Early Life

Evans was born in Boonesville, Missouri, on February 5, 1971. She was raised on a farm and is the eldest girl of seven children. She began singing at an early age and sang in her family's band when she was young. When she was eight years old, she was hit by a car, which resulted in multiple fractures in her legs and caused her to be in a wheelchair for some time. She was able to keep singing while she was getting better, which helped to help pay for her medical bills. When she was a teenager, she began singing at a nightclub in Missouri for a couple of years.

When she was 20, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a country music singing career. She met a musician named Craig Schelske two years later and moved to Oregon. She moved back to Nashville in 1997 and began to record demos. A famous songwriter, Harlan Howard, was impressed with her work, and he was able to help her sign a deal with RCA Nashville.

Career

She released her first album with RCA in 1997 and released her second album the following year. Both albums were critically acclaimed, although none of their singles made it into the Top 40. She released her third album in 2000 and finally managed to break into the top charts. She also received her first CMA from that album. She went on to release four more albums with RCA. In 2015 she split from this contract and signed a contract with Concord Music Group to join Sugar Hill Records. Due to some issues with Sugar Hill Records, Sara decided to launch her own record company titled Born To Fly Records. She released her latest album in 2017 under this independent label.

Sara Evans rose to prominence in the country music industry after relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1991 to pursue a singing career. When she was eleven years old, she recorded a song called "What Does a Nice Girl Do in the Meantime," and a tune called "I'm Going to Be the Only Female Fiddle Player in Charlie Daniel's Band" for a label called "What Does a Nice Girl Do in the Meantime." The song went almost unnoticed. She resorted to serving tables at the Holiday Inn on Briley Parkway due to a lack of cash to meet someone influential in the music industry. Craig Schelske, a fellow musician from Oregon, attempted to join his band.

Sara Evans toured with Craig's band across the Pacific Northwest for three years after deciding to relocate to Oregon in 1991. She had re-established her residency in Nashville by 1995. She started recording demos right away. Harlan Howard, a Nashville songwriter, was so taken with her voice that he included it in his 1964 hit song "Tiger by the Tail." Sara obtained a recording contract with RCA Records thanks to Howard's assistance.

In the fall of 1997, RCA released her debut album, "Three Chords and the Truth." On the Billboard Hot Country Songs list, "True Lies," "The Title," and "Shame About That" all failed to make the top 40. The album's neo-traditional country approach, on the other hand, was favorably received. 'No Place That Far,' her second album, was released in 1998. The album's first song, "Cryin' Game," failed to rank in the top 40, but her second single, the title track, scored her first number one hit on the Hot Country Songs Chart in March 1999. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) earned gold certification (the Recording Industry Association).

Sara Evans released her third studio album, "Born to Fly," on October 10, 2000. The album's title tune, which was also issued as the album's lead single, is one of the most popular songs on the Hot Country Songs chart. On the CD, there were more singles. Three of them managed to crack the top twenty. It achieved a 2 Platinum rating from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2004. At the 2001 CMA Awards, "Born to Fly" was named "Video of the Year." Sara became the most nominated performer at the Country Music Association Awards with seven nominations.

"Restless," her fourth studio album, was released on August 19, 2003. The album's debut single, "Backseat of a Greyhound Bus," reached number 20 on the Hot Country Songs chart. 'Perfect,' a two-time Hot Country Songs candidate, finished in the top ten. The third song, 'Suds in the Bucket,' was the show's star. It was her third number-one hit of the year on the country music charts. The contract also included her first RIAA Gold-certified song. Despite a Top 40 impact, "Restless" was nominated for a 2005 Academy of Country Music Award.

Sara Evans' fifth studio album, "Real Fine Place," was released on October 4, 2005. The album's lead single, 'A Real Fine Place to Start,' debuted at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart and reached No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and it went on to become her best-selling album. In 2006, she earned the Top Female Vocalist Award at the 41st Annual Academy of Country Music Awards for her outstanding efforts in fusing contemporary sounds with classic country instrumentation and themes in the song "Real Fine Place."

Personal Life

Her personal life has been somewhat tumultuous due to her divorce from Craig Schelske in 2007. She married him in 1993, and she has three children. She announced her divorce from Craig in 2006 after she also announced her departure from Dancing With the Stars. She has stated that she left Dancing With The Stars to focus on her family matters. The reasons cited for the divorce were "inappropriate marital conduct," "irreconcilable differences," and "adultery." She also managed to get a temporary restraining order against him that prohibited him from harassing her or abusing her in any way and interfering in her parenting or taking the children to Oregon.

She has claimed that Craig was unemployed for a long time while they were married and became an alcoholic. She also claimed that he cheated on her by having an affair with their children's nanny. The nanny in question did not confirm this, so there is no evidence for this claim. Evans has also claimed that he kept up to a hundred photos of himself nude on his computer and that he has pictures of himself engaging in sex acts with other women. There were also reports that he often watches pornography on the family computer. Along with these claims, she has also accused him of verbal abuse.