Teenage Country Stars of the Late 90s and Early 2000s: Where Are They Now?

While I worked in country radio (1998-2001) there seemed to be an influx of several young country singers hitting the airwaves. After some research it seems they all are still making music and are staying involved with the arts, however many of these young fresh faces, now all in their late teens to early twenties are out of the mainstream spotlight. Here is a look at some young country artists who are still kickin: LeAnn Rimes, Jessica Andrews, Lila McCann, Billy Gilman, The Wilkinsons and the Clark Family Experience. (And- which one of these artists let me play with their instrument?!)

LeAnn Rimes
Best Known For: "Blue," "Unchained Melody," and "How Do I Live"
When it comes to teenage country singers who skyrocketed to success and then maintained a successful career, none other than LeAnn Rimes comes to mind. LeAnn Rimes appeared on Star Search when she was eight-years-old and a few years later, she was signed to Curb Records. She recorded "Blue" at age 11, but by the time the world heard it, she was 13.

She's certainly come a long way since the big hair and sequins and matured into a talented, fashionable young woman. LeAnn was a consistent radio star and touring artist through the 90s and early 2000s, releasing several albums and having many singles top the country charts and cross over into pop hits. She's sold 37 million albums and has won Grammy awards, over a dozen Billboard awards and countless CMA and ACM awards. She provided "Can't Fight the Moonlight" for the Coyote Ugly soundtrack, where she also played herself.

In 2002 LeAnn Rimes married her former back-up dancer, Dean Sheremet. She fought with, then reconciled with her father. After a hiatus from the spotlight, in the past few years she's made a comeback. She's hosted Nashville Star, continued to write and record albums, as well as had time to churn out a children's book. Her latest album, Family was released this year.