In 1996, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw cemented one of the most powerful unions in country music history. Both were still relatively new to the Nashville scene at the time, but each had already made their mark individually. On this day in 1993, Faith Hill introduced herself to a generation of country music lovers with her instantly successful debut album, Take Me as I Am.
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The two lead singles from the project, “Wild One” and “Piece of My Heart”, topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. The latter is a cover of Erma Franklin’s Grammy-nominated hit from 1967.
How Faith Hill Got Her Start
At just 3 years old, Faith Hill began singing at the local Baptist church in her tiny hometown of Star, Mississippi. By age 17, she was playing the local rodeo circuit with her band. Two years later, a then 19-year-old Hill dropped out of college to move to Nashville in pursuit of a career in country music.
Once there, she landed a secretary job at a music publishing firm, where a co-worker overheard Hill singing to herself one day. That presented her with the opportunity to become a demo singer with the firm. The future star supplemented her income by singing backup vocals for songwriter Gary Burr. It was during one of those performances at Bluebird Cafe where a Warner Bros. Records executive discovered her.
Listeners got their first taste of Take Me as I Am with the debut single “Wild One,” centered around a rebellious young girl bucking the conservative norms set by her parents. They said, “Change your clothes” /
She said, “No, I won’t,” Hill sang.
“I Just Hit the Gate Running”
Listeners resonated with “Wild One,” sending it the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for four weeks in 1994. The first of nine No. 1 hits for Faith Hill, it marked a female artist’s longest run atop the country charts since 1977.
“Wild One’ was responsible for so many things, for landing me a spot on David Letterman,” Hill recalled in a 2007 interview with The Boot. “That was the first national TV show that I ever did. Not to mention it was a big hit at radio and was No. 1 for many weeks. It changed my career in such a big way. I just hit the gate running.”
The five-time Grammy Award winner wouldn’t have to wait long for her next chart-topper. The album’s second single, “Piece Of My Heart,” followed its predecessor’s path to No. 1. Three decades later, Faith Hill has now sold more than 50 million records worldwide.
Featured image by Paul Natkin/WireImage
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