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	1994–present
Labels	RCA Curb Dreambound

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

Jo Dee Messina was the first female country artist to have three number-one songs from the same album that stayed at the top for multiple weeks. Her albums have sold millions of copies, with two becoming platinum and three becoming gold-certified in the U.S. She released her first song, "Heads Carolina, Tails California," in 1996. Her second album, I'm Alright, had five songs that made it into the top 10 between 1998 and 1999. Overall, she has sold more than 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. She grew up with her sisters, Terese and Marianne, and her brother, Vincent.

From a young age, Jo Dee loved music. She was inspired by famous country artists like Patsy Cline, Reba McEntire, and The Judds. By the time she was 16, she was already 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.

Moving to Nashville

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.

One contest win led to her performing regularly on a radio show called Live at Libby's. This caught the attention of a music producer named Byron Gallimore. He helped her create a demo tape, which is like a sample of her music.

She was signed by RCA Records, but unfortunately, she was later dropped from the label after some big changes in management.

Getting a Record Deal

Around the same time, Byron Gallimore was also working with the singer Tim McGraw. Jo Dee became good friends with Tim. One day, backstage at one of his concerts, Tim McGraw met an executive from his record label, Curb Records. Tim jokingly suggested they needed a singer with red hair, referring to Jo Dee.

With help from another Curb producer, James Stroud, Jo Dee Messina soon signed with Curb Records. Byron Gallimore and Tim McGraw later became co-producers for Jo Dee's albums with Curb.

Music Career Highlights

Early Success in Country Music (1996–1997)

Jo Dee Messina released her first album, Jo Dee Messina, in 1996. This album had two songs that became top-10 hits. The first was "Heads Carolina, Tails California," which reached number two on the country charts. Her next song, "You're Not in Kansas Anymore," was also very popular.

However, two other songs from the album, "Do You Wanna Make Something of It" and "He'd Never Seen Julie Cry," were not as big of hits. After her first album's success, Jo Dee performed 215 shows in 1996. Her debut album sold over 500,000 copies and was certified gold.

Jo Dee faced some financial difficulties due to bad business choices. She almost went bankrupt and nearly lost her home and car. She spent almost a year writing new songs to help get herself back on track. She later said that the success of her songs "Bye, Bye" and "I'm Alright" gave her a "second chance."

Breakthrough Hits (1998−2006)

In 1998, Jo Dee Messina released her second album, I'm Alright. This album was a huge success, with three songs reaching number one on the Billboard Country Chart: "Bye, Bye", "I'm Alright", and "Stand Beside Me". All three songs also appeared on the main Billboard chart.

The fourth song from the album, "Lesson in Leavin", was a cover of a 1980 hit by Dottie West. It reached number two and stayed there for seven weeks. In 1999, she had another top-10 hit from the album called "Because You Love Me".

In 2000, Jo Dee Messina received the Country Music Association's Horizon Award, which is given to new country music artists. She also won the Billboard "Most Played Female at Country Radio" award and three major awards from the Boston Music Awards in her home state.

I'm Alright became her best-selling album, selling over two million copies in the U.S. She released her third album, Burn, in 2000. 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 and was her highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 25. She then 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", a duet with Tim McGraw. This song 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.

A new album was planned for 2003, but instead, a Greatest Hits album was released due to delays. This album included most of Jo Dee's hits from 1996 to 2003, plus four new songs. Two of these new songs were released as singles: "Was That My Life" and "I Wish". The Greatest Hits album was also certified gold.

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 be certified gold. The first song from the album, "My care's Busted", reached number one on the Billboard Country Chart. This was her 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 "Delicious Surprise (I Believe It)", "Not Going Down," and "It's Too Late To Worry." These were minor hits between 2005 and 2006.

New Music and Independent Work (2007–Present)

Messina in 2013

In July 2007, Jo Dee Messina released a new song called "Biker Chick" from her fifth album, Unmistakable. The album was supposed to come out in November 2007, but it was put on hold, and the song was removed from 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 the song did.

In early 2009, she released Shine, but her record label decided not to release it at the last minute. In January 2010, Jo Dee released the song "That's God," which she had started performing in late 2009. She was inspired to write the song after having her first child and seeing beautiful mountains in Jasper, Alberta, Canada.

She later announced that the Unmistakable album would be released as three separate shorter albums, called extended plays (EPs). The first, Unmistakable: Love, came out on April 27, 2010. Two more EPs, Drive and Inspiration, were released on November 9, 2010.

In 2011, Jo Dee Messina partnered with WD-40 to promote their cleaning products. In 2012, she appeared on the TV show The Real Housewives of Atlanta, where she worked with cast member Kandi Burruss to write a country song. In December 2012, her 17-year contract with Curb Records ended.

Starting Her Own Label (2013–Present)

In May 2013, Jo Dee Messina started a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for her next album. The first song from this album, "Peace Sign," was released on August 23, 2013, by her new label, Dreambound Records. The full album, Me, came out on March 18, 2014, with 12 new songs. She went on the Me Tour in October 2014 to support the album.

Since 2015, Jo Dee has been performing new songs she wrote herself, like "Will You Love Me" and "Masquerade." She has been focusing on writing new music, especially songs about faith, to share positive messages.

In April 2018, Jo Dee appeared on Huckabee to perform 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, she released her own version of Cory Asbury's popular song "Reckless Love" to country and Christian radio.

In the summer of 2023, Jo Dee Messina released another song called "Just To Be Loved." She wrote this song based on her own experiences and inspiration from her teenage son's friends. She explained that the song's message is: "don’t change who you are just to be loved because God made you perfect. He made you priceless and He already loves you with a perfect love.”

Jo Dee continues to write many new songs, preparing for future projects to share with her fans. She has expressed how grateful she is for her career, family, and the support of her fans. In 2025, Jo Dee Messina became even more popular on social media, sharing funny and inspiring videos. This increased online presence has led to more fans attending her live shows.

Personal Life

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

In 2004, Jo Dee was engaged to her road manager, Don Muzquiz, but they later broke off the engagement. They continued to work together professionally. On June 22, 2007, Jo Dee announced her engagement to businessman Chris Deffenbaugh from New Mexico. They got married in Nashville in late 2007. They welcomed their first son in January 2009, and another son in January 2012.

On September 6, 2017, Jo Dee Messina's team announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer. All her tour dates after October 7, 2017, were postponed so she could receive treatment. She started touring again in March 2018 and continues to add new tour dates to her website regularly.

Discography

Studio albums

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

EPs & Other albums

• 2002: A Joyful Noise
• 2003: Greatest Hits
• 2010: Unmistakable: Love
• 2010: Unmistakable: Drive
• 2010: Unmistakable: Inspiration

Singles

• 2016: Noel
• 2018: Bigger Than This
• 2018: Reckless Love
• 2023: Just to Be Loved

Awards and Honors

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are big awards given out every year for music. Jo Dee Messina has been nominated twice.

Other Awards

Besides her Grammy nominations, Jo Dee Messina has also won an Academy of Country Music Award, a Billboard Magazine Award, three Boston Music Awards, and a Country Music Association Award.