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Facts BIRTHDATE: December 30, 1956 PARENTS: Dad, Charles, was a machinist for International Harvester. Her mother, B.J., was a secretary who taught Suzy at an early age to read vocal music. SIBLINGS: 2 brothers, 1 sister; all older MARITAL STATUS/CHILDREN: Married to songwriter Doug Crider. The couple have one child, Benton Charles. EARLY MUSICAL INFLUENCES: Suzy joined the church choir at age five and began to play the pian o at the urging of her musical mother. When her older siblings began playing the drums, Suzy followed suit and continued this musical course through high school. As a teenager, she added the guitar to her repertoire and bought her first 12-string with the money she earned from baby-sitting. Though she sang in musicals and other school groups, it never occurred to her that her future was on stage. EDUCATION: Graduated from Illinois State University in 1980 with a Bachelor's degree in Art with a concentration in metalsmithery. FIRST PAID PERFORMANCE: During the downtime from her college studies, she began to fraternize at the local coffeehouses on campus, and soon landed a job singing at The Galery. Her first paycheck was $7. It didn't take long, however, for Suzy to secure out of town gigs and she began to earn up to $325 per week playing and singing. POST GRADUATE: For the next five years, she toured the country in a camper truck. She enjoyed the busker's life of pulling into town and offering a tavern owner a deal he couldn't refuse. She would play for donations at the main square and advertise his place at the same time with posters she would create, if she could play his place that night. Wherever there was an acoustic music scene ... Chicago, Minneapolis, Greenwich Village, Cambridge ... Bogguss was there. THE MOVE TO NASHVILLE: With dreams of making a record, she moved to Nashville in 1985. She paid the bills by singing demos by day and performing three nights a week at a local rib joint. FIRST RECORDING CONTRACT: Bogguss was "discovered" by talent scouts from Capitol Nashville while singing at Dollywood, Dolly Parton's theme park in East Tennessee's Smokey Mountains. A tape of her music that she sold at the park got into hands of a label executive and three weeks later she was signed. |
SONGWRITING: Suzy has collaborated with some of Nashville's most influential songwriters -- Chet Atkins, Steve Dorff, Matraca Berg, Pat Bunch ... however, it should come as no surprise that her favorite co-writer is husband, Doug Crider. In '93, the two penned her top-five single "Just Like the Weather." SPECIAL ALBUM PROJECTS: Suzy performed and produced the cut "Take It To the Limit" on the CMA Award winning Album of the Year, Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles and the swing tune "Old Fashioned Love" on Asleep At The Wheel's Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. Additionally, Suzy has performed on the Grammy nominated "All My Loving" on Come Together: America Salutes the Beatles, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" from Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly), a collaboration with Dave Edmunds and "Teach Your Children" for Red, Hot and Country, which also garnered a Grammy nomination. COMMERCIAL ENDORSEMENTS: Suzy's vocals can be heard on national radio commercials for Coca-Cola. PARTIAL LIST OF TELEVISION CREDITS: · Academy of Country Music Awards · Austin City Limits · Billboard Awards · CBS This Morning · CMA Awards · Country Music Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Celebration · Crook and Chase · Good Morning America · Grammy Awards · In Performance At the White House (PBS) · Live With Regis & Kathie Lee · Prime Time Country · Queens · The Road · The Tonight Show with Jay Leno · TNN/Music City News Awards (1993 co-host) · Weekend Today · Women of Country (CBS) · CMTs Face The Music · Chef Harry and Friends INTERNATIONAL APPEARANCES: England, Scotland, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Japan, The Phillippines, Mexico, Brazil COMMAND PERFORMANCES: President and Mrs. Bill Clinton. HOBBIES: Suzy designs much of her own stagewear and jewelry. She designed a leather apparel collection in '93, which was carried in Nordstrom department stores throughout the western U.S. PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITIES: As the official spokesperson for "Child Passenger Safety" in the State of Tennessee, Suzy promotes seat belt and safety seat awareness via television/radio PSAs and brochures. Suzy supports the Canine Assistant's program, which rescues and trains service dogs to assist children and adults who have physical disabilities. ] |