Amy Grantās music defies easy classification. She is known as much for being the fresh-faced singerāsongwriter who defined the contemporary Christian music scene in the ā80s as she is the curly coiffed pop star who won a legion of fans among the MTV generation a decade later. And that doesnāt even take into account her more recent success crafting insightful songs across a range of genres, from folk to gospel to country and pop.
The truth is there are many sides to Grant, and nearly 40 years into her career as a recording artist, her music continues to delight listeners in unexpected ways. In fact, her latest effort, this yearās In Motion: The Remixes, may be her most unusual release to date. Itās, of all things, a collection of her previous pop and Christian hits reimaginedāwith the help of some of the best DJs in the businessāas electronic dance music. The remix of her No. 1 pop hit from 1991, āBaby, Baby,ā debuted at the No. 1 Breakout spot on Billboardās Hot Dance Club Play chart in July, and the album reached No. 5 on the U.S. Dance Album chart.
āThis latest project really came about because I listened to some longtime fans,ā Grant says. āFor me it really has less to do with having a master game plan and more with just enjoying a sense of creative community. If being part of a songwriter town like Nashville teaches you anything, itās that you never know where the next ideaās going to come from.ā
In short, Grantās music is like a prism: multifaceted and capable of dazzling surprises at every turn. And just as with a prism, thereās something transformative about the way her music reveals its source of illumination. Her light, so to speak, comes not only from an abiding faith in God but from a belief in humanityās goodness as well, and that feeling of connection to others is inspiring in and of itself.
āMusic is best experienced together,ā she says. āThatās whatās so phenomenal about pursuing a career in it because the sum is so much bigger than the individual parts. Itās a soul-enlarging experience.ā
Of course, in this instance Grant could just as easily be talking about life in a broader sense. Like music, it is best experienced in the company of others and is soul-enlarging in its own way. As Grant figures it, thereās no greater blessing than being part of a community that cares, and the least she can do is take the light she has been given and shine it toward those who need it most.
A LEGACY TO REMEMBER
Grant was just 15 when a record executive signed her to her first professional recording contract, but at the time it didnāt feel like the beginning of a career to her. Even after the release of her third studio album in 1980āthe same year she transferred from Furman University to 91ĢĘ²®»¢āGrant still wasnāt convinced she would pursue music for a living. That doubt, though, would disappear soon enough.
While majoring in English during her junior and senior years, she continued to write and record songs, working on what would become her fourth studio album, Age to Age. Released in early 1982, the album not only changed Grantās life forever but permanently transformed the Christian music industry as well. Featuring the hit āEl Shaddai,ā Age to Age would go on to sell more than 1 million copies, becoming the first-ever Christian album to be certified platinum.
āI kept telling myself that I had to get a real job,ā she says about the months leading up to graduation. āThen the record took off, and I said, āWhoa, I guess this is what Iām doing.āā
Age to Age was so successful that Grant decided to leave 91ĢĘ²®»¢ just a few credits shy of earning her degree. In retrospect she feels bittersweet about the sacrifices she had to make for her music, including withdrawing early from school, but thereās no second-guessing the decision.
āI think everything turned out just fine,ā she says with a laugh. āIām sure I missed out on some fun things in college, but I got to do a lot of other fun things, too.ā
Fortunately, Grant was able to keep her sudden rise to fame in perspective thanks to the steady support of those around her. She credits her father, Dr. Burton Grant, ā53, a radiologist and longtime assistant clinical professor at 91ĢĘ²®»¢, and mother, Gloria, with helping her stay grounded. She also points to the influence of her childhood church, Ashwood Church of Christ in Nashville. Ashwood is where music, faith and community first coalesced for her, and some of her favorite memories involve singing hymns in the pew alongside her great-grandmother Lillie Burton.
āSpecifically, I remember being down front on the row where they had all the devices for the hearing impaired,ā Grant says. āMy great-grandmother had a beautiful voice, and because she was a tiny woman, and more or less my height, I could hear her really well.ā
Tiny though she was, Lillie Burton looms large in Grantās imagination. An early song Grant wrote titled āMimiās Houseā recounts the happy times spent on the sprawling farm that Lillie and her husband, A.M. Burton, owned just south of downtown Nashville. (Today the property is the site of the Burton Hills neighborhood and business complex in the Green Hills area.)
Grant didnāt know her great-grandfather wellāshe was only 5 when he passed awayābut that hasnāt lessened her appreciation for what he accomplished during his lifetime. The founder of Life and Casualty Insurance Co. of Tennessee, A.M. constructed the 31-story L&C Tower, Nashvilleās first skyscraper and, at the time of its completion in 1957, the tallest building in the Southeast. It remains a prominent landmark on the Nashville skyline. He also happened to be a notable philanthropist who gave back generously to the community.
āGrowing up I knew very little about what he had done,ā Grant says. āIt takes some kind of massive legacy for people to remember anybody. Thatās why we name buildings for people. All those things are important because thereās no way the next generation is going to know. You have to have a reason to keep telling the story, even if itās diluted.ā
When it comes to her own legacy, Grant could list any number of successes: the 27 albums released, the more than 30 million copies sold, the six Grammy Awards and 26 Dove Awards, and her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, among others. These accomplishments, however, tell only part of the storyāand as she likes to point out, thereās no guarantee any of them will be remembered in the years to come.
āWho knows what will last?ā she says. āIn any field, how quickly we forget whoās gone before and whoās done what.ā
But what does endure, Grant argues, is the goodwill that one creates during a lifetime. Simple acts of kindness can make a profound difference in peopleās livesānot just for those on the receiving end but for the givers, tooāand to remind herself of this, she recites a short prayer every day: āLord, lead me today to those I need and to those who need me, and let something I do have eternal significance. Amen.ā
āI think what we say has so much more power than any of us realizes,ā she says. āWhen I recite that prayer, it does something to me and the way I anticipate living each day.ā
HEALING POWER
Itās no coincidence that music and faith are deeply entwined in Grantās life. Standing next to her great-grandmother in church, she learned to appreciate not only the melodies of the old hymns but also their underlying messages, and that potent combination has stayed with her ever since.
āI canāt remember one sermon ever preached by a pastor or Sunday school teacher,ā she admits. āEven when Iām listening and taking notes, somehow it evaporates. But the hymnsāthatās how my theology was shaped.ā
As with faith, Grant believes thereās a mystical quality about the way music unburdens the soul. The process of putting pen to paper and writing a song can feel like divine inspiration at work, and even something as basic as playing scales on an instrument can be a spiritual experience of sorts. As an example, Grant mentions a friend who plays music to unwind during his spare time.
āHe talks about how he gets lost in playing scales and what it does to him,ā she says. āItās true. Music is healing.ā
Although some people are intimidated by the idea of learning how to play an instrument, Grant says itās not as difficult as one might think. One of the best things about music, she argues, is just how accessible it is to everyone, regardless of age or skill level.
āPlaying music may seem unattainable or magical, but the truth is that everybody learns one step at a time,ā she says. āEverybody learns how to play a scale. Everybody celebrates learning how to read music. I mean, anybody can play. Not everybody is fantastic, but itās still a powerful feeling.ā
Itās in this spirit that Grant helps the young patients at . Together with her husband and fellow recording artist Vince Gill, she supports the hospitalās , which allows children undergoing treatment to deal constructively with their anxiety by expressing themselves through music.
Recording engineer Tom Fouce and his wife, Maria, started the program in 2005 in honor of their son, Julian, who died from leukemia that same year at age 16. A music lover, Julian often would bring his guitar with him during stays at Childrenās Hospital, and seeing the comfort it brought him, his parents thought a music therapy program could benefit the hospital as a whole.
Today the Julian T. Fouce Fund supports the work of music therapist Jenny Plume. In addition to her regular duties at the hospital, Plume led an effort in 2012ā13 to create a special album to benefit the children under her care. Produced by Tom Fouce, features songs co-written by several patients and recorded by some of Nashvilleās best-known artists, including Grant and Gill.
āIf you know anything about charity work in Nashville,ā says Tom Fouce, āyou know that Amy and Vince are involved in a lot of things. They were very generous with their time and talents for this project, and both of the songs they recorded came out great.ā
Working with patient Gigi Pasley on the song āWhat Is Normalā was a special treat for Grant. āGigi,ā she says, āis so creative and has so much personality.ā In particular Grant enjoyed seeing how the music gave Pasley and the other children a sense of identity beyond their particular diagnoses.
āJust because children are battling life-threatening illnesses doesnāt mean theyāre not fully alive and fully kids,ā she says. āThe project was all about making music and creativity. That was the identity they came away with rather than being identified by what was wrong with them.ā
From the perspective of , MAā81, CEO of Monroe Carell Jr. Childrenās Hospital at 91ĢĘ²®»¢, the Everybody Has a Story collaboration is a tremendous example of how a community can come together for a good cause. He acknowledges just how important it was to have artists like Grant and Gill involved in the project.
āAmy and Vince are amazing artists and international celebrities,ā Gregory says, ābut also sincere volunteers and fundraisers for the greater Nashville community, our state and our nation. The music they performed and recorded was outstanding, but the time they shared with our young songwriters, using music to ease their journeys of illness, was truly amazing.
āAmy and Vince are special people to 91ĢĘ²®»¢.ā
GREET THE DAY
Acts of kindness may be as much a way of life for Grant as her music, but she admits itās not always the easiest choice to give to others. A cost comes with giving, and to illustrate this she tells a story about her youngest daughter, Corrina.
A few years ago, as Corrinaās 10th birthday approached, Grant says her daughter asked if she could raise money for Childrenās Hospital in lieu of a traditional party. She talked Grant into helping her bake several dozen cupcakes and then selling them to friends and neighbors, with the proceeds going to the hospital. Altogether they raised $1,700 through sales and donations.
Although Corrina was happy to have raised the money, Grant says a part of her daughter felt conflicted afterward. āA week after her birthday,ā Grant says, āshe came to me and said, āMom, that was exciting and everything, but I didnāt realize what it was going to feel like giving up my whole birthday. I really didnāt get any gifts.āā
Grant says she thought for a moment and then responded, āHoney, thatās why they call it giving. Itās because youāre a little less generous with yourself so that you can be generous to somebody else.ā
This idea of sacrificeāof making the tough choice when it countsāis what resonates most with Grant. āThatās the great thing about getting caught up in the emotions of doing something like that,ā she says, āand then having the honesty later to think, Iām glad I did it and thereās a cost to it. I just love that she set herself up for that lesson at age 10.ā
If anything, Grant believes weāre all capable of learning this same lesson, no matter our age. Like picking up an instrument for the first time, itās not as daunting as one might think, and the rewards for doing so are immeasurable.
After all, each new day is a gift, and what we choose to do with that daylight determines how weāll be remembered. Either weāre indifferent to it, resigning ourselves to obscurity in every sense of the word, or we step into that light and share it with those around us. As Grant sings in āGreet the Day,ā a song that echoes her favorite prayer, that all-important first step can make a difference even long after weāre gone:
Lead me to the ones I need
And to the one whoās needing me.
I wonāt assume the worst is true
And do the best that I can do.
A word of kindness, I believe,
Is heard throughout eternity.