Jo Dee Messina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jo Dee Messina
Messina performing in Tampa, Florida, on March 19, 2016
Background information
Birth name	Jo Dee Marie Messina
Born	(1970-08-25) August 25, 1970 (age 54) Framingham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Origin	Holliston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres	Country
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, trumpet
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Curb, Dreambound

Jo Dee Marie Messina (born August 25, 1970) is an American country music singer. She has had six songs reach number one on the Billboard country music charts. Jo Dee has been honored by the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. She was also nominated for two Grammy Awards.

She was the first female country artist to have three songs from the same album stay at number one for multiple weeks. So far, she has two albums that have sold over a million copies (platinum) and three albums that have sold over 500,000 copies (gold), as certified by the RIAA.

Messina started her career in 1996 with the song "Heads Carolina, Tails California." Her first album quickly became a gold record. Her second album, I'm Alright, had five songs that reached the top 10 on the country charts between 1998 and 1999. This album sold more than a million copies in America. Since her first album, six of her songs have hit number one on the Billboard country singles chart. She has sold over 5 million records around the world.

Early Life and Music Dreams

Jo Dee Marie Messina was born on August 25, 1970, in Framingham, Massachusetts. Her parents, Vincent and Mary Messina, raised her in Holliston, Massachusetts, along with her sisters, Terese and Marianne, and her brother, Vincent. From a young age, Jo Dee loved music. She was inspired by many country artists like Patsy Cline, Reba McEntire, and The Judds.

By the time she was 16, Jo Dee was singing in local clubs. Her brother played drums and her sister played guitar as her backup band. They continued performing together until Jo Dee finished high school.

Jo Dee knew that to become a country music star, she needed to be in Nashville, Tennessee. So, at age 19, she moved there. She worked different temporary jobs, like computer programming and accounting, while also entering talent contests in Nashville.

One contest win led her to a regular spot on a radio show called Live at Libby's. This show caught the attention of a music producer named Byron Gallimore. He helped her create a demo tape, which is a recording to show off her singing. Gallimore was also working with a young singer named Tim McGraw at the time, and Jo Dee became friends with him.

One day, backstage at a Tim McGraw concert, he jokingly told an executive from his record label, Curb Records, that they needed a singer with red hair. With help from another Curb producer, James Stroud, Jo Dee was soon signed to the record label! Later, Gallimore and McGraw even helped produce Jo Dee's albums for Curb Records.

Rising to Country Stardom

First Steps to Success (1996-1997)

Jo Dee Messina released her first album, called Jo Dee Messina, in 1996. This album had two songs that became big hits. The first song, "Heads Carolina, Tails California", reached number two on the country charts. Her next song, "You're Not in Kansas Anymore", was also very popular.

After her first big successes, Jo Dee performed in 215 shows in 1996. She quickly became one of the most popular new female singers of the 1990s. Her first album sold over 500,000 copies, earning it a gold certification.

After this success, Jo Dee faced some tough times with her money. She almost lost her home and her car due to some business problems. She spent almost a year writing new songs for an album that she hoped would help her get back on track. She later said that the success of her songs "Bye, Bye" and "I'm Alright" gave her a "second chance."

Big Hits and Awards (1998-2006)

In 1998, Jo Dee released her second album, I'm Alright. This album was a huge success! It had three number-one hit songs on the Billboard Country Chart: "Bye, Bye", "I'm Alright", and "Stand Beside Me". These songs also appeared on the main Billboard chart.

Her fourth song from the album, "Lesson in Leavin", was a cover of an old hit by Dottie West. It reached number two on the charts for seven weeks. In 1999, she had another top-10 hit from the album called "Because You Love Me".

In 2000, Jo Dee Messina won the Horizon Award from the Country Music Association. This award is given to new country music artists who are making a big impact. She also won "Most Played Female at Country Radio" from Billboard magazine. Plus, she won three big awards from the Boston Music Awards in her home state of Massachusetts.

I'm Alright became her best-selling album ever, selling over two million copies in the U.S. In 2000, she released her third album, Burn. This album had a more country pop sound. The first song from the album, "That's the Way", reached number one on the Billboard Country Chart. It also became her highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 25. After that, she had two more top-10 hits with "Burn" and "Downtime".

In 2001, Jo Dee had another number-one hit from the album with "Bring On the Rain". This was a duet with Tim McGraw. It also became a top-10 hit on the Adult Contemporary Chart. Besides her own concerts, she also toured with famous artists like Vince Gill, George Strait, and The Judds.

In 2002, Jo Dee released her first holiday album, A Joyful Noise. The main song from the album reached number 16 on the adult contemporary chart in 2003. The album featured new versions of classic holiday songs.

Jo Dee had planned a new album for 2003, but instead, a Greatest Hits album was released. This album included most of her hits from 1996 to 2003. It also had four new songs, and two of them were released as singles. The first new song, "Was That My Life", reached the top 25. The second, "I Wish", became a top-15 hit. This album also earned a gold certification.

In 2005, Jo Dee released Delicious Surprise, her first country music album since 2000. It reached number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 9 on the overall Billboard 200 chart. It sold over 500,000 copies and became her fourth album to earn a gold certification. The first song from the album, "My care's Busted", reached number one on the Billboard Country Chart. This was Jo Dee's first number-one song since "Bring On the Rain" in 2002, and her last number one hit of her career. The next three songs from the album were minor hits between 2005 and 2006.

New Music and Projects (2007-Present)

Messina in 2013

In July 2007, Jo Dee Messina released a new song called "Biker Chick" from her fifth album, Unmistakable. However, the album's release was delayed, and the song stopped being played on country radio.

On March 22, 2008, she released her second song from Unmistakable, called "I'm Done". This song reached number 34 on the Billboard Country Chart. Jo Dee, who helped write the song, said that the album's release depended on how well this song did.

In early 2009, she planned to release an album called Shine, but her record label decided not to release it at the last minute. The album was delayed again.

In January 2010, Jo Dee released the song "That's God". She started performing this song in late 2009 during her Music Room Series tour. She said, "My heart is exploding with excitement. This song is truly what I want to say. I believe in it and its message." Jo Dee was inspired to write the song after having her first child in January 2009. She was on a trip to Jasper, Alberta in Canada with her son, where she saw beautiful mountains and glacier lakes.

Later, she announced that the album Unmistakable would be released as three smaller albums, called extended plays (EPs). The first, Unmistakable: Love, came out on April 27, 2010. The other two, Drive and Inspiration, were released on November 9, 2010.

In 2011, Jo Dee Messina started working with WD-40 to promote their cleaning products. She had a campaign called "Unmistakably Clean." You could even download some of her songs for free if you bought certain cleaning products.

In 2012, Jo Dee was on the TV show The Real Housewives of Atlanta. On the show, she worked with cast member Kandi Burruss to write a country song. In December 2012, Jo Dee finished her 17-year contract with Curb Records.

New Beginnings (2013-Present)

In May 2013, Jo Dee Messina started a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for her next album. This allowed her fans to help fund her music directly. The first song from this new project, "Peace Sign", was released on August 23, 2013, by her new label, Dreambound Records.

Her full album, Me, came out on March 18, 2014. It had 12 new songs. She released "A Woman's Rant" and "He's Messed Up" as the next two songs from the album. In October 2014, Jo Dee went on the Me Tour to support her new music.

Since 2015, Jo Dee has been performing new songs she wrote herself, like "Will You Love Me" and "Masquerade." She thought these might be part of a new EP called Masquerade. However, she has changed her musical direction and is now writing new songs that are mostly faith-based. She wants to share God's word through her music.

In April 2018, Jo Dee appeared on the Huckabee show on Trinity Broadcasting Network. She performed her new song, "Bigger Than This", which she wrote with producer Seth Mosley. This song got attention from both country and Christian music fans. To follow up, Jo Dee released her own version of Cory Asbury's popular song "Reckless Love" to country and Christian radio stations.

Personal Life

Jo Dee Messina became involved with the Special Olympics after seeing an event while jogging. She is now an ambassador for the Special Olympics and performs at their events to help more people attend.

In 2004, Jo Dee was engaged to her road manager, Don Muzquiz, but they later broke off the engagement. They remained business partners. On June 22, 2007, Jo Dee announced her engagement to Chris Deffenbaugh, a businessman from New Mexico. They got married in Nashville later that year.

Their first son was born in January 2009, and their second son was born in January 2012.

In September 2017, Jo Dee Messina's team shared that she had been diagnosed with cancer. All her tour dates after October 7 were postponed so she could get treatment. She started touring again in March 2018 and has continued to add new tour dates. She successfully recovered from cancer and resumed touring in 2022.

Music Albums and Songs

Jo Dee Messina has released several studio albums, EPs, and singles throughout her career.

Studio albums

• 1996: Jo Dee Messina
• 1998: I'm Alright
• 2000: Burn
• 2005: Delicious Surprise
• 2014: Me

EPs & Other albums

• 2002: A Joyful Noise (Holiday Album)
• 2003: Greatest Hits
• 2010: Unmistakable: Love
• 2010: Unmistakable: Drive
• 2010: Unmistakable: Inspiration

Singles

• 2016: Noel
• 2018: Bigger Than This
• 2018: Reckless Love

Awards and Recognitions

Jo Dee Messina has been recognized for her music with several awards and nominations.

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are very important music awards given out each year. Jo Dee Messina has been nominated twice:

Other Awards

Besides her Grammy nominations, Jo Dee Messina has won awards from the Academy of Country Music, Billboard Magazine, and the Country Music Association. She also won three awards from the Boston Music Awards.