Amy Dalley

Amy Dalley was born in Kingsport, Tenn., and grew up in the shadows of the Appalachians near the Virginia state line. No one in her family was especially musical, except for her grandfather, a mysterious figure who died when her mother was 12. "He
used to tour carnivals," Dalley remembers. "There are pictures and home movies in the attic of all these girls going crazy as he sang. I guess whatever talent I've got must have come down from him."

Around the age of 12, she began to write songs and sing in talent shows, weddings and other functions. As she grew more comfortable with the stage, she also broke into acting in regional theater. After graduation, she enrolled at East Tennessee State University in nearby Johnson City but dropped out to join a show at Dollywood. There, she worked from three in the afternoon until nine at night with a 12-person revue. After a while she joined a local band that played in clubs from 9:30 p.m. until two each morning.

In 1994, she started driving into Nashville to sing at open mic nights and moved there shortly thereafter. She soon formed her own band, the Gypsy Hillbillies, and toured the country.

After four years, she concentrated on her songwriting and returned to Nashville to launch a solo career. She signed a publishing deal with songs landing on one of Martina McBride's albums and an episode of Dawson's Creek. Curb Records released two singles in 2003 as well as the single "Men Don't Change" in 2004.