CMT.com : Lauren Lucas : Biography

A native of Columbia, S.C., Lauren Lucas worked in theater and community service while pursuing her career in country music. At age 3, she was cast in her first theater production and has remained active in live performance ever since. She grew up

idolizing Judy Garland and enjoyed listening to Alabama, the Judds, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers on her grandparents' car radio.

In middle school and high school, Lucas took guitar lessons and piano lessons and commuted frequently to New York to audition for Broadway shows. She also sang in local talent competitions, which led to her debut on the Grand Ole Gospel Hour of the Grand Ole Opry at age 11. A year later, she founded Kids ACT (Kids Accepting Challenges Today), an outreach organization to encourage youth to get involved in their communities. Her efforts won her the Prudential Spirit of Community Award.

During her teen years, she was in a band called Young Country, then another called Farther South. They played bars and festivals with her father working as a soundman. Lucas' mother accompanied her on trips to Nashville, hoping to understand the business and make contacts. Around this time, an old demo made its way to Sony ATV/Tree music. They offered her a production and songwriting deal, which led to a production deal with RCA Records.

While recording for RCA, Lucas appeared in the Houston production of Phillip Oesterman's Take This Show and Shove It. Oesterman later asked her to write for his Broadway adaptation of Urban Cowboy. She collaborated with Danny Arena and Sara Light on "Take You For A Ride," which was nominated for a Tony Award as part of the best score for a new musical. It was her first commercial cut as a songwriter.

RCA did not release Lucas' album and she enrolled in Belmont University's School of Music. She went to writers' nights, played clubs and learned about the business. She became reacquainted with Biff Watson, who had played on her RCA demos. They worked for a year on new material and landed a record deal on Warner Bros. in 2003. Lucas will release her debut album, The Carolina Kind, in 2005.