Faith Hill was just a young singer with big dreams when she released her debut album in October of 1993 — but that would quickly change, as the album catapulted her to stardom.
Hill had a slow road to success in Nashville. She left her hometown of Star, Miss., at 19 and moved to Nashville, where she worked for country singer Gary Morris as a receptionist. Hill also sold T-shirts for Reba McEntire during her early years in Music City, but she had to bide her time for six years until she finally landed a recording contract of her own.
Hill signed with Warner Bros. Nashville in 1993, and she began working with top Nashville producers Scott Hendricks, Michael Clute and Gary Burr on her debut album, which she titled Take Me As I Am. Hill drew on some of the top songwriters in Nashville for the 10 tracks, including Bob DiPiero, Karen Staley, Burr, Troy Seals and Trey Bruce, and she also co-wrote two songs: “I’ve Got This Friend,” which she recorded as a duet with Larry Stewart, and “Go the Distance.”
Released on Oct. 12, 1993, Take Me as I Am was an immediate success, with the album’s first single, “Wild One,” spending four weeks at No. 1. Hill’s next single, a cover of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart,” also reached No. 1. The fourth single and title song from Hill’s debut album, “Take Me as I Am,” reached No. 2, and the album went on to sell three million copies, launching Hill as one of the most prominent female country singers of her generation.
PICTURES: See Inside Tim McGraw + Faith Hill’s Spectacular Beverly Hills Mansion
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill sure know how to live the good life. In addition to their multiple lavish residences in the Nashville area, the superstar couple owned a spectacular mansion in a posh area of California that’s like something out of a movie. Their 11,000-square-foot, 6-bedroom, 9-bathroom residence in the high-dollar area of Beverly Park South in Beverly Hills sold for $9.5 million in 2009.
Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
See Inside Tim McGraw + Faith Hill’s Historic Southern Manor Home
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill sold their historic Southern manor home outside of Nashville for $15 million.
Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
See Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Best Pictures Together Through the Years
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill married on Oct. 6, 1996, just months after getting engaged at Country Jam in Grand Junction, Colo. Here are some of their best pictures together, through the years.
Sterling Whitaker is a Senior Writer and Senior Editor for Taste of Country. He focuses on celebrity real estate, as well as coverage of Yellowstone and related shows like 1883 and 1923. He’s interviewed cast members including Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Sam Elliott and Harrison Ford, and Whitaker is also known for his in-depth interviews with country legends including Don Henley, Rodney Crowell, Trace Adkins, Ronnie Milsap, Ricky Skaggs and more.