Lila McCann

Lila McCann emerged alongside LeAnn Rimes as another young female country artist, first appearing onstage at age four when she joined her father’s country band to sing “You Are My Sunshine.” Although Reba McEntire and the Judds shaped her primary tastes, she also absorbed music from No Doubt and Boyz II Men; several years after that childhood debut she began a steady performing schedule, juggling schoolwork in small-town Washington with regular appearances at nearby Eagle’s Lodges and bars. While still a freshman at Steilacoom High School, her newly acquired manager Kasey Walker handed her a demo of “Down Came a Blackbird.” Elektra Records president and longtime industry veteran Seymour Stein was so taken with the track that he placed McCann on the Elektra/Asylum roster. Teaming with producer Mark Spiro—who had also penned “Down Came a Blackbird”—she issued her debut album Lila in June 1997. Despite the striking maturity of the record, it never reached the Top 40 on the album charts, though it earned gold certification. Something in the Air arrived in 1999, and Complete followed in spring 2001.