Jo Dee Messina Biography

Jo Dee Messina is an award winning country music singer. She has had several number one hits and two platinum albums. She’s known for her fiery personality, strong life-affirming music including fun, kiss-off songs.
Jo Dee Marie Messina was born August 25, 1970, in Holliston, Massachusettes. The curious wide-eyed girl knew from early on that she wanted to be a country singer. From a young age, her mother, Mary, would drive her to gigs just to give her the chance to perform in front of people.

At age 16 Jo Dee formed her own band. She took charge, handling publicity, marketing and song selection. In her high school year book she wrote that she aspired to have a single out on country radio someday.

She took the first move in that direction at age 19, when she packed up all she could and drove to Nashville with little money and no contacts in the music business. The feisty redhead was determined to make her dream come true.

Soon after arriving in Nashville, she met then-struggling singer Tim McGraw. The two became close friends.

Jo Dee’s solid work ethic helped her make it through the first couple years, which were a struggle. She entered and won talent contests around town and took up odd jobs to make ends meet, including a stint as a bartender. She managed to get a regular gig on the local Nashville radio show “Live at Libby’s” where she caught the attention of producer Byron Gallimore. With his help, Jo Dee started making inroads into the Nashville music community.

All looked up when she was signed with RCA, but was subsequently dropped from the label after a management shakeup. Meanwhile, her friend Tim McGraw was having modest success on country radio and she watched as his stardom began to take off.

As McGraw’s backstage guest during Fan Fair in the early 90s, Messina approached an executive from McGraw’s record label and joked they needed a redhead on their roster. Her boldness caught the attention of Curb Records and not too long after she was signed to a recording contract.

Jo Dee worked tirelessly on selecting songs for her debut. Sorting through more than 1,000 songs, Messina and her label believed they found ten solid singles.

Jo Dee exploded onto the country music scene in 1996 with her debut single “Heads Carolina, Tails California”. The song made it all the way to number two on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart. The album, co-produced by Tim McGraw and Byron Gallimore, had modest success after its release. It eventually went gold. The second single “You’re Not In Kansas Anymore” broke the top ten.

But after her impressive debut, Messina soon became a memory to radio. The following singles “You Wanna Make Something Of It” and “He’d Never Seen Julie Cry” didn’t fare so well. The album, like the singles, began sputtering out. And before she knew it, Messina’s tour dates began drying up and money started getting tight.

If one word could describe Jo Dee during this time it would be persistence. With bankruptcy looming over her head, she was determined to finish the follow up to her first album.

That persistence paid off when “Bye Bye” was released to radio in late 1997. The song was the first track from her sophomore effort “I’m Alright”. The song soared to the number one spot on the Billboard and Radio and Records charts in early 1998. “I’m Alright” was a top ten album. Jo Dee was back on track.

History was made when her next two singles also hit number one: “I’m Alright” and “Stand Beside Me”. Jo Dee became the first woman in country music history to have three consecutive multi-week number one songs from one album.

The singer’s blazing path continued to heat up in 1999 when she was named Billboard’s most played female country artist. She also won the prestigious CMA Horizon Award and won the award for Top New Female Artist from the Academy of Country Music. Her single “Lesson In Leavin’” was a monster hit, spending nearly two months at number two on Billboard’s country chart, unable to unseat Lonestar’s mega-hit “Amazed”, but she sure gave them a run for their money. “Lesson In Leavin’” became the number three country song of 1999 on the Billboard charts. She also toured with country superstar George Strait.

Messina ended out 1999 by releasing “Because You Love Me”, a ballad showcasing her softer side. “I’m Alright” was certified double platinum and was a top five album. “Because You Love Me” became a top ten hit.

Jo Dee was also chosen to be opening act for the Judds Reunion tour in 2000.

As Jo Dee entered 2000, she offered her fans “That’s The Way”, the lead single from her latest album “Burn”. “That’s The Way” spent four weeks at number one on Billboard and in August “Burn” was released debuting at number one and went platinum. The title cut climbed to number two on Billboard and crossed over to the adult contemporary chart. Jo Dee also became engaged to her tour manager Don Muzquiz.

The third single off “Burn” was “Downtime”, which also cracked the top ten. With steady album sales, Jo Dee released another ballad, “Bring On The Rain” in 2002, a duet with long-time friend Tim McGraw. The song soared to number one and became the second crossover song to make it on the pop charts.

Jo Dee embarked on her first headlining tour with the group Rascal Flatts as the opening act, sponsored by Jerzees and Slimfast. She also made appearances on Nash Bridges and Touched By An Angel.

“Dare To Dream” was the last single released from “Burn” and was featured on the movie soundtrack for “Driven”. The single didn’t do so well, barely cracking the top 30. It was a sign of things to come.

But before 2002 ended, Messina released a Christmas album “A Joyful Noise”.

The rollercoaster of highs and lows at the start of Jo Dee’s early career took a nose dive. Jo Dee continued working with Tim McGraw and Byron Gallimore on her fourth studio album. The single “Was That My Life” was released to radio. The single struggled to climb the charts. When Messina and her co-producers turned in what was to be her next album, Curb Records, opted to release a greatest hits package instead. They replaced McGraw and Gallimore with other producers and had Jo Dee continue working to put together songs to include on a new studio album to be released at a later date.

“Greatest Hits” was released in 2003 and debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. But the second single from the album, “I Wish”, barely cracked the top 25. 2003 ended with many of Messina’s fans wondering when a new album would be released. And they ended up having to wait all of 2004 as well.

In late 2004, Jo Dee disclosed to her fans that she had been battling issues related to drinking and had checked herself into rehab. With a humble heart, Jo Dee shared this personal struggle publicly, hoping she could help others with the same struggle. In the meantime, her engagement was also broken. The setback would not hold Jo Dee down. She attributes her will to keep going to her faith and family. And that’s exactly what she did, she kept going.

At the end of 2004 Jo Dee’s label released “My Give A Damn’s Busted”. The spunky, fiery redhead was back. The song was the first single from her long awaited album “Delicious Surprise”.

With a new red-hot single racing up the charts and cracking the top five, a brand new studio album and her strong personality, Jo Dee is blazing a new trail and the sky appears to be the limit.

Her new CD was released in stores April 26, 2005.

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JO DEE MESSINA BIOGRAPHY