Featured Artist: Leigh Nash
Leigh Nash was born Leigh Anne Bingham in Texas. She started singing country music and learning old country songs on the guitar at the age of 12. From there she sang in local cafes and performed regularly at a Texan country and western dance hall. But it was during a church retreat that her musical career started. In the early 90's Leigh met Matt Slocum at this church retreat which led the two of them to form the band Sixpence None The Richer.
The band's name was a line taken from the C.S. Lewis book Mere Christianity. Their first album 'The Fatherless & The Widow' was released when Leigh was only 16. After this release the band searched for new members. Leigh & Matt got Tess Wiley, Dale Baker and JJ. Plascencio to join the newly rearranged band and then went on to record the second album which they called This Beautiful Mess, which won a Dove Award for Best Album. After a US tour of the album Tess Wiley quit the band, but it wasn't all doom and gloom as around the corner bigger things were to come.
It was in 1999 that the band released their most well known single Kiss Me. It was picked up to be used in the film 'She's All That' and brought the band into the mainstream spotlight. What followed was a cover of Liverpool based band The La's 'There She Goes' and a third single 'I Can't Catch You'.
After problems with their record labels, Sixpence None The Richer came back in 2001 with the album Divine Discontent. Two singles from that album, 'Breathe Your Name' and 'Don't Dream It's Over' went into the charts however, Sixpence None The Richer announced their break-up on 26th February 2004, when Slocum sent a letter to CCM Magazine.
After the band split, Leigh and her husband left for LA. While there Nash penned a batch of songs that would eventually comprise her first solo record, Blue On Blue which was released in August 2006. During this time Nash recorded a song 'Mirrors and Smoke' with the band Jars Of Clay for their album Good Monsters.
In late 2007, Nash and Slocum met over coffee and positively discussed the reuniting of Sixpence None the Richer. They worked on a new recording My Dear Machine EP and the Christmas album The Dawn Of Grace.
Now in 2011 Leigh Nash will release her newly recorded solo album 'Hymns And Sacred Songs'. The album features new versions of some of Leigh's favourite old hymns including 'Blessed Redeemer', 'Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing' and 'Praise The Lord Who Reigns Above'.
