| Jamie O'Neal Facts |
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Name: |
Jamie O'Neal |
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Birth date: |
June 3, 1968 |
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Birth place: |
Sydney, Australia |
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Hair color: |
blonde |
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Eye color: |
blue |
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Spouse: |
songwriter Rodney Good. Rodney, who sings harmony on Jamie's debut, Shiver, proposed to Jamie during the making of the album, and the two were married August 26, 2000, in Florida. |
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Globe-trotting: |
Aside from her native Australia, Jamie has lived in Hawaii, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. She now resides in Nashville. |
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Favorite vacation spot: |
Colorado -- "The mountains are gorgeous, and I absolutely love the winter. Give me a Colorado blizzard over a Caribbean vacation any day." |
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Favorite ice cream flavor: |
chocolate -- "If I went to Baskin-Robbins right now, I'd order Chocolate Fudge and Jamocha Almond Fudge ... and swirl them together." |
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Least-favorite food: |
sushi |
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Favorite singers: |
Ronnie milsap, Dolly Parton and Tina Turner. |
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Her musical family: |
As a girl, Jamie traveled with her father, mother, sister and a four-piece band throughout the United States in a motor home. They performed as the Murphy Family at state fairs, hotels and conventions. |
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First performance: |
"Once Dad learned that Samantha and I could carry a tune, suddenly we were onstage. I was eight and Sam was six. She and I sang 'You And Me Against The World' looking at the floor." |
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Early inspiration: |
"We opened for a lot of country stars at fairs. The one I loved the most was Dolly Parton. She was so sweet to us kids. And she loved hanging out with her band. I was just so impressed with her as a person, as well as a musician." |
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Beverly Hills 90210: |
When she lived in Love Angeles as a teenager, Jamie attended Beverly Hills High School. "It was awful," she says of the experience. "I had never been around real kids before, and you know how clique-y they can be. I was studying musical comedy and drama. David Schwimmer and Jonathan Silverman were in my class. But I would be gone so much on the road, so I was never part of any crowd. I felt out of place; and I barely scraped by on my tests. Then I'd go out on the road again. I finally just dropped out of high school. I wanted to come back to Nashville and pursue singing on my own." |
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Name change: |
When the time came for Jamie to make her own mark in music, her mother suggested that she change her last name to O'Neal to differentiate herself from The Murphy Family. |
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Early gig: |
Australian pop sensation Kylie Minogue hired Jamie as a backup vocalist, and Jamie toured internationally with the singer for two years. |
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Did you know?: |
Jamie first made her name in Nashville as a songwriter. She co-wrote LeAnn Rimes' "Surrender" and Tammy Cochran's "So What," among others. |
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Label: |
Mercury |
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Why country music: |
"I love the faithfulness of the country fans. I love the fairs. And I especially love how the audience relates to your songs. What you are saying means much more to them than it does to pop fans." |
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Awards: |
2001 ACM Award for Top New Female Vocalist |
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Gold Albums: |
Shiver
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Number One Songs: |
"There Is No Arizona", "When I Think About Angels."
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