Country music powerhouse Trisha Yearwood (1964–) was born on this day in Monticello, Georgia. A farm girl with a big dream, she grew up loving Elvis Presley and drawing inspiration from Linda Ronstadt. “What’s meant to be will always find a way,” she once said — words she has proven true through both talent and perseverance.

By 1985, she was studying at Nashville’s Belmont College and interning at a music studio. Within a few years, she was touring arenas with Garth Brooks and celebrating her 1991 debut album’s success. Her soulful recording of Diane Warren’s How Do I Live (1998) became a crossover hit, earning her acclaim for integrity and artistry that bridged country and pop genres.

Named one of the “40 Greatest Women of Country Music,” Yearwood has performed with legends from Pavarotti to the Boston Pops. In 1999, she was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, and her hometown honored her by renaming Highway 83N the Trisha Yearwood Parkway. “I was proud that Monticello wanted to do that for me,” she shared. “The town has been nothing but supportive since Day One.”

Yearwood calls herself “lucky,” but her heart for giving back tells a deeper truth. She has supported Farm Aid, the Walden Woods Project, and countless other causes, saying: “When you become famous, like it or not, you are a role model. People are listening to what you have to say. You have an obligation to give back what you’ve received.”

Through every stage of her career, she has embraced growth and courage. “The older you get, the braver you get,” she reflected. With every song and every act of kindness, Trisha Yearwood proves that bravery — like love — blossoms beautifully with age.