Julie Roberts was born in
Lancaster, South Carolina, United States, in 1979. The daughter of an engineer and accountant, she began her life performing in
pre-school plays. She also was in school choirs and performed in a rendition of "My Fair Lady" at a singing summer camp. Roberts began performing country music as a child. When she was in junior high and high school, she toured with her family, playing at festivals in
North Carolina,
South Carolina and
Georgia. She also performed at area nursing homes (where she developed an appreciation for
blues music); and worked at
Carowinds (a theme park in
Charlotte, North Carolina) and
Dollywood. She also worked with 60- and 70-year-old men performing at nursing homes. Her influences include
Dolly Parton,
Barbara Mandrell and
Tanya Tucker. She first attended
USC Lancaster in her hometown from 1997 to 1999 before graduating from
Belmont University in
Nashville, Tennessee, with a degree in business administration. Roberts performed in local clubs and restaurants until graduation, she began working for
Mercury Nashville Records, later becoming assistant to label head Luke Lewis. During her tenure there, she recorded a demo tape with producer Brent Rowan during her off-time. Rowan eventually played the tape for Lewis, who was favorably impressed by the recording.
Country music career Roberts was signed to
Universal Music Group Nashville's Mercury Nashville division. Her debut single, "
Break Down Here", was released on February 24, 2004. The song had previously been recorded by
Trace Adkins under the title "I'd Sure Hate to Break Down Here". Roberts released her self-titled
debut album on May 25, 2004. It charted within the Top 10 of the
Billboard Top Country Albums chart, peaking at No. 9. "Break Down Here" became a Top 20 single on the
Hot Country Songs chart, however, she never charted within the Top 40 after that. The two follow-up singles, "The Chance" and "Wake Up Older", peaked at No. 47 and No. 46 on the country charts, respectively. The album was then certified Gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America on December 13, 2004. In 2006, she released her fourth single, "Men & Mascara", which would in-turn be the title track to her second album.
Men & Mascara was released on June 27, 2006. Although not charting a single from this album, it managed to chart even higher than her debut album. It reached No. 4 on the Top Country Albums and No. 25 on the all-genre
Billboard 200. Included on the album is a
cover version of
Saving Jane's "
Girl Next Door", however, it failed to chart along with the album's title track. Roberts and Mercury Records parted ways at the beginning of May 2010. She released her third album "Alive" on June 7 as an independent artist, with the first single being "NASCAR Party". In 2011, Roberts revealed that she was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis.
Sun Records signed Roberts to a recording contract in mid-2013. Her album
Good Wine & Bad Decisions was the first full release for the label in 40 years. Roberts will release the album
Ain’t in No Hurry on October 28, 2022.
Charities Roberts made a donation of $124,250 to
St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital after she, along with contestant Peter Buccellato, won the $100,000 prize in the bonus round on the game show
Wheel of Fortune on an episode that aired in February 2007. ==
The Voice (2013)==