Lee Ann Womack

That something different was a more traditional sound that many country music fans were hungry for. Womack has been described as a songbird in the mold of Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn and early Dolly Parton. At the same time, her get-down vocals have been compared to contemporary artists like Reba McEntire. Whatever the draw, Womack’s debut single caused listeners to barrage radio stations with calls.

But even with all the excitement, there were some stations that hesitated to add her first single because it sounded too traditional. “We did have 12 stations that never would play ‘Never Again, Again’ because it was too country. It stopped at 22 on the charts,” Womack said. But those radio programmers didn’t put Womack’s record on the back shelf altogether. “I think they listened to the whole record and heard that we had some stuff coming after it that maybe wasn’t as country so they knew what to expect from me after that one [single].” Currently, her second single, “The Fool,” is climbing up the charts. And Womack estimates there could be as many as five or six singles off the album.

The 30-year-old singer got started on the road to country music stardom as a youngster growing up in East Texas. “I started listening to country music as a little bitty thing,” she said. “My daddy was in country radio and he had a big record collection at the house. And I watched the ‘Glen Campbell Show’ on TV and ‘Hee Haw,’ so I was exposed to it at two and three years old.”

Music Row and began plotting her move to the country music mecca. Though she aspired to make her big move the day she graduated, her parents wanted her to at least try college. So Womack found a country music program at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. After a year there, the 18-year-old headed for Nashville. There, she enrolled in Belmont University’s music business program and interned at MCA Records for a year.

During her time at Belmont, Womack got married, became a mother and took a couple of years off. But it wasn’t too long before she began singing demos for other songwriters and doing showcases around town. At one of those showcases, she caught the attention of Tree Publishing. Songwriter/producer Don Cook took a listen to Womack’s demo and signed her to Tree in 1995. About six months later, the folks at Tree helped Womack put together the showcase that landed her a record deal with MCA Nashville’s Decca label.

The enthusiasm over Womack’s debut effort started with absolute support from her record company. MCA Nashville Chairman Bruce Hinton was so taken by the album, he sent a personal letter to industry insiders asking them to give it a listen. The modest rising star that she is, Womack said she doesn’t know why Hinton has taken such an interest in her music, “but it’s been wonderful to have that support from him.”

Perhaps the impact of Womack’s newfound success wasn’t apparent to her until she experienced Fan Fair this year. Dozens of fans reportedly swarmed the golf cart delivering her to an autograph booth and once there, she faced a huge crowd that had been waiting for more than two hours. “It was wonderful. I had a lot of people come to the booth, which surprised me,” she said. “I was really proud to be a part of the MCA/Decca show and it was the biggest crowd I had played for up to that point.”

Womack’s received another big compliment recently when she was nominated for this year’s CMA Horizon Award. She said she would be surprised to win the award, considering the competition, but she’ll be at the ceremony in September just in case. “To win a CMA award is special because it’s voted on by your peers and for them to give you that nod, even for the nomination, was wonderful,” she said.

Maybe the only thing that can compare to that is the recognition of one fan in particular — Loretta Lynn. Not only has Lynn offered some sound musical advice, she’s offered Womack a couple of songs she’s working on. Lynn’s support is “just literally too good to be true,” Womack said. “That’s the kind of stuff I never expected. You think you might sell records, you think you might have hits, but you don’t ever think about that kind of stuff. So for her to come out publicly and endorse me like that, it’s a big boost. It makes me feel like maybe I’m doing something right.”

Though Womack doesn’t have a lot of touring experience thus far, she’s enjoys her road trips and can’t say enough about the talented people she’s working with. “My band leader just came from Merle Haggard’s band and I have people from Martina McBride’s band, Brooks & Dunn and Barbara Mandrell, so I have some really good musicians I’m very proud of,” she said. “I’ve had these guys come to work for me and I’ve committed to a year of touring. So for the next year, we’ll be hitting it hard.”