The Farr Side: LeAnn Rimes an incredible talent not to be missed
David T. Farr, Sturgis Journal
Last year singer LeAnn Rimes embarked on a tour in celebration of the 25th anniversary of her debut single “Blue.”
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Sturgis Journal
It was just last year that singer LeAnn Rimes embarked on a tour in celebration of the 25th anniversary of her debut single “Blue.” It was almost too hard to believe that the song was already that old. I mean — LeAnn was just a kid.

“Blue” was one of those songs that just took the music world by surprise when it was released. Rimes had everyone talking because she sang with so much depth and talent in her vocals. It was like hearing a reincarnation of Patsy Cline. And, to know that she was just 14 made it all the more incredible.

Rimes earned the Grammy for best new artist that year, making her the youngest person to ever win a Grammy.

Her career is one for the ages, too. Here was a girl promoted by her father, Wilbur Rimes. The young singer had a special gift and her father knew it. That came with both good and bad things for her.

Can you imagine having been thrust into the spotlight and compared to the likes of the legendary Patsy Cline? Then, having a record deal wrapped around that kind of stigma? It doesn’t sound bad for those of us listening to the music, but for Rimes it messed with her creativity. She wasn’t given the ability to have any kind of creative input. It put some interesting wedges between her and her father.

Through the years, we’ve seen Rimes grow before our eyes and try to experiment outside of the traditional country genre. It has proven successful, for the most part, but it hasn’t come as easy as some would suspect.

Let’s talk about her track record so far. She’s had 56 charting singles, 17 studio albums, 10 compilation albums and one movie soundtrack.

Her list of hit singles is pretty darn impressive. “Blue” started everything off. The album of the same name sold 10 million copies and featured the hits “Hurt Me,” “One Way Ticket (Because I Can)” and “Light In Your Eyes.” The success of “Blue” prompted an earlier release to resurface. Her version of “Unchained Melody” became a massive success.

I can still laugh when I think of her next hit, “How Do I Live.” Some industry execs thought Rimes was too young to sing a love theme to a motion picture so they opted for Trisha Yearwood to record the song for the movie “Conair.”

Luckily for Rimes, she got to release the song on her own. “How Do I Live” became one of the biggest hit songs in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts. To this day, the song is ranked at No. 6 in popularity for all time.

I know I became a fan of her music once she was able to color outside the lines. Her vocal abilities put her in a class all her own and launched her to pop stardom.

I liked it when she stepped in that direction for the “Coyote Ugly” Soundtrack. It was her best time, musically speaking. “Can’t Fight The Moonlight,” “I Need You,” ”But I Do Love You” and “Please Remember” were game changers.

Rimes also hit it big with “Life Goes On,” “Big Deal,” “Nothin’ ‘Bout Love Makes Sense,” “Probably Wouldn’t Be this Way,” “We Can,” “Crazy,” “Commitment,” “On The Side Of Angels” and the duets of “Written In The Stars” (Elton John), “Last Thing On My Mind” (Ronan Keating) and “’Til We Ain’t Strangers Anymore” (Bon Jovi).

In 2020, Rimes shocked “The Masked Singer” by winning it. She did so with amazing performances including her cover of the Billie Eilish smash, “When The Party Is Over.”

The success of the tour, appropriately called “The Story … So Far Tour,” has prompted Rimes to continue with dates throughout 2023, too. Fans can still grab tickets for her May 5 show at Blue Gate Performing Arts Center in Shipshewana. I can tell you this — you won’t want to miss this incredible show. I caught this tour last summer and she was amazing.