HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jo Dee Marie Messina (born August 25, 1970) is an American
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...
artist. She has charted six number-one singles on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' country music charts. She has been honored by the
Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...
and the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country music ...
, and has been nominated for two
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
. She was the first female country artist to score three multiple-week number-one songs from the same album. To date, she has two
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platin ...
and three
gold Gold is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a Brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, s ...
-certified albums by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
. Messina debuted in 1996 with the single " Heads Carolina, Tails California." Her album was certified gold by the RIAA. Her second album, '' I'm Alright'', produced five top-10 country hits between 1998 and 1999, and sold over a million copies in America. Since her debut, six of her singles have peaked at number one on the Billboard country singles chart and five of her albums have received a certification by the RIAA or the
CRIA A ''cria'' (pronounced ) is a juvenile llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. Etymology The term comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, ''crya'' (pronounced ), was coined by British sailors who explor ...
. She has sold over 5 million records worldwide.


Early life

Jo Dee Marie Messina was born on August 25, 1970, in
Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popu ...
, to Vincent and Mary Messina. Her father, of Italian descent, and mother, of Irish descent, raised her in
Holliston, Massachusetts Holliston is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States in the Greater Boston area. The population was 14,996 at the 2020 census. It is located in MetroWest, a Massachusetts region that is west of Boston. Holliston is t ...
, alongside sisters, Terese and Marianne, and a brother, Vincent. At an early age, Messina's love for music blossomed. She drew influence from a variety of country music artists, including
Patsy Cline Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among ...
,
Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...
, and
The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist Wynonna Judd and her mother, Naomi Judd. The duo signed to RCA Nashville in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds were one of the most succ ...
. By age 16, she was playing local clubs, singing while her brother and sister provided backup on drums and guitar.''Allmusic'' Jo Dee Messina profileretrieved 6–26–08 The group continued performing until Jo Dee graduated from high school. Realizing that living in the
Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...
would limit her chances of achieving country music stardom, Messina moved to Nashville, Tennessee, at age 19. She worked various temporary jobs, including computer programming and accounting, while entering talent contests around Nashville. One win led to a regular gig on the radio show ''Live at Libby's'', which caught the interest of producer
Byron Gallimore Byron Gallimore (born in Puryear, Tennessee) is an American record producer known for more than two decades of work in the field of country music. He has worked with artists Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sugarland, Lee Ann Womack, and Jo Dee Messina. ...
, who helped her assemble a demonstration tape. Gallimore was also working with the young
Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, four for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those albums ...
around the same time, and Messina befriended him. Backstage at one of his concerts, McGraw met an executive from his label,
Curb Records Curb Records (also known as Asylum-Curb and formerly known as MCG Curb) is an American record label started by Mike Curb, originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of M ...
, and jokingly suggested that they needed a
redhead Red hair (also known as orange hair and ginger hair) is a hair color found in one to two percent of the human population, appearing with greater frequency (two to six percent) among people of Northern or Northwestern European ancestry and ...
. With the help of fellow Curb producer
James Stroud James Stroud is an American musician and record producer who works in pop, rock, R&B, soul, disco, and country music. He played with the Malaco Rhythm Section for Malaco Records. In the 1990s, he was the president of Giant Records (a subsidi ...
, Messina was soon signed to the record label. Gallimore and McGraw later became co-producers of Messina's studio albums for Curb.


Music career


1996–97: Country success

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. 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 Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...
; she nearly lost her home and her car. She spent nearly a year trying to write new songs and material for a new album that could help bring herself out of bankruptcy.Taylor, Chuck (March 13, 1999), "Curb's Jo Dee Messina Proves She's More Than `Alright' With Hit-Filled Sophomore Set". ''Billboard''. 111 (11) She credited the radio success of "Bye, Bye" and "I'm Alright" with giving her a "second chance".


1998−2006: Breakthrough success

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"; "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 Dorothy Marie Marsh West (October 11, 1932 – September 4, 1991) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and fellow recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most in ...
'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 The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...
's Horizon Award, which is awarded to new country music artists. She also won the ''Billboard'' "Most Played Female at Country Radio", and won three major awards from the
Boston Music Awards Founded in 1987, the Boston Music Awards are a set of music awards given annually that showcase talent in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. Past shows have featured such notable talent as Aerosmith, Paula Cole, Esperanza Spalding, Boston, Rubyh ...
, located in her home state of Massachusetts. Messina's album became her biggest-selling album to date, selling over two million copies in the US, receiving an RIAA certification of double platinum. She released her third studio album, ''
Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...
'' in 2000, which aimed towards
country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...
-styled music. 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 A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...
" and "
Downtime The term downtime is used to refer to periods when a system is unavailable. The unavailability is the proportion of a time-span that a system is unavailable or offline. This is usually a result of the system failing to function because of an u ...
". 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 The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...
, peaking at number six. In addition to headlining concerts, she also toured with
Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...
,
George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...
, and
The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist Wynonna Judd and her mother, Naomi Judd. The duo signed to RCA Nashville in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds were one of the most succ ...
' reunion tour.Jo Dee Messina profile
cmt.com; accessed September 12, 2021.
Messina released her first holiday album in 2002 with ''
A Joyful Noise ''A Joyful Noise'' is a musical with a book by Edward Padula and music and lyrics by Oscar Brand and Paul Nassau. The 1966 Broadway production was a flop but introduced choreographer Michael Bennett in his Broadway debut. Based on Mississip ...
''. 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 established holiday songs. Messina planned to release a new album in 2003, but a ''
Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
'' album was released, instead, due to delays. 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''. It peaked at number one on the ''Billboard''
Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales a ...
chart and number 9 on ''
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of arti ...
''. It sold over 500,000 copies and became her fourth album to receive an RIAA gold certification. 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.


2007–2012: ''Unmistakable''

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. 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." On June 10, 2008, Messina and
Phil Vassar Phillip George Vassar Jr. (born May 28, 1962) is an American country music artist. Vassar made his debut on the country music scene in the late 1990s, co-writing singles for several country artists, including Tim McGraw (" For a Little While", ...
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. She performed her latest single, "I'm Done", which received a positive reaction from the audience that day. In early 2009, she released ''Shine'', but at the last minute, her record label decided not to release it, and the album was pushed back again. In January 2010, Messina released the single, "That's God", 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." Having had her first child in January 2009, 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. The single received a negative review at Engine 145, where critic Sam Gadzidak thought that it was derivative of
Lee Ann Womack Lee Ann Womack Liddell (; born August 19, 1966) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Her 2000 single, "I Hope You Dance" was a major crossover music hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and the Top 1 ...
's " There Is a God". 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, Messina signed to promote the
WD-40 WD-40 is an American brand and the trademark of a penetrating oil manufactured by the WD-40 Company based in San Diego, California. The formula for WD-40 was invented for the Rocket Chemical Company as early as 1953 before it evolved into ...
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. In 2012, Messina was featured on the fourth season of Bravo's hit reality show ''
The Real Housewives of Atlanta ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta'' (abbreviated ''RHOA'') is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on October 7, 2008. Developed as the third installment of ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, it has aired fourteen seaso ...
''. On the show, Messina and cast member
Kandi Burruss Kandi Lenice Burruss Tucker (born May 17, 1976), known professionally by her mononym Kandi, is an American producer, television personality, singer, songwriter and actress. She first gained notice in 1992 as a member of the female vocal group X ...
collaboratively wrote a song, Burruss' first effort at creating country music. In December 2012, she completed her 17-year contract with Curb Records.


2013–present: Independent Label, Dreambound Records

In May 2013, Messina started a
Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
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. 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. 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". 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. To follow up her faith-based, original song, Messina released her own version of
Cory Asbury Cory Hunter Asbury is an American Christian musician, worship pastor, songwriter, and former member of the Bethel Music collective. Starting as an intern with the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2005, Asbury's career ...
's award-winning " Reckless Love" to country and Christian radio.


Personal life

Messina became involved with the
Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in ...
after stumbling across an event while jogging. She has become an ambassador and performs at Special Olympics events to increase attendance. In 2004, Messina was engaged to road manager Don Muzquiz, but then broke off the engagement. However, the two remained in a business relationship. On June 22, 2007, Messina announced her engagement to businessman Chris Deffenbaugh from New Mexico. They were married in Nashville in late 2007. A son, Noah Roger Deffenbaugh, was born on January 19, 2009. On January 11, 2012, they welcomed another son, Jonah Christopher Deffenbaugh. On September 6, 2017, Jo Dee Messina's team revealed she had been diagnosed with an unspecified cancer. All 2017 tour dates after October 7 were postponed as she underwent treatments in the fall. She resumed touring in March 2018 and continues to add tour dates to her website regularly. She successfully recovered from the cancer diagnosis and resumed touring in 2022.


Discography

;Studio albums * 1996: '' Jo Dee Messina'' * 1998: '' I'm Alright'' * 2000: ''
Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...
'' * 2005: '' Delicious Surprise'' * 2014: '' Me'' ;EPs & Other albums * 2002: ''
A Joyful Noise ''A Joyful Noise'' is a musical with a book by Edward Padula and music and lyrics by Oscar Brand and Paul Nassau. The 1966 Broadway production was a flop but introduced choreographer Michael Bennett in his Broadway debut. Based on Mississip ...
'' * 2003: ''
Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
'' * 2010: '' Unmistakable: Love'' * 2010: ''Unmistakable: Drive'' * 2010: ''Unmistakable: Inspiration'' ;Singles * 2016: ''Noel'' * 2018: ''Bigger Than This'' * 2018: '' Reckless Love''


Awards & honors


Grammy Awards

The
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
s are awarded annually by the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...
. Messina has been nominated twice.


Other awards

In addition to her two
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
nominations, Messina has also won an
Academy of Country Music Award The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country music ...
, a Billboard Magazine Award, three
Boston Music Awards Founded in 1987, the Boston Music Awards are a set of music awards given annually that showcase talent in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. Past shows have featured such notable talent as Aerosmith, Paula Cole, Esperanza Spalding, Boston, Rubyh ...
, and a Country Music Association Award. , - , rowspan=3, 1998 , Academy of Country Music Awards , Top New Female Vocalist , , - , rowspan=2,
Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...
, Horzion Award , , - , Music Video of the Year - " Bye, Bye" , , - , rowspan="5", 1999 , ''Billboard'' Magazine , Most Played Country Female Artist of the Year , , - , ''Billboard'' Magazine , Outstanding Country Act , , - , ''Billboard'' Magazine , Outstanding Female Vocalist , , - , rowspan=4,
Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...
, Horizon Award , , - , rowspan=2, Female Vocalist of the Year , , - , 2000 , , - , 2002 , Vocal Event of the Year - " Bring On the Rain" ,


Notes


References

* Gilbert, Calvin. (1998). "Jo Dee Messina". In ''The Encyclopedia of County Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 343.


External links


Jo Dee Messina Official Website
*
Interview with Jo Dee Messina
{{DEFAULTSORT:Messina, Jo Dee 1970 births American country guitarists American country pianists American women pianists American country singer-songwriters American women country singers American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent Country musicians from Massachusetts Country pop musicians Curb Records artists Living people People from Holliston, Massachusetts People from Framingham, Massachusetts Singer-songwriters from Massachusetts Guitarists from Massachusetts 21st-century American women singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American guitarists 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers