LeAnn Rimes postpones sold-out Riverside Casino concert

Editor’s note: Riverside Casino announced Wednesday morning that LeAnn Rimes’ holiday show, slated for Friday, has been rescheduled for Sept. 29, because of a vocal chord injury. Tickets will honored on the new date. Refunds also are available. Rimes issued this statement: “To my friends in Riverside, IA, I was preparing for my show on Friday, but unfortunately, under doctors’ orders, this needs to be postponed to ensure the bleed on my vocal cord is completely healed before I sing. But rest assured, I am on the road to recovery and looking forward to getting to sing and dance with you all on September 29, 2023.”

It’s hard to believe that LeAnn Rimes turned 40 in August, considering that the singer/songwriter released her 19th album, “god's work,” in September. But folks forget that Rimes was just 9 years old when she recorded her first album.

Her initial release, 1991’s “Everybody's Sweetheart,” scored attention in the Southwest, but Rime’' career took off after she signed with Curb Records and her third album, “Blue,” dropped in 1996.

Rimes has enjoyed extraordinary success by selling more than 48 million albums worldwide. Billboard ranked her No. 17 in terms of sales success in the 1990-2000 decade. And it all started for Rimes at a point when the norm for children is play dates and youth sports.

“It was a dream come true, since this is what I always wanted to do,” she said. “Kids dream of making music and having hits.”

Rimes was just a child when she was calling the shots. She was running the show at an age when most children are in the sixth grade.

“When you think of it like that, it really is something,” Rimes said while calling from Nashville. “I signed my deal at 11. The next year I was responsible for paying 67 people. Most kids just get to be kids at that age, and that's a good thing. But I had an opportunity and I went as far as I could go.”

“Blue” made Rimes a bona fide country star at 14. The eponymous single went Top 10. “You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs,” released in 1997, veered toward country-pop and became an even bigger success.

Country, pop and contemporary Christian are some of the genres Rimes has embraced. But the Jackson, Miss., native has a special fondness for Christmas.

She has released several holiday albums, including “What a Wonderful World” in 2004, “This is Christmas” in 2015, and “It’s Christmas Eve” in 2018.

But her quirky EP, “One Christmas: Chapter One,” from 2014, is a must-experience, since it’s so left of center and lighthearted. The release features a fun cover of the holiday classic, “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”

“I’m crazy about Christmas,” Rimes said. “What can I say?”

As for her long career, she said: “I’ve been incredibly fortunate,” she said. “I’ve also worked hard. It’s not easy doing this for all of these years. Look at how much the industry has changed since I started.

“Back then, there was no internet or cellphones. All that is good, but what was good then — artist development — just doesn't exist anymore. I came up during that era and I’m still here in a very different music world.”

Rimes loves spending time with her family, but she can’t sit still. In her spare time, she has written two novels, a pair of children’s books, and began acting at age 16.

“I like to stay busy,” she said. “That’s just my nature. I’m always doing something. I love to create and I’ve always been crazy about performing in front of an audience.”

Some recording artists are on nostalgia tours when they’ve recorded as many albums as Rimes. However, Rimes has hit another creative peak with “god's work,” an eclectic album with stylish, reverent songs that are occasionally wistful.

The album, which kicks off with the stunning and powerful ballad “spaceship,” is bolstered by talented guest artists, including singer/songwriter Ben Harper, guitar hero Robert Randolph and reggae legend Ziggy Marley.

“It’s been such an amazing career,” Rimes said. “I’ve been incredibly fortunate since I was a child, and it just continues at this point in my life. I can’t express how thankful I am.”