A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Jolie long harbored dreams of becoming a country music star, even while playing in a rock 'n' roll band in high school. "I tried to put the music down after I got married and had my first baby," she recalls. "Then my wonderful husband came to me and said, 'You are an incredible wife and mother, but I think you'd be a happier wife and mother if you were singing.' He started taking me to Nashville on a monthly basis and we recorded a few songs. We did the only thing we knew how to do, which was to put a little package together.

Jolie addressed one of those packages to Jim Catino. Shortly thereafter, Catino left the label he'd been working for and moved to DreamWorks Records at the request of Nashville division head James Stroud. Catino arranged a meeting between Jolie and Stroud, and she was signed to a deal with DreamWorks in 1999.

That having been achieved, Jolie set out to realize her next goal -- finding the perfect band to collaborate with. Before long, producer Dan Huff (Faith Hill, Lonestar) introduced her to a guitarist he'd been working with named Phil Symonds. Phil, in turn, called on college buddies Jonathan Trebing (also a guitarist) and Steve King (a keyboardist). Steve had toured in various bands with bassist Ethan Pilzer and drummer Andy Hull. The three had clicked on the road, becoming best friends in the process. Plus, Ethan and Andy had both been members of the Nashville rock band The EvinRudes. With the addition of Jonathan and Phil on guitar, Jolie & The Wanted was born.

"It was a wonderful thing," Jolie says of the band's formation. "Phil just said, 'Well, I've got the guys.' What's neat about this group is, in a kind of ironic way, I'm the newest member. They'd all played together previously or always wanted to play together. They all had admiration for each other, and this was the ideal opportunity to turn that into something real."

Adds Phil, who is also trained in jazz and classical music: "The band has elements of so many musical styles, which is really cool. Everybody's not just listening to country; everybody's not just listening to rock. Everybody has their own influences, and they all come out in the mix." Ethan agrees that it's the distinct musical identities of the players that define Jolie & The Wanted. "It wouldn't be this band if it wasn't this band," he insists.

"This is the best situation for me personally," Phil continues. "Everyone chips in and lets the creativity flow. The job is cake." And while Jolie & The Wanted marvel at how quickly and effortlessly its members became a unit, not everything has come so easily for Jolie herself.

As an extremely shy kid, she would only sing for one person -- her mother -- and only from behind her bedroom door. One day a friend of her mother's begged Jolie to perform. The 10-year-old obliged, retiring to her bedroom and singing "Through The Eyes of Love (Theme from Ice Castles)."

"When I opened the door, they were both crying," she remembers. "It was then that I thought, Ooh, man -- this is a powerful thing. If I can make people cry, then maybe I can make people laugh and be excited and be entertained. At that moment, I came out of my shell." The youngster proceeded to enroll in talent shows, placing her first time out with Dolly Parton's "Two Doors Down," now a staple of Jolie & The Wanted's live set.

"This is so corny, but I used to pray for a brother," Jolie confides. "Now I've got five! Phil, Jonathan, Ethan, Steve and Andy are the brothers I never had but always wanted -- which is why we named the band Jolie & The Wanted. I can tell you this: We've been out on the road a lot lately, and I would be one lonely gal without these guys. God works in wonderful ways. All of us getting together like this has been just perfect. Now we're ready to rock the country!"