Amy Grant's Lead Me On is now twenty years old, but it's not an out-of-date relic. In fact, the ambitious Christian rock collection has since become one of the genre's most celebrated projects, introducing the singer/songwriter to wider audiences on its subsequent arena tour. Fans of the album the first time around are no doubt experiencing déjà vu these days, starting with a twentieth anniversary re-release (featuring a remastered version of the original album, plus bonus tracks that include recordings from the 1989 tour), followed by a concert celebration that reunites Grant with many of original musicians from the classic album and tour. The month after that, Grant is teaming up with hubby Vince Gill for a Christmas tour in support of her newly released holiday best-of, The Christmas Collection (Sparrow).

Did you ever anticipate Lead Me On would have this lasting an impact twenty years down the road?

Amy Grant: Oh, no! I don't think I would've ever presumed to think that. I didn't work any harder on that record than any other. Life felt pretty magical at that time and was a little simpler then because I was just starting my family. [As you get older], life kind of gets layered up with every child and their commitments, so you have a little more head space for creativity [when you're just starting a family].

Why do you think the album has held up so well?

Grant: Sonically, aside from a little more echo than I would prefer, the songs were so honest from a production standpoint. I felt Brown [Bannister] was always trying to shy away from gimmicks or synthesized sounds, trying to capture very honest songs in the most organic and timeless way possible.

Looking back on the project, what over-arching message were you hoping to deliver?

Grant: Every album is just a collection of songs. I've never started a record saying, "What's the theme going to be?" It becomes what it is at the sum of its parts, and I felt those elements were honesty, imperfection, hope, and grit.

What are the songs you've received the most feedback on?

Grant: Well, I can tell you the songs I haven't gotten comments on and those are only two: "Sure Enough" and "If You Have To Go Away," both of which were just sort of funny and cheerful. But every other one has been talked about, like "Say Once More," with countless people telling me they've played it at their wedding. "Faithless Heart" has also brought in a lot of comments, and while I always favor a song speaking for itself, I chose to show some of the dark sides and honest sides of Christianity, which I think makes the good news better.

In 1988 you had already branched out to the mainstream by collaborating with Peter Cetera, but had yet to record the major crossover album Heart In Motion. What would you say the secular barometer was for Lead Me On?

Grant: I'm not really sure, though I think my credibility as a songwriter went up. I know one of most important relationships in work settings was with David Anderle—he was the head of A&R at A&M Records who had produced Judy Collins and was a real encouragement to Sting. He had been a creative backbone of the company for a long time, so when I walked in, I asked him, "What was your first experience with Christianity?" He said, "I'm Jewish and my first recollection of anything Christian was seeing anti- Semitism with a man-sized cross being burned in my front yard." There was something about making this record side-by-side with a man who'd seen the ugly side of Christian convictions and I was just affected by that. I had no agenda with him, but I loved his input and wanted him to be proud, which meant I didn't want any clichés. We still keep in touch to this day.

Do you feel like the remastering has brought new luster to this project?

Grant: I feel like we were able to rediscover the clarity of the original recording. I don't know what exactly happens to masters [over time], but they get dull sounding. They lose their sparkle and their definition. When I signed with EMI, part of their investment with me and my catalogue was to go back and blow dust off the old songs.

How did you come up with the bonus material for the double disc re-release?

Grant: EMI came to me with the idea and asked if I'd be willing do some bonus tracks, since it would benefit from something new on it. Well, I hadn't thought about them in years, but back in the summer of 1989, I paid to have two concerts recorded as multi-track recordings—I had never done anything with them. Back then, I was very aware of the musicianship of those I was touring with, all of whom were individually good and had such synergy together. I went to the label and said, "I don't even know if these old tapes are still playable, but have I got bonus for you!" We had to [take great care in transferring the audio], but then I got the call from the engineer who said they worked. Sure enough, I was transported back twenty years. It electrified something inside me and reignited a passion. It was like it turned back the clock spiritually, emotionally, and even physically like a jolt of lightening. This all happened as I was getting ready to go on spring break with my kids, but I was like a crazy woman trying to track down the band members without a tour in place!

What was it like calling them out of the blue to pitch the anniversary tour?

Grant: Well they all have jobs now, [many of them touring with other artists], but I simply asked if there was any chance they'd do a short tour with me in honor of this record. I started by calling [guitarist] Jerry McPherson, who's currently playing with Faith Hill, and he said, "I can't believe this because Faith is taking the fall off!" Then I called [guitarist] Chris Rodriguez, who's been touring with Keith Urban for years, and he said, "I cannot believe you're calling me because I was just talking about you and our days of touring together!" Then he told me Keith was taking the fall off because he and Nicole [Kidman] were having a baby, so he'd be available too.

Person after person kept signing on, except for [percussionist] Terry McMillan, who died and I had spoken at his funeral, and [vocalist] Donna McElroy, who teaches at Berklee [but will still appear on select dates]. Then my older kids' father [and ex-husband] Gary Chapman played bass and sang [on the original tour]—even though we get along really well, I felt like that was a little bit of a stretch for all of us. But we have Mike Brignardello, who was the original bassist on the record, which still helps to bring this all full circle.

Amy Grant (second from left) rehearsing vocals and harmonies with her band for the 20th anniversary tour of 'Lead Me On'.

That's incredible that nearly everyone was available. What was the chemistry like when you first started rehearsing together?

Grant: The reunion between all these musicians was just unbelievable. When we walked in on the first day, we said, "Let's not kill ourselves and just work on three songs a day," working from 10am to 5pm. But by 11am, we played the first three perfectly just like we had played them every night 20 years ago! So there was tons of laughing, with some tweaking with the background vocals. So far, everyone who's walked in says we sound just like the record!

Is there any footage of your original outing that could be a DVD someday? If not, will this tour be filmed?

Grant: We actually had a film crew [the first time], but it was on film, not video. And we only had a three-camera shoot, and one of them was out of focus the whole time. It was very disorganized. Everything's a possibility right now, but with the economy so bad right now, I'm not sure how much wiggle room we've got for creative things. There's not a plan for a DVD at this time, but I do have a good friend in the DC area who does commercials, and she said, "By any chance would you want me to bring up some hi-definition cameras and get some behind scenes footage?" I'm all for that!

Do you feel like Lead Me On as an album has adapted additional poignancy in light of current events?

Grant: I know hearing them sure has revived my faith and hope. Especially in a season where we're all overwhelmed with rhetoric, it's nice to hear something straightforward and honest. My hope is whoever can swing a concert ticket shows up and we can build them up and create a ripple effect to go and encourage people in their world. We're doing this tour on such a smaller scale then we did twenty years ago. Back then we'd play in one neighborhood to a crowd of 20,000. Now we're going back to the same neighborhood, playing a church that seats 3,600 people. That's just the natural bell curve of the artist draw these days, but the music and creativity have never been about size of audience. It's been about the impact of the song, whether that's sitting in your room singing to yourself or one other person. If we could do it for free, we would, but we're at least trying to keep overhead down. We have two buses pulling a trailer and we're all trying to make ends meet. I do think music is so powerful and it can have such an impact, especially in hard times.

What type of set list should fans expect from this show?

Grant: I'm looking at it right now, actually, and nothing that was recorded after 1988 is going to be played. Part of that is because it's such a unique opportunity to play the old songs—I don't feel like I've ever had that freedom. It's nice to have a rest from the next twenty years and the songs that tend to be expected during every set list. We have pulled some oldie moldies out of the closet, and then depending on the night, if the crowd wants to stick around after the proper set list played, I might ask, "You wanna hear something new?" And if one goes over well, we might do a second.

Do you think you'll ever do this type of anniversary tour behind Heart In Motion, especially because it was your best-selling CD?

Grant: I think not and the reason is because I don't feel like those songs have the same emotional pull. I feel this is a one-time deal.

When can we expect your next proper studio CD?

Grant: As soon as Christmas is over, I plan to go into the studio in January and not come out until it's done. All the songs have been written, so it shouldn't take that long!

Speaking of the holidays, how did you choose both the old and new songs to be included on The Christmas Collection?

Grant: The record company actually let me choose the songs. I sat at the computer, loaded in all three earlier records, and picked the ones that had moved me most—the ones that were executed well and married well to each other. I can't say that every one of those standing alone makes the most sense going from heavy production to a stripped down sound to an orchestra to a cappella, but I tried to create a musical journey that felt complete and had all my favorite songs on there.

Amy Grant the Lead Me On band, ready to tour for Fall 2008

The label just requested two new songs, but I came up with four, so they said, "Thank you, we'll take all four!" I took two unoriginal songs performed on past Christmas tours but never recorded, one being a Barbra Streisand-styled version of "Jingle Bells" and the other being a song I sang with CeCe Winans on a CBS special years ago "Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep." "Baby It's Christmas" is one of the original songs I wrote with Vince, which is a romantic Christmas Eve song that's kind of on the steamy side, but also a joke because I don't think anyone's really ready for romance after being so exhausted from the holiday experience! And I love the message of "I Need a Silent Night," which speaks for itself and has an appearance by my seven-year-old daughter Corrina.

Can you give us a preview of the Christmas tour?

Grant: Vince and I will be touring for the first time without a symphony, but will have a full band and horn section, the Sapphire Blues Horns. It will be all Christmas material and I'll probably be choosing songs from the 18 on The Christmas Collection. My guess is Vince and I will probably be out together the whole time, though we haven't officially decided yet. It's going to be conversational and a ton of fun with some songs stripped down and others where everybody plays with tons of energy.

How does your family plan to celebrate the holidays in spite of all this traveling?

Grant: We've been traveling a lot this year, but the last two shows are in Nashville, which means we'll be home the week of Christmas. It's awfully nice to get to see all the different lights in different cities, and once our kids are out of school, they've always chosen to live on the bus for a few days to end the Christmas tour with us and do some shopping. That's just the downside of a musician's life—we have to travel to do our job. But we've done a lot at home trying to kind of shore everybody up since we're gone so much this fall and winter.

Read up on the latest about Amy Grant by visiting our site's artist page. Check out her official site for a list of tour dates, both the Lead Me On anniversary tour and the Christmas tour. Click here to read our review of the 20th anniversary release of Lead Me On. To listen to song clips and purchase her music, visit Christianbook.com.

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