The EPs display all the range, versatility and exuberance that have long made Jo Dee a fan favorite and have brought her so much success both on record and on stage. What’s more, it is a project for which she had complete artist,ic freedom. Unmistakable is the next chapter in a career that has brought the Massachusetts-born singer to the heights of the genre she has loved since she was a little girl. She has sold over five million albums, had nine #1 singles, earned two Grammy nominations in addition to awards by the CMA and ACM.
The Unmistakable EPs follow on the heels of Delicious Surprise, another commercial success, but also a project Jo Dee found especially satisfying in terms of artist,ic achievement. The craft and artist,ry in the new songs represent one of country’s true talents at the top of her game. Jo Dee’s contributions as co-producer and her one-of-a-kind voice insure that the music, for all its varied takes on love, has a real unity. Jo Dee brings world-class pipes, an unbreakable spirit and a unique musical and personal style all to bear on the project.
This year, she has taken all of her experiences, her enthusiasm and most importantly, her songs, on a unique cross-country Music Room Series Tour. Modeled after the music room in her home, where she sings, writes and rehearses, the tour includes a simple stage with piano and a couple of backing musicians. Each show is distinctive in that Jo Dee plays songs new and old, takes requests, answers questions and gives fans a new insight to the stories behind the hits.
That irrepressible spirit of country music has been in Jo Dee’s DNA since her childhood in Holliston, Massachusetts. She was first attracted to country in the music of Alabama and Hank Jr. as well as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire. She appeared in local plays and musicals as a girl, and by 16 she had a band that included her sister on bass and her brother on drums. She performed in clubs throughout the Northeast, booking shows and hauling gear, with a work ethic she inherited from her single-parent mother. At 19, she loaded a car and headed to Nashville, where she entered talent contests and got a regular gig on Nashville’s ‘Live at Libby’s’ radio show. Producer Byron Gallimore heard her and introduced her to another struggling newcomer named Tim McGraw. Jo Dee was signed, then dropped, by one major label before, at a backstage meeting at Fan fair, she met and charmed a Curb Records executive and got a record deal on the spot. With Gallimore and McGraw producing, Jo Dee gained attention out of the box with ‘Heads Carolina, Tails California’ and ‘You’re Not In Kansas Anymore.’ Her follow-up album, I’m Alright, exploded with its back-to-back-to-back chart-toppers ‘Bye Bye’ (ASCAP’s Song of the Year), ‘I’m Alright’ and ‘Stand Beside Me’ made her a star. Jo Dee won the ACM’s Top New Female Vocalist award, the CMA Horizon award and the nod for Most Played Country Female of 1999 from Billboard. The Burn album entered the Country Albums chart at #1, went platinum and earned two Grammy nominations. Hits like ‘Lesson in Leavin’,’ ‘Because You Love Me,’ ‘Downtime,’ ‘Bring On The Rain,’ ‘That’s The Way’ and ‘My Give A Damn’s Busted’ would cement her reputation as one of country’s most loved and enduring hit-makers. Along the way, Jo Dee earned a well-deserved reputation as an electric live performer, becoming one of the first women of country to mount a major headlining tour.
Jo Dee’s drive is evident in her personal life as well. A dedicated runner, she has completed two marathons and still trains. ‘On the road, I’ll get up and run, and since my steel player is training with me we run together,’ she says. ‘Then I go to the gym and lift weights, have lunch, do the sound check and then my meet and greet, do the show and get to bed as early as I can. No staying up late partying!’
For Jo Dee, it’s now about balance and living life to the fullest. That sense of exploration has always gone into her art, and it infuses the Unmistakable trilogy..
