Feb. 3: Country singer Jessica Harp, formerly with The Wreckers, is 29 today.

Jessica Leigh Harp grew up Kansas City, Missouri. She began singing when she was three, writing lyrics when she was eight, and picked up guitar at 13. In 2002, she pursued a solo career in music, releasing her independent album, Preface. She then worked as a backup vocalist for various country acts.

She provided backing vocals for Michelle Branch's album, Hotel Paper. After working together, Harp joined up with Branch in 2005 to form a country duo, known as The Wreckers, whose song "The Good Kind" was featured on One Tree Hill and its soundtrack.

The group's debut country single, "Leave the Pieces," was released in February 2006 and was nominated for a Grammy award.

It was followed by their debut album, Stand Still, Look Pretty, which was released on May 23, 2006. "Leave the Pieces" reached Number One on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in September 2006.

The album produced two additional singles in "My, Oh My" (a Top 10 hit) and "Tennessee" and was certified Gold by the RIAA for reaching sales of over 500,000.

Despite the success of their number one debut single, album sales, and a nomination for the 2007 Grammy Awards for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the song "Leave the Pieces," both Harp and Branch announced in August 2007 that they were putting The Wreckers on hold, while both go forward with solo albums.


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After The Wreckers disbanded, Harp began a solo career on Warner Bros. Records, the same label to which The Wreckers were signed. Her solo debut album single, "Boy Like Me," debuted in March 2009 and was a Top 30 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

It was followed by her debut album, A Woman Needs, in March 2010. A few weeks prior to the release of her album, Harp announced that she would retire from being a recording artist to focus on becoming a full-time songwriter for other artists.




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