by David Ball

Created on: February 24, 2010

Almost anyone who listens to music knows the name Taylor Swift.  This young twenty year old has placed a huge mark across the music industry since her debut album in the fall of 2006.  She has remained strong and dedicated through the years and produces sold out shows across the nation.  The story began twenty years ago in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania when Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989 to Scott (stock broker) and Andrea (homemaker).  Taylor also has a younger brother, Austin.

Swift’s writing began with an award winning three-page poem written for a national poetry contest in the fourth grade.   She later learned her first three guitar chords from a computer repairman and used them to write her first song, ‘Lucky You’.  Ms. Swift used songwriting as an outlet to deal with negative reactions from her peers.  She counts Shania Twain as her greatest influence, but also draws on the music of LeAnn Rimes, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, and her grandmother, a professional opera singer.  Casual observance of one of Taylor Swift’s live performances instantly shows comparisons with Tina Turner’s stage presence.

When Taylor turned eleven, she began making trips to Nashville with the intention of obtaining a record deal.  She had produced a demo tape of karaoke performances and hand delivered a copy to every label in town.  Unfortunately, Swift was rejected by each company.  On a positive note, this gave Taylor a chance to mature both lyrically and musically.  She began to write more songs and picked up the 12-string guitar.  Swift began making regular visits to Nashville to hone her craft with local songwriters.  The constant trips led her family to eventually relocate in 2003 to the suburbs of Nashville.

In 2004, Swift was offered a developmental record deal with RCA Records.  Believing she could immediately produce, Taylor declined the deal and continued to write and perform in the Nashville area.  During a performance at Nashville’s The Bluebird Café, Scott Borchetta of the newly formed Big Machine Records liked the music and eventually signed Taylor to the label.  She began compiling the songs that would eventually end up on her first album.  Swift wanted the record to be emotional and connect with people, so she wrote or co-wrote every song on the album.

“Taylor Swift”, the self-titled album, debuted at

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