Precast Inc. - September/October 2008 - (Page 42) Salute to Excellence Headliner LeAnn Rimes Grammy Award-winning recording artist and country music star When a performer grows up in the spotlight, it’s often hard for public perception to mature along with her. Some people still picture LeAnn Rimes as the pretty teenager with the incredible voice who first burst on the national scene with the hit “Blue.” In reality, LeAnn Rimes is so much more. As an artist, she has matured into a songwriter of considerable depth, and as a vocalist she has grown into her gift in an even more impressive way. A performer since the age of 5, LeAnn became a national recording star at age 13, when “Blue” stormed the country music airwaves. And the rest is history. She has won two Grammy Awards, including the first Best New Artist accolade ever won by a country artist. She has sold more than 37 million records, won an American Music Award, three Academy of Country Music honors and 12 Billboard Awards. LeAnn followed up “Blue” with numerous hit singles, among them “One Way Ticket,” “I Need You,” “Nothin’ ‘Bout Love Makes Sense,” “Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way,” “Can’t Fight The Moonlight” – a Number 1 song in 11 countries – and “How Do I Live,” which was the longestrunning single ever on the Billboard Hot 100, spending a record-setting 69 weeks on the chart. She has written children’s books, acted in film and on television, and has become a musical icon both in the United States and in Europe. In 2006, she released “Whatever We Wanna” in Europe, a successful pop album for which LeAnn co-wrote 10 of the 15 tracks. LeAnn has become confident enough as a songwriter to pitch tunes to other artists and has songs being considered by Faith Hill and Jamie O’Neal. Along the way, the little girl with the big voice has matured into a woman, and the songs on her latest release, the hit album “Family,” which reflect her priorities in life. “This whole album is about real relationships,” says LeAnn, who has been married to husband, Dean Sheremet, for five years. “It talks about relationships between a husband and wife, between mother and daughter, and also my friends, who are very much my extended family.” Not only does the new album plumb the depths of her emotional arsenal, it also showcases her diversity as a vocalist. There’s an engaging duet with Louisiana born singer/songwriter Marc Broussard on “Nothing Wrong.” LeAnn recently recorded “’Til We’re Not Strangers,” a sultry duet with Bon Jovi that appears on the band’s new album, “Lost Highway,” and as a bonus track on “Family.” Now a mature 26-year-old mega star, LeAnn Rimes has learned from the moments that have defined her young life, and she pours those experiences into her music. She’s no longer the teen with the big voice; she’s an intelligent young woman with much to say. “I do feel like I’ve become this artist and not just this voice,” LeAnn says. “There’s this whole other side of me that’s always been there. I’ve been writing my whole life, but never have I felt confident enough. The confidence I felt in my singing is now how confident I feel in my writing. That’s an exciting place to be and a new place to be. I feel like I’m really moving forward and growing as a human being and as an artist. It’s a good thing.” to the intermediate level and continue their studies with focused coursework in any of three areas: safety, technical or quality control. At the third level is the Production Leadership course, which centers on supervisory and management skills. For those who want to take their education to the highest level, the Master Precaster certification can be obtained by passing all three intermediate level specialties and the 42 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 | PRECAST INC. Production Leadership course. “This is the first time the industry has provided a clear career path from the production floor into specialty areas and then supervisory and leadership positions for employees who want to continue to advance in the precast business,” Gable said. “The Precast Show will provide our launching pad every year for Precast University, and we’ll add additional training courses
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.