Sweethearts of the Rodeo

Sister duo the Sweethearts of the Rodeo scored a series of Top Ten country hits during the late '80s with a blend of contemporary country-rock and traditional bluegrass. Janis (born November 28, 1959) and Kristine Oliver (born March 1, 1957) grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Manhattan Beach and started singing harmony together while still in elementary school. As teenagers, they performed together in garage bands and, later, acoustic bluegrass groups and also played by themselves in coffeehouses as the Oliver Sisters. In addition to bluegrass, they also took a strong liking to country-rock groups like Poco and the Byrds and eventually renamed themselves the Sweethearts of the Rodeo after the latter group's classic country-rock album. Their music took a similar turn, and after high school they performed at clubs and festivals around Southern California. Emmylou Harris took a liking to them, and soon the Sweethearts were opening for prominent country acts and occasionally singing backup session vocals; after a while on the scene, they found husbands in Pure Prairie League lead singer Vince Gill (Janis) and Blue Steel guitarist Leonard Arnold (Kristine). In 1983, the Gills moved to Nashville for the sake of Vince's budding solo career, and the Arnolds followed suit several months later. While supporting their husbands and raising their families, Gill and Arnold started singing again, and in 1985 they won a high-profile talent competition that resulted in a deal with Columbia. Their self-titled debut album was released the following year, and their first single, "Hey Doll Baby," just missed making the country Top 20. The follow-up, "Since I Found You," turned out to be the first of seven consecutive Top Ten hits as well as the first songwriting success for Foster &...