Amy Grant Singer-Songwriter
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Honoree
Amy Grant’s career spans more than 40 years and stretches from her roots in gospel into becoming an iconic pop star, songwriter, television personality, and philanthropist. With three multi-platinum albums, six platinum albums and four gold albums, her total career album sales have exceeded 30 million and over 1 billion global streams. Grant’s chart success has been consistent throughout her career with six No. 1 hits, 10 Top 40 pop singles, 17 Top 40 Adult Contemporary tracks, and multiple Contemporary Christian chart-toppers.
In addition to her six Grammy Awards®, Grant has earned 26 Dove Awards (including four Artist of the Year Awards) and has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as the Music City Walk of Fame and the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. Conventional wisdom has it that Grant put Contemporary Christian Music on the map, becoming the first Contemporary Christian artist to have a platinum record, the first to hit No. 1 on the Pop charts and the first to perform at the Grammy Awards®. With that, her legacy as one of the most influential artists of the past four decades is assured.
Grant’s philanthropic work dates to the beginning of her career having come from a long line of philanthropists in her family. Her work with St. Jude Children’s Hospital, The Red Cross, Compassion International, Second Harvest Food Bank, MusiCares, The Nashville Symphony, and Nashville Rescue Mission to name a few, has been a passion for decades. Grant says, “My heroes are people that help other people” and she has devoted her life to live that example. Over the course of the last decade, through her Helping Hands Foundation, Grant has opened her farm to various organizations including Barefoot Republic, Citygate Network, Music Therapy For Veterans, and several others as an oasis for hope and healing. In February 2020, The T.J. Martell Foundation, the music industry’s leading nonprofit to fund innovative medical research focused on treatments and cures for cancer, honored Grant with the Tony Martell Outstanding Entertainment Achievement Award at their 2020 Honors Gala. Grant lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband Vince Gill and their large extended family.
Recent Kennedy Center history: Amy Grant co-hosted a benefit concert in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on June 8, 2009 to launch the nationwide Challenge America initiative, honoring and supporting America’s injured veterans, which was co-founded by co-host Vince Gill.
Amy Grant conquered Christian music. That was just her first act.
“Grant will become the first contemporary Christian music star to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. The award caps a traumatic year for the beloved singer.”