Short Biography

Sara Lynn Evans (born February 5, 1971) is an American country music singer-songwriter.

Sara Evans was one of the few traditional-styled singers to emerge from Nashville in the late 1990s, according to All Music guide. Since emerging from the late-90s, Evans has become one of country music`s most popular female vocalists, acquiring a few No. 1 country hits and Gold and Platinum-certified albums by the RIAA, like 2004`s Restless and 2005`s Real Fine Place, which are her biggest selling albums to date.

Sara Lynn Evans was born in New Franklin, Missouri in 1971, and is of English and Irish descent. She was raised on a farm, and was the eldest girl of seven children. Music was a part of her life at an early age; by five she was singing every weekend in her family`s band. At age eight, she was struck by an automobile in front of the family home, and both her legs suffered multiple fractures. Recuperating for months in a wheelchair, she continued singing to help pay for her medical bills. When she was 16, she began performing at a nightclub near Columbia, Missouri, a gig that lasted two years.

Evans moved to Nashville in 1991 aspiring to become a country music artist, where she met Craig Schelske. In 1992 she recorded 12 songs with EandS Records which are now sold as album Sara Evans - The Early Years. She then left Nashville with Schelske 1992, where they moved to Oregon. After the couple married in 1993, Evans returned to Nashville in 1995, where Evans began recording demos.[1] Nashville songwriter Harlan Howard was impressed by Evans` demo of his song "Tiger by the Tail". Howard decided to help Evans` music career, which eventually led to a signed contract with the RCA Nashville.[2]

In 1997, Evans released her first album under RCA, Three Chords and the Truth. Critics praised the album for returning to traditional country and included it in many of their year`s "top 10" lists. The album included a cover version of older Country song, Patsy Cline`s "Imagine That", which originally reached No. 21 for Cline on the country charts in 1962. However, the album did not catch on with country radio at the time, and none of the three singles made the top 40. It would be another year before Evans gained full popularity. In 1998 Evans released her second album, No Place That Far. She still remained a critic`s darling, despite her new pop/country sound. Her first single, "Cryin` Game", hardly made a ripple on the charts, peaking outside country`s Top 40. However, it was her next single, "No Place That Far", a duet with Vince Gill, that brought Evans massive success, reaching No. 1 on the country charts, as well reaching the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40, Evans` first major hit. Because of the success the album gained, Evans` album was certified Gold by the RIAA that year

In 2000, Evans worked on a third album to be released later that year. Born to Fly was released to stores on October 10, 2000, and later became another major-selling album. She insisted on hiring Seattle-based rock drummer Matt Chamberlain (The Wallflowers, Edie Brickell), who brought a slightly different sound to her music.[3] The album became Evans` first album to receive a Platinum rating by the RIAA, and spawned four country hits, including the title track ("Born to Fly") which was the first single released from the album, reaching the No. 1 spot on the country charts, Evans` first No. 1 as a solo artist. Hits continued from the album all the way into 2

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