Trisha Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is a three-time Grammy-winning Am… Read Full Bio ↴Trisha Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is a three-time Grammy-winning American country music singer. She cites Linda Ronstadt as her biggest influence, and Ronstadt's sound and vocal stylings are clearly apparent in Yearwood's music. Other influences include Emmylou Harris, Patsy Cline, and Elvis Presley.

Patricia Lynn Yearwood was born in Monticello, Georgia to Jack and Gwen Yearwood, and developed her musical talent in Nashville, Tennessee, where she interned as a receptionist for the local company MTM Records.

Garth Brooks and Yearwood first met in October 1987 recording demos for songwriter Kent Blazy. The two immediately hit it off as friends, and pledged whoever made it big first would help the other out. When Garth landed a major tour in 1991, he brought Trisha along to open all of his shows. Even when they became two of the biggest country stars of the 1990s, they remained close friends.

Yearwood's self-titled debut album was released in 1991, and the lead single, "She's in Love with the Boy," went to the top of the country charts, making her an instant star. Yearwood secured similar success with the 1992 release of "Hearts in Armor", which featured the hit singles “Wrong Side of Memphis,” and “Woman Walk the Line”.

The title track of 1993's "The Song Remembers When" went to number two, and she followed it with a Christmas album, "The Sweetest Gift", in 1994; that year, she also won her first Grammy award. In 1995, Yearwood released her fourth studio album, "Thinkin' About You". The lead single, "XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" peaked at #1 on the Billboard Country Chart, her first #1 since her debut single, followed by her third #1 single, "Thinkin' About You". Yearwood performed at the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

In 1997, Yearwood issued her first compilation, "(Songbook) A Collection of Hits", which became her first album to top the country charts and also reached the pop Top Five. She won a Best Female Country Vocal Performance Grammy for “How Do I Live”. Yearwood's two additional new singles from her Songbook album were major hits, "Perfect Love", which peaked at #1, and a duet with Brooks, "In Another's Eyes". Yearwood was also named "Top Female Vocalist" in 1997 by the Academy of Country Music and won the "Female Vocalist of the Year" award from the Country Music Association in 1997 and 1998.

In 1998, Yearwood won her third Grammy and released her next all-new album, "Where Your Road Leads". Yearwood was inducted into the famed and historic Grand Ole Opry in 1999, cementing her status as a true icon in country music. 2000's "Real Live Woman" was a more personal outing that reflected some of her heartbreak and turmoil caused by her divorce from her husband at the time. She released her eighth studio album in 2001, "Inside Out". The lead single, "I Would've Loved You Anyway" became a Top 5 Country hit, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Country Chart in 2001 and became her first Top 10 since 1999, and her last single to reach the Top 10 to date. Yearwood also played Lt. Cmdr. Teresa Coulter on the TV show JAG as a Navy coroner and forensic pathologist who aids JAG on several cases (seasons 3-7, 7 episodes).

After a three year hiatus from recording albums, Yearwood released her ninth studio album "Jasper County" in 2005. The album was a return to a more country sound than her last several studio recordings. The first single, "Georgia Rain," set the tone for the album, with Yearwood altering the lyrics to pay homage to her home, singing about "the Georgia rain on the Jasper County clay."

In late 2006, Yearwood announced she was parting ways with MCA Records. MCA then released a "Greatest Hits" CD on September 11, 2007. The album features two new songs, plus fifteen other tracks covering her career from 1991-2001. MCA also released "Love Songs" on January 15, 2008; an album made up of previously released tracks from her prior MCA albums. Yearwood's tenth album, "Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love", was released by independent Nashville label Big Machine Records in November 2007, and spawned 3 singles, with the title track peaking at #19 on the Billboard Country Chart.

Yearwood has won three Grammy Awards among several nominations. She has also won the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music awards for Best Female Performer (CMA: 1997, 1998; ACM: 1997).

She married her first husband, Christopher Latham, in 1987 but the two divorced in 1991. Trisha married Robert Reynolds, the bass player for The Mavericks, on May 21, 1994, and they divorced in 1999.

On May 25, 2005, Yearwood became engaged to fellow country superstar and longtime friend Garth Brooks in front of 7,000 fans. On December 10, 2005, they were married in a private ceremony at the couple's home in Owasso, Oklahoma. It was Brooks' second marriage and Yearwood's third. Brooks has three daughters from his first marriage--Taylor, August, and Allie.

Trisha hit the country charts in 2006 with a duet with her husband called "Love Will Always Win". It was the fifth duet the couple has recorded; the others were "In Another's Eyes," "Where Your Road Leads," "Wild as the Wind," and "Squeeze Me In."

Yearwood lives on a ranch in Owasso, Oklahoma with husband Brooks and his three daughters. When she's not touring, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and reading. In April 2008, she released a cookbook entitled "Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trisha_Yearwood

O Little Town Of Bethlahem
Trisha Yearwood Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

O little town of bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by

Yet in they dark streets shineth
The everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight

Oh holy child of bethlehem
Descend to us we pray
Cast out our sins and enter in
Be born to us today

O morning starts together
Proclaim thy holy birth
And praises sing to God the king
And peace to men on earth

O hear thy sacred angels
As faith holds wide the door

Then darkness wakes, the glory breaks
As christmas comes once more

Overall Meaning

These lyrics to Trisha Yearwood's version of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" evoke a peaceful, almost dreamlike image of this famous town in the Middle East. The opening lines depict Bethlehem as still and quiet, with the stars shining above as though keeping watch. However, this tranquil surface belies a deeper meaning: the town is also the home of the "everlasting light" - a symbol of hope - that shines even amid the darkness of its streets. This light represents the aching longing and fears that humanity has carried throughout the years, as well as the hope that these fears may be banished.

The following stanza shifts the focus to the Holy Child of Bethlehem, who is implored to "descend" and enter into the hearts and lives of those who sing these words. In essence, this plea asks the listener to welcome this child - who represents the transformative power of love and sacrifice - into their being, in order to purify and "cast out" sin. The final stanza brings together the themes of the song: the stars, the angels, and the hope brought forth by the child's birth. The invitation to hear the angels and open the door to faith allows the "glory" of Christmas to break through the darkness, offering the possibility of peace for all humanity.

Line by Line Meaning

O little town of bethlehem
Oh small town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie
How calm and quiet we see you lay

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
Over your deep and peaceful sleep

The silent stars go by
The quiet stars pass by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth
But in your dark streets shines

The everlasting light
The eternal light

The hopes and fears of all the years
The hopes and fears of all the years past and present

Are met in thee tonight
Are brought together in you tonight

Oh holy child of bethlehem
Oh sacred child of Bethlehem

Descend to us we pray
We ask that you come down to us

Cast out our sins and enter in
Remove our sins and come inside