American Music Awards

By Larry Holden

Country Weekly

At an awards show that saluted women, the youngest one stood out.

LeAnn Rimes, country music’s wonder teen from Texas, floored the music pros in rehearsal, drew praise from fellow stars onstage and then gleefully took home her first major trophy.

"It feels wonderful," LeAnn, 14, said backstage as she clutched her American Music Award for Favorite Country New Artist. An all-female cast of LeAnn, Teri Clark, and Mindy McCready were nominated for the prize. "This is my first award," LeAnn said. "Everything that has happened to me in the last six months usually happens to an artist over two or three years. Getting this award to go along with everything else is overwhelming."

It was a thrilling 48 hours onstage and off for LeAnn and the other country artists at the show, who included Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Deana Carter, The Mavericks, Martina McBride and Blackhawk. Millions watched the three-hour ABC telecast from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, but half the fun was backstage and during rehearsals, when performers mingled, backslapped, wished each other luck and compared the sizes of butterflies in their stomachs.

In the lobby of the cavernous auditorium, Dick Clark, legendary producer of the AMA program, greeted LeAnn during rehearsals. "I’ve given about 160 interviews this week," he told her, "and no matter if they were for urban music, rap or rock, they wanted to know about you. Your appeal crosses all lines."

LeAnn had a hint of a blush as she thanked him.

When LeAnn’s turn came to rehearse her number, she walked to center stage and eased soulfully into "Unchained Melody," her latest chart-climber. The jaded audience of music professionals and TV production people took note. A cluster of men and women watching the Super Bowl turned their attention to the 14-year-old. She hit the high note at the end of the song, and as it faded, the audience exploded into applause. No other performer rehearsing received such recognition.

The AMAs salute all styles of music, including pop, rock, soul, and R&B, and meeting the non-country performers thrilled Terri Clark.

"Looking around and seeing these great artists in all categories of music, I feel like a kid in a candy shop," she told COUNTRY WEEKLY during rehearsals. "I feel like I should have my autograph book with me!"

Teri them went onstage to learn her role – presenting the Favorite Country Male Artist Award, eventually won by Garth Brooks. After a quick rehearsal at the podium, Terri added, "Like other new country artists and the newcomers in other forms of music, I grew up listening to all kinds of performers. We all had a variety of musical influences. I cut ‘Poor, Poor Pitiful Me’ because Linda Ronstadt influenced me.

"I think it’s great, and necessary, to broaden your tastes and see what else in out there besides ‘your kind of music.’ Look at how Garth Brooks has had such a tremendous impact on country music by bringing some elements of rock into his shows."

Garth echoed her sentiment. "The American Music Awards are in a class by themselves," he said. "For me, it’s the melting pot of all types of music. It’s nice to see Blackhawk giving an award to Adult Contemporary Favorite Artist. And it shows tem coming together and shaking hands. That’s cool."

Not all the chat was about music. Later on rehearsal day, Dick Clark asked Mindy McCreday why her access pass was stuck on the back of her jeans. "Sometimes when you wear them on a blouse," she explained, "they accidentally get peeled off. But if you wear them here" – she patted the right rear pocket of her jeans – "it stays put and it’s always handy." Clark chuckled as he gave a thumbs-up to Mindy’s practicality.

After LeAnn’s rehearsal performance, she chatted with Terri about coming back the next morning for a full dress rehearsal. "Today is definitely a more ‘comfortable’ day," grinned LeAnn.

The next night, when the curtains rose, LeAnn might have been less comfortable, but she was certainly more glamorous in a stunning, full-length red gown.

"I had the dress made in Nashville," she said. She had planned to wear it to the Country Music Association Awards last October. "But since I was singing "Blue’ on that show, I decided it was appropriate for me to wear a blue dress. So I saved the red dress."

During the show, Garth delivered a salute to the accomplishments made by performers in 1996 – a theme that LeAnn echoed backstage after winning her award.

"Shania and a lot of other women in music have definitely paved the way for people like me to come along," she said. "The new women in country music and the new women in other types of music have caused newcomers like me to step up to where they’ve been."

Shania won the newcomer award last year. She was no less nervous this year when she stepped up to take the Favorite Country Female Artist Award. Backstage, minutes after her acceptance speech, Shania revealed. "I was shaking like a leaf and on the verge of tears. I always feel like I’m in so much control – until they call my name and then I feel like a total goof." Her competitors were Faith Hill and Wynonna.

Even with the emphasis on women’s accomplishments at the Jan. 27 awards presentations, the guys of country music – Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Brooks & Dunn, The Mavericks, and Blackhawk – did more than hold their own.

"I was surprised to win," confessed Garth, moments after accepting the Favorite Country Male Artist Award. George Strait and Alan Jackson were the other nominees. "After George took Favorite Country Album, I thought it was going to be George’s night. So I was pleasantly surprised. If it had been George’s night, It’s probably the only way I would have been happier than I am right now."

George did win in the Favorite Country Album category for Blue Clear Sky. The other nominees were Shania Twain for The Woman in Me and Garth for Fresh Horses.

Brooks & Dunn were also winners and Kix Brooks declared: "This award is real cool. Even though we’ve won some country music awards, when a country artist wins an AMA, it includes a lot of pop, rock, and R&B fans being polled." A representative sample of about 20,000 record-buyers vote on the awards.

When LeAnn’s turn came to stand before the press backstage, she was asked whether someone told her to dress in a more sophisticated way.

"No," LeAnn replied with her usual aplomb. "I just pick clothes that I like. I wear stuff everyone else my age and older would wear, because I’ve grown up in an adult world and I have to handle myself in a mature way."

"I guess I’ve grown up fast, but I really don’t mind at all.’