Country diva Mindy McCready has won millions of fans with her sun-kissed South Florida looks and powerful, yet angelic voice. Malinda Gayle McCready grew up in Ft. Myers, Fla., where she spent time hiking through the Florida Everglades with her grandfather and playing quarterback for a coed Little League football team. She graduated from high school at 16, took a part-time job with an ambulance company and began focusing on her music. At 18 she moved to Nashville, where she met producer/songwriter Norro Wilson and producer David Malloy. With their help, she recorded a demo tape that caught the attention of BNA Records. McCready signed with BNA to release her 1996 debut, Ten Thousand Angels. The CD was embraced by critics and country music fans alike; in a matter of months it went gold, and later, platinum. In 1997 McCready released her follow-up, If I Don't Stay the Night, another critical and commercial success for the 20-something singer.
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