Biography

 

Born on April 24, 1979, in Salyersville, Kentucky, Rebecca Lynn Howard grew up around gospel soul in the church her family attended, Pentecostal church. As a toddler she started singing and went on singing at church and in school, she even directed the church choir. Rebecca notes, "I was really wrapped up in music all the time.” At age six, she heard her 1^st Reba McEntire song and started teaching herself to play piano. She comments on writing her first song at age seven, "It was truly fascinating to me how you could take chords and make up your own song. I didn't understand the concept fully, but I knew how to make everything relate somewhat. I was like an old soul in this little girl's body. I never thought those songs were any good, but it was the most natural thing for me to start writing. It was just like breathing. I never really thought it was odd for a seven-year-old to be writing love songs. But now looking back on it, I guess that was a little strange!"

 

Rebecca picked up the guitar at age ten, in 1989, and also made her first visit to Nashville after convincing her mother. Traveling with family they stayed at the Opryland Hotel. "I could have sucked my face in! I’d never seen anything that big. I said, ‘You could fit a hundred Wal-Marts in this place!’ I couldn’t believe that there was a building that was that big. My mind was too limited, because in a small town, buildings are just small. Really small. You could fit my whole city in there." Rebecca recalls about her reaction to the size of the hotel. An Opryland Hotel bellman suggested they visit a popular club and restaurant, Stockyard. There she preformed a few songs accompanied by the house guitarist, Curtis Green. On future visits to Nashville she sat in with the band band in the Stockyard's Bullpen Lounge. Once thirteen she joined the Kentucky Opry as a Junior Pro. With the Kentucky Opry Rebecca preformed, popular country hits by Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton and Patty Loveless, for three years. Looking back Rebecca says, "It gave me a lot of stage experience. I learned so much being in that group. I got really comfortable onstage and really comfortable in front of an audience." Rebecca added playing the fiddle to her instrumental capability’s when she was fourteen and later opened for artists like Martina McBride, John Michael Montgomery, Ricky Van Shelton and Sammy Kershaw.

 

It took only three songs on a demo that was recorded in Nashville when sixteen years old for Rebecca to get her first record deal on Rising Tide Records at age eighteen. Although the label closed down, in 1998, before she could release an album, she recorded and acoustic version of "Softly and Tenderly" that was on the Grammy-winning soundtrack for “The Apostle”. Rebecca was then signed to Decca Records, but they too closed down before she released an album. Finally Rebecca released an album in 2000 after signing with Decca Records sister label on MCA Nashville. In response to all the label mayhem Rebecca jokes about her third record deal, "I told my parents, 'If I can shut down a label as big as MCA Nashville, then I'm moving back to Salyersville.'" and adds her motto "I live by the motto that everything happens for a reason. I never try to question anything because I know there's a much bigger plan. Now looking back on it, I realize that I wasn't ready. There were times when I got discouraged, but my family was great and my husband's family was very supportive." Rebecca now comments, "I'm real proud of that. I didn't just come out of high school and land a record deal. I'm a songwriter and I've been working in this business since I was 10 years old. I've worked really hard over the past decade." Rebecca left MCA Nashville.

 

Living in Nashville when seventeen, Rebecca improved her already amazing songwriting talent by collaborating with others like Kim Williams, Jerry Salley, Carl Jackson, and Larry Cordle. “They helped me grasp what songwriting was really all about. I don't think you could have better teachers than that. I had the rough skills, but they helped me polish up what I did. They taught me that songwriting truly is an art form -- and a lot of hard work” says Rebecca. Other artists cutting her songs, including Jessica Andrews, John Michael Montgomery, Lila McCann, and Trisha Yearwood, brought Rebecca to realize, "I didn't move to Nashville to be a songwriter, but now it's a big part of who I am. I can't imagine not being able to write songs because it's the best form of therapy you can get. I jokingly say that it's the cheapest shrink you'll ever have. There have been times when songwriting was the only thing that kept me sane." Yet Rebecca doesn’t set aside a specific time to write. "I get ideas at the most inappropriate times, like when I'm shaving my legs or in the bathtub. A couple of days ago I had a stomach virus that was causing me to vomit for about 12 hours. I got a song idea in the middle — as I was hanging over a trash can — so I asked my husband if he could get me a pen. He couldn't believe it.” shares Rebecca.

 

Rebecca comments about recoding in studio, "In the studio, I'm comfortable because I've done so much studio work. I'm a one to three-take girl. You aren't going to get much out of me past three takes. I think it's from the performer's side of me, giving it everything I've got that first time like it's a live show. You only have one time to give these people that song onstage, so that's kind of how I'm geared." She adds "When I first started, I had all these vocal techniques. Now I just concentrate on singing the song with conviction. Having experienced what I have in my life, I don't take anything for granted. I just want to pour my heart into my music."

 

Rebecca was then singed with Arista Nashville. RLG Chairman Joe Galante comments on Rebecca’s joining Arista Nashville, “She is a great singer and writer whose best years are about to begin. We’re thrilled she decided to become part of the RCA Label Group’s Arista Nashville roster.” Rebecca reciprocates with, “I’m very excited, and feel extremely blessed to have this opportunity to work with Joe Galante and the entire Arista staff. They are a great team, and I look forward to recording a new album with lots of hits!” Have releasing two singles with Arista Nashville she was dropped and then signed with Show Dog Nashville in December of 2005.

 

"The most important thing is that I keep my priorities in order and remain true to myself. The rest will take care of itself." Rebecca remarks about succeeding in the world of Music. She goes on, and explains, "I've been through a lot in the past couple of years. But I've got a lot of discipline. My manager and I used to run 8, 10, and as much as 12 miles a day for about six to eight months. I'm sure that kind of physical challenge helped me develop the proper mental endurance to handle the various hardships that arise in this business."

 

Hair Color: Brown

 

Eye Color: Blue

 

Height: 5’2”

 

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

 

Favorite Vacation Spot: Vail, CO

 

Favorite Type of Food: Mexican

 

Favorite Book: "Left Behind" by Lahay & Jenkins

 

Favorite Television Show: "Frasier"

 

Favorite Movie: "Raising Arizona"

 

Favorite Movie Actress: Sandra Bullock

 

Favorite Comedian: Sinbad

 

Favorite Sports Team: Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Reds

 

Favorite Sport To Watch: University of Kentucky basketball

 

Biggest Pet Peeve: White walls. I love color.

 

Most Embarrassing Moment: At my first performance for my CD release, near my hometown, I was so excited and nervous that I went to the wrong microphone and my band member, Charlie Kelly, had to point me to the right one!

 

Hobbies: Collecting Disney items, reading and shopping.

 

Music Influences: Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire and Celine Dion

 

Greatest Accomplishment: Being brave enough to pursue my dream

 

Greatest Career Accomplishment: Co-writing most of the songs on my album

 

Greatest Career Moment: I have two special moments. First, getting a standing ovation at my Fan Fair debut in 1999; secondly, meeting and working with my two country idols, Vince Gill and Patty Loveless