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Faith Hill first performed the National Anthem at a Mississippi tobacco-spitting contest. Years and many accomplishments later, as one of America's top country music recording artists, Faith sang the Anthem at Superbowl 2000 before a television audience of 100 million viewers. It has been a long ride for the talented Mississippi performer. Faith was born on September 21, 1967 in Jackson, Mississippi. She was given the name Audrey Faith by her adoptive parents, Ted and Edna Perry, who raised her from the age of one week. Growing up in the tiny town of Star, Mississippi, Faith discovered music at a young age. Her early musical influences were Elvis Presley, Tammy Wynette, George Strait and Reba McIntyre, as well as the gospel choir of her church. During high school, Faith excelled in cheerleading, drama and sports, but singing remained her first love. She joined a band while still in high school and performed at rodeos, county fairs and even the Raleigh, Mississippi Tobacco Spit. Faith attended Hinds Community College, but dropped out after one semester in order to pursue her dream of becoming a singer. She moved to Nashville for this purpose, but had difficulty getting a steady job, as many companies refused to hire aspiring singers. Finally, Faith landed a job as a receptionist for singer Gary Morris by pretending to be a college student. One day, while singing along with the radio, Faith's ruse was discovered. Rather than firing her, Morris was so impressed that he encouraged Faith to pursue her singing career. In 1988, at the age of 20, Faith married Daniel Hill, an employee at a music publishing company. During this period, she spent a lot of time frequenting Nashville clubs, and eventually she met songwriter Gary Burr. Burr hired Faith as his backup singer. Soon after, while singing at a local cafe, Faith was spotted by a record executive named Martha Sharp. In 1992, Faith was signed to Warner Brothers Records. In the following year, Faith's life began to change dramatically. On the personal front, she located and met her biological mother, and divorced her husband. Faith made her professional debut at the Grand Ole Opry and released her debut album 'Take Me as I Am.' Her first single, 'Wild One, ' hit number one and remained there for four weeks ^× the biggest debut single for a female artist in over thirty years. Just four months after her first hit song, Faith was named Best New Female Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music. In January 1995, Faith released her second album, 'It Matters to Me.' The album sold three million copies, and the title track became her fourth number one hit. Two months later, Faith began the 'Spontaneous Combustion' tour, which paired her with another up-and-coming country music star, Tim McGraw. During the tour Faith and Tim fell deeply in love, and in 1996 they were secretly married in Tim's hometown of Rayville, Louisiana. In 1997, Faith gave birth to Gracie Katherine McGraw. Faith's second daughter, Maggie Elizabeth, followed in 1998. Meanwhile, the songstress's self-titled album, 'Faith, ' sold four million copies worldwide. The album featured her hit single 'This Kiss, ' which topped the charts for three straight weeks and became her first crossover success, hitting number five on the pop charts. The album also featured 'Let Me Go, ' for which Faith received a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Female Country Vocal. The following year, Faith undertook her first cross-country headlining tour. The tour gave Faith the opportunity to promote The Faith Hill Family Literacy Project. Inspired by her father's lifelong struggle with illiteracy, Faith had established this organization in 1996. During the tour, fans donated over 25,000 books, which were distributed to local schools, libraries and hospitals. In 1999, Faith Hill released her fourth album, 'Breathe.'
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