became a household name in 1982 with her mega-hit single "NOBODY". The song went to No.1 on the country charts and into the Top 13 on the pop charts. "NOBODY" was the only country single of 1982 to cross over into pop territory, and landed being named the Academy of Country Music's Female Vocalist of the Year in 1982, and a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Vocalist" in 1983. "Nobody", however, was not 's first hit song by far. Her earlier hits include "You Don't Miss a Thing", "Tumbleweed", "Drifter", "The Matador", and "Heart on The Mend". She followed "Nobody" with "Like Nothing Ever Happened", "The Wayward Wind" with James Galway, "Snapshot", and "I Never Quite Got Back (From Loving You)."

moved to Nashville in 1976 after graduating from high school in her hometown of Kokomo, Indiana. With a burning desire to become a recording artist like her idol Patsy Cline, packed her bags and a demo tape and headed for Music City where she ultimately landed a job as a secretary for producer/publisher Tom Collins, who was producer to Barbara Mandrell. Jerry Bradley, head of RCA Records eventually signed to a recording contract and history was made.

After her recording contract with RCA ended, was able to concentrate on writing the kind of music that she felt most expressed herself as an artist. The result was a new record label owned and managed exclusively by herself, "Red Pony Records", named after a favorite toy she owned as a child. The album project was titled "The Real Story", which produced with musician John Mock. co-wrote about half the songs on the album along with Craig Bickhardt, Verlon Thompson, Lee Satterfield, and others, some of whom perform with her on occasion at Nashville's famed "Bluebird Café". 's current album project on the Red Pony label is her holiday themed CD Titled "A Cradle In Bethlehem", and can be ordered from CD Baby.com via the link provided below.