Amy's Blog

Long Overdue Update

Where do I start in this long overdue entry.
For starters, I've got a couple of big fat blisters on my feet due to a poor shoe choice for my "Press Day" in New York.
Think I'll get all my pants hemmed for flip flops and just remove the temptation to wear heels completely.
Anyway, spent the day talking about the Kennedy Center kick off concert for Challenge America, and my partnership with Philosophy for cancer research through "She Colors My Day" and Create for a Cure, to anybody who would listen.
Saw old friends at the Today Show, Fox and Friends, and SiriusXM.
Highlight of the morning was running into Paula Dean.
Is it just me, or is everybody transported to their happy place when they hear that southern drawl calling out across the room?
She is so loveable , and in her honor I put extra butter on everything I ate today.

Now I'm going home to the last week of early morning-get-the-kids-up-for-school alarm settings.
HALLELUJAH!
Guess we could all use some sleep.

Back in the studio

Today is day 8 in the studio.
We're working on a song called "Better Not to Know" that Cindy Morgan and I wrote.
My Grandmother Grant died in the spring of 1988 when my first child was 5 months old.
We planted a field of fruit trees in her memory....little leafless sticks with promising root balls.
I lived on that farm another ten years... Had two more children there, and then life took a few unexpected turns.
When I left the farm I left behind the shade of those 75 trees that had grown into a thick canopy over our heads
They never had any fruit.
Evevtually, the farm was sold.
Then this past summer I got a phone call.
The current owner of the property had had the surviving fruit trees pruned, the farm next door had started keeping bees.
My grandmother's trees were loaded down with peaches and pears and apples.

When Cindy came to my house last fall, I had just made my first batch of pear preserves
We talked and ate and wrote this song:

We sowed our seeds
Watered with tears
Waiting for signs of growth
Took months of days
And then took years.
We took our steps
We took our falls
Somewhere along the way
We just got lost
And we lost it all.
Nothing ventured nothing gained
The risk of living is the pain
And what will be will be anyway

Oh, it's better not to know
The way it's gonna go
What will die and what will grow
It's better not to know

Those tiny stems became these trees
With dirt and storms
And sun and air to breathe
Like you and me
And some fell down
And some grew tall
And those surviving twenty winter thaws
Have the sweetest fruit of all
But innocence and planting day
Are both long gone
So much has changed
And if we got to do it all again ...

Oh it's better not to know...

Ice And Rain

Well, last night was a fabulous crowd in Albany, New York.
With the streets starting to ice over, we wondered if we would have to cancel tonight's show in Mass., but the bus and truck drivers took their time and got us here in one piece.
Got some shopping down yesterday...Hallelujah!
Sure am missing my kids.
After the show tomorrow night we plan to swing through Nashville on our way to Atlanta and spend a few hours at home.
Everything in life is a juggle.
Vince and I are glad for some concentrated together time.
These concerts make a great date night!
Wherever you are...be grateful.
Peace.

A Much Needed Day Off

To day we are in New Jersey. No show tonight.4:00am lobby call tomorrow morning (ughh!) to be on CBS This Morning...then Fox and Friends.

We got to the hotel about 1:45am this morning....after a 4 hour bus ride from Foxwoods....somewhere in Connecticut.

This road life is not for everyone, but it suits me just fine.

So on this much needed day off, I plan to do nothing but rest.

Four shows done.

Eleven to go.

All is well.

We are having so much fun with this all star band.

The band leader is John Hobbs, an dear friend of Vince's and mine.

He has been a much sought after studio musician since the mid 70's

Pat Coil is the other key board player in the band. We have done Christmas shows together since the early 90's.

For fun, just google any of these musicians to see their discography....you will be amazed.

The horn section is The Sapphire Blue Horns...made up of Mike Haynes, Barry Green, Mark Douthit,and Doug Moffat.

Vocals are Jenny Gill and Kim Keyes, and Billy Thomas...who also plays the drums.

The legendary Dave Hungate is playing bass.

Dean Parks is playing guitar....a musical hero to many of us on stage.

I hope everyone is getting rest.

We stayed up awfully late on the bus last night, playing Scrabble....and my favorite card game, Nertz.

Doesn't make a lot of sense to go to bed when you have to unload your bags in the middle of the night at the next hotel....so sometimes we just stay up.

It's a good way to get your days and nights completely backwards.

I continue to be grateful for the opportunity to bring some Christmas spirit to people across the country.

We do...and always will need each other.

Hope this day is peaceful at some point for each of you.

 

Anybody in the mood for some Christmas music?

We arrived at West Point this morning for our third Christmas concert. The tour bus sounded noisier than usual from my sleepy vantage point of the bunk.
As it turned out, the other band bus broke down about an hour outside of town, so they were loaded onto our bus while the rest of us were sleeping.
Last night we played to a great crowd in Augusta, Maine.
After the show, we made the short drive to the town of Freeport where the LL Bean store is open all night...just couldn't resist that unique shopping experience!
Merry Christmas.

The next chapter

All things come to an end...even when you don't want them to.
At 8:00 tonight I felt like I should be heading back on stage to revel in just one more night of the old songs, but instead I am preparing for tomorrow's second grade field trip to the zoo.
A great way to spend the morning of my 48th birthday if you ask me.
As we all head into the Thanksgiving weekend, I hope we take time to breathe deeply...to look our loved ones in the face and acknowledge our gratitude...and Then reach beyond our circle of familiarity to fill the plate of someone in need.
Sweet dreams.

Two Shows To Go....

Today is a sunny day in New Jersey.

Our tour bus rolled into town about 2:30 this morning and we all made our drowsy trek into the hotel for some good sleep.

I've spent the day doing interviews for Vince's and my upcoming Christmas tour.

These days on the road are so unique....nothing like home.

As energizing as this musical experience has been....as precious as reconnecting with all of these old friends continues to be....I'm sure missing my family.

Next week I'll be back to the regular routine of a 6:15 alarm...waking up next to Vince...involved in the daily happenings of the kids... planning Thanksgiving dinner...catching up with friends and family.

That all sounds fabulous to me right now.

But for now, I am looking forward to the last two shows of a tour that has been my favorite musical experience in a long long time.

Thank you to all of you who have made the effort to join me on this walk down memory lane.

Haven't we had fun!

Hello From Vegas

Last night MWS and I taped a holiday skating special here in Las Vegas.

And No, we were not the ones on the ice.

Tomorrow I fly to Houston to resume the Lead Me On reunion tour.

Today is a day of rest

Sure need it after this lst week.

Vince and I had our rehearsals for the xmas tour..

and on a totally different note, I hosted the first annual Amy Grant and Friends Yard Sale on the Lipscomb University campus in the shadow of the Burton Building,( named for my great grandparents).

The sale was a fundraiser for a good friend of mine's son who has CP.

What I enjoyed the most about the day was the amazing spirit of giving that permeated that lawn.

We raised a lot of money, thanks to all of the volunteers, and all of the "free and clear" donations of trash and treasures that people gave us to sell.

In particular, my husband finally parted with several of his golf bags....a tough choice for a pack rat.

Ralph Emery, the legendary broadcaster (in the Country Music Hall of Fame) brought by  several autographed books and a jacket....and Wynonna donated some gems from her closet.

Thank you Thank you to all who participated in the event.

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An old friend

Last night I saw a dear friend at the concert in ...where was I last night?
Obviously, I have not had my first cup of coffee.
I met this man in the summer of 1978.
I had just graduated from high school and was on a work trip with my mom to promote my first record.
When our flight landed in los Angeles, we were met by Cy Jackson.
Over the years we have stayed in touch. I don't believe one major event in my life has occurred, whether the birth of a child, a birthday, a wedding, a new work opportunity, without receiving a note in the mail from Cy.
"I'm praying for you" and "God bless you" always being part of the message.
Cy turned 94 at the end of August.
And he is still the witty, charming, encouraging man I have known since I was a kid. AND he's still dipping and swaying.
Now that's my kind of guy.