Born 53 Years Ago Today in California, the Miss America Hopeful Who Wrote Songs for Gwyneth Paltrow, Vince Gill, and Billy Currington

On this day (August 10) in 1973, Jennifer Hanson was born in La Habra, California. Before entering the country music world, she was a professional cheerleader and beauty pageant contestant. Hanson won the title of Miss California in 1994 and competed in the Miss America Pageant the same year.

Hanson was introduced to the music world early in life. Her father, Larry Hanson, was a professional musician. He played guitar for the Righteous Brothers in the first half of the 1980s. Then, he relocated to Nashville to play guitar for Alabama. She started traveling to Music City around this time, hoping to start a singing career.

“My dad made the move to Nashville in 1987, and I started coming to town in the early ’90s,” Hanson recalled. “We’d circulate around and try to meet people, trying to find songs and get my voice down on tape,” she added. At the time, she was still a teen. As a result, labels believed she was too young to be a recording artist.

After failing to find her footing in Nashville, Hanson returned to California, where she attended Fullerton College. There, she majored in music and studied music business and engineering. At the same time, she was a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Rams. Hanson also competed in the Miss America Scholarship program to pay for college. She won Miss La Habra, Miss Orange County, Miss Garden Grove, and Miss California between 1991 and 1nd 1994. Then, she competed in the Miss America Pageant in 1994.

Jennifer Hanson Goes to Nashville

Jennifer Hanson moved to Nashville permanently in 1995. That year, she contributed guest vocals to Rhett Atkins’ 1996 album Somebody New. She also learned to play guitar and honed her songwriting skills. Three years after arriving in Music City, she inked a publishing deal with Acuff-Rose Music.

In 2002, Hanson released her debut album, Beautiful Goodbye, which reached No. 20 on the Top Country Albums chart. The title track peaked at No. 16. It was the most successful debut country single by a woman that year.

Hanson released her sophomore album, Thankful, in 2008. It failed to chart. “Joyride,” the album’s lead single, peaked at No. 42.

Songwriting Success

While Jennifer Hanson found some success as a recording artist, she truly shines as a songwriter. Notably, she wrote “Leave the Pieces,” which was a No. 1 single for The Wreckers, and “Let Me Down Easy,” which was a No. 1 for Billy Currington. She also co-wrote “A Different World,” which became a top 10 hit for American Idol finalist Bucky Covington. Hanson also penned “Country Strong,” which was recorded by Gwyneth Paltrow for the movie of the same name.

[RELATED: Jesse Lee, Tia Sillers, & Jennifer Hanson Share Struggles of Being a Female Songwriter]

Rascal Flatts, Kelly Clarkson, Michelle Branch, Jason Aldean, Jana Kramer, Vince Gill, Pam Tillis, Dan Tyminski, and Don Williams are among the many artists who have recorded Jennifer Hanson’s songs.

Featured Image by Frank Mullen/WireImage

The post Born 53 Years Ago Today in California, the Miss America Hopeful Who Wrote Songs for Gwyneth Paltrow, Vince Gill, and Billy Currington appeared first on American Songwriter.