This Saturday, the annual Mountainfest
takes place at Fort Drum, with a free concert by Jo Dee Messina. So
what better time to spotlight the fiesty redhead?
Jo Dee (born 8/25/70), was
born and raised in Massachusetts, in the town of Holliston. Not exactly
a country music mecca. Even though most girls were listening to Pat
Benatar and Cyndi Lauper when Jo Dee was in high school, she was into
the Judds, Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire. She sang in a band with her
siblings, starting when she was 16, playing the local club circuit.
The band dissolved when she was in her late teens, but Jo Dee didn’t
want to give up singing. She made the big move to Nashville at the age
of 19, knowing no one in the city and having no clue as to how she’d
achieve her dream of becoming a famous country singer.
Like most aspiring stars, she
worked a lot of temp jobs to pay the rent. She also entered as many
talent contests as she could find. This led to her being discovered
by producer Byron Gallimore, who was working with Tim McGraw at the
time, and he helped her put a demo tape together. He and Jo Dee struck
up a friendship, and she wound up getting signed to Curb Records, the
same label as McGraw. Tim and Byron would go on to produce Jo Dee’s
first three CDs.
Her debut album, “Heads Carolina,
Tails California,” produced a #2 smash with the title track, then
a #7 hit, “You’re Not in Kansas Anymore.” However, two follow-up
singles missed the Top 40. Jo Dee rebounded with release of her excellent
sophomore album, “I’m Alright.” The title track (written by Phil
Vassar) became her first chart-topper. Another Vassar composition, “Bye
Bye” did the same. The ballad “Stand Beside Me” made it a trifecta
for Messina. She channeled another famous redhead, Dottie West, with
a remake of “Lesson in Leavin’.” This album would go on to achieve
double platinum status.
“That’s the Way,” the
first single from her “Burn” album, spent a month at #1, longer
than any of her other songs. The title track famously featured a North
Country landmark, Boldt Castle, in the video. Another single, “Bring
on the Rain” featured harmony vocals from Tim McGraw.
In 1999, Jo Dee won the CMA
Horizon Award, given to a newer act who demonstrates significant artistic
growth. Although Jo Dee has been nominated for a Grammy and some ACMs,
this is the only major award she’s won.
Jo Dee scored another chart-topper
in 2005 with the sassy “My Give a Damn’s Busted.” It was from
her album “Delicious Surprise,” which was supposed to be released
in 2003, but got delayed for two whole years. A Greatest Hits CD was
released in the interim. Since then, with the exception of "Busted,"
Jo Dee's hit string has been broken, with a lot of uncharacteristically
weak singles such as and "Biker Chick" and "I'm Done."
While JDM has recorded a good deal of new material, it's unclear when
the project will be released, or why she's having so many problems with
her record company. Some of her unreleased music, such as "Heaven
Was Needing a Hero," a tribute to fallen members of the U.S. military,
is available on iTunes.
While her professional life
has been somewhat frustrating lately, Jo Dee's personal life has been
much happier. In 2007, she married businessman Chris Deffenbaugh. They
had a son, Noah, in January of this year.
Having seen Jo Dee Messina's
recent show at Turning Stone Casino, I can almost guarantee that she
and her band will rock the combat boots off of Fort Drum this weekend.
The 6PM show is free and open to the public. Here's to hoping that her
hanging-in-the-balance CD (tentatively called "Unmistakable")
will be released this year. She has a lot of eager fans who have not
forgotten her!
www.jodeemessina.com
www.myspace.com/jodeemessina
twitter.com/jodeemessina
www.cmt.com/artists/az/messina_jo_dee/artist.jhtml
Take it Easy,
Cricket
Listen to The Morning Splash,
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