produced by Byron Gallimore (Lee Ann Womack, Faith Hill), is an impressive collection of songs certain to stand the test of time. After touring non-stop for two years, Roberts has honed her signature vocal style and developed a newfound confidence that she unleashes on her sophomore release.

“It’s what I dreamed about my whole life. When I step off the bus and into that back room, something comes over me. Every time Luke Lewis sees me, he says, ‘Are you still having fun? You’ve got to like it, Julie; it’s your life.’ And I do. I’m having the time of my life.”