Early career

After she signed to a record company at the age of sixteen, Amy Grant's first, self-titled album (largely self-composed) in 1977, was a runaway success in terms of the Christian music

market of the time. She is a graduate of Harpeth Hall School and was an English major at Furman University and later Vanderbilt University, where she was a member of the sorority

Kappa Alpha Theta. Grant then made a few more albums before dropping out of college to pursue a career in music. These albums included 1979's My Father's Eyes (the title track

written by Grant's future first husband, singer-songwriter Gary Chapman) and Never Alone in 1980. During the 1970s, Amy was also a backup singer for Bill Gaither, and the Bill Gaither

Trio.

1982 marked a turning point in both Grant's career and her personal life. After she married Chapman (on June 15, 1982), her album Age to Age forced critics to notice. The breakthrough

album contained the signature track, "El Shaddai" (written by Michael Card) and the Grant-Chapman penned song, "In A Little While". "El Shaddai" was later awarded one of the "Songs

of the Century" by the RIAA in 2001. Grant received her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Gospel Performance, as well as two GMA Dove Awards for Gospel Artist of the

Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year. Age to Age became the first Christian album by a solo artist to be certified gold (1983) and the first Christian album to be certified

platinum (1985).

In the mid-1980s, Grant began touring and recording with young up-and-coming songwriter Michael W. Smith. Grant and Smith continue to have a strong friendship and creative

relationship, often writing songs for or contributing vocals to each other's albums.

Grant followed up this album with the first of her Christmas albums - albums that later would be the basis for her trademark holiday shows. In 1984, she released another pop-oriented

Christian hit, Straight Ahead, earning Grant her first appearance at the Grammy Awards show.


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