COUNTRY STAR OF THE MONTH: JO DEE MESSINA

When it comes to Country Music artists with a huge following you can count Jo Dee Messina in that group. She grew up in Massachusetts and had a love of music at a young age. When she first started out she and her brother and sisters played local clubs when she was 16 years old. She drew her inspiration by classic artists such as Patsy Cline and current artists at the time, Reba McEntire and The Judds. By the time she was 19 she knew that for her career to take off further that she would need to get to Nashville. As she took opportunities at local talent shows she worked a few temp jobs to pay the bills. One of the talent shows she entered got her a win to be on a local radio show called Live At Libby’s. Producer Brian Gallimore, who was also working with a young artist named Tim McGraw heard her and got her signed to Curb Records.

In 1996 she released her self-titled debut album with two big hits on it, Head Carolina, Tails California and You’re Not In Kansas Anymore. Two years later she released her second album I’m Alright that spawned 4 more hits for her. Bye Bye, I’m Alright, Stand Beside Me, and Lesson in Leavin’ all went to the top of the charts solidifying her place in Country Music. As the Millennium changed she continued putting out hit music with her album Burn. That album included her number one hit with That’s The Way and the duet with Tim McGraw Bring On The Rain. 2005 brought her Delicious Surprise album and the number one hit she wrote with Joe Diffie, My Give A Damn’s Busted. Jo Dee really held her audience with a mix of songs that were heartfelt while also showing that women in Country Music could also be strong. Recently, she has been singing Christian based songs and bridging her career with new fans.

Jo Dee isn’t just about music. She also is a huge supporter of the Special Olympics and has become an ambassador for the organization. In 2017 she had to overcome a battle with cancer and spent a few years off the road as she recovered. When 2022 hit she was back out performing and traveling the country singing once again. She got even more notoriety and a larger fan base this last year as Cole Swindell used her song as inspiration and even sampled Head Carolina, Tails California for his song She Had Me At Heads Carolina. It became a huge hit on it’s own and they’ve even been able to perform it together at the CMA’s back in November. You can see her live on Thursday night of Country Boom as she helps kick off the event! We’re so glad Jo Dee is back in action singing songs that everyone will be singing along to!