I was signed to RCA to be a country singer.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I started singing when I was 18 and landed my first record deal with RCA when I was 26 after a lot of grafting singing in pubs and clubs.
My fame came from my success as a country music singer.
What you need to know about me is that I always just wanted to be a country singer. I didn't choose the path of television or being on magazine covers.
I was a born singer.
In 20 years I had sold more records for RCA than any artist except Elvis Presley.
My mom wanted to be a country singer, too, so country was always being played. And my girlfriends and I used to go to concerts, like Brad Paisley, in middle school and high school.
The one thing I wanted to do more than anything else was sing country music.
I was signed by L.A. Reid on Arista Records when I was 16. He understood me and believed in me. Arista folded and I got put on RCA or whatever, then there were new people there, and every six months it changes and more new people come in.
I love being a part of the country-music community.
At that time, I was signed to Columbia Records as an Independent Producer. I spent many weeks forming, auditioning, rehearsing and recording demos for Kenny, who was finally signed to Columbia Records.