Jessica Simpson Biography

Early life

Jessica Simpson was born in Abilene, Texas and raised in Richardson, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. She is the daughter of Joe Simpson (a former Baptist youth minister) and Tina Ann Drew (a former Sunday School teacher). She has a younger sister Ashlee, who launched her own music career in mid-2004. Simpson started singing at the age of 12 in her Baptist church choir. In 1992 she made an unsuccessful audition for The New Mickey Mouse Club, which starred fellow pop singers Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, among other future stars.

Simpson attended J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas. She was discovered singing at a church camp by a head of a small contemporary Christian record label and recorded an album over the next three years; however, the label folded before the record could be released. She dropped out in her senior year in order to tour and promote her demo album, which was funded by her grandmother, Joyce (thus the reason for the name of her 2004 holiday album, Rejoyce: The Christmas Album); she later earned her GED. During this time, she toured with the Christian Youth Conference circuit performing with Kirk Franklin, God's Property and CeCe Winans. She and her father sold copies of the album after her performances.

Tommy Mottola of Columbia Records obtained a copy of the album and, thinking she had potential as a pop singer, signed her as such.

Career

In late 1999, Simpson released her debut album Sweet Kisses, which reached a peak of number 25 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and also made the top 40 of the UK charts. The album proved to be a success, selling two and a half million copies in the U.S. Her first single, the platinum-selling "I Wanna Love You Forever," reached the top five of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and the top ten in Canada and the UK. Her second single, a duet with then-boyfriend Nick Lachey of boy band 98 Degrees, "Where You Are", was a modest radio hit. In 2000, Simpson won two Teen Choice Awards for Choice Breakout Artist and Love Song of the Year ("Where You Are"). In 2000, Simpson appeared on the 98 Degrees video My Everything.

On October 26, 2002, at age 22, Jessica Simpson married Nick Lachey. She famously announced that she remained a virgin until her wedding night. During the summer of 2003, Simpson and Lachey's reality show Newlyweds began airing on MTV. Although Simpson was moderately famous before the series began, the show became a pop cultural phenomenon and made her famous even among those who did not follow pop music or MTV. It is considered by many to be the crowning glory of her career. Throughout the run of four seasons she epitomized the stereotypical dumb blonde.

Her ignorance helped turn the show into a huge hit, making the average rating for each episode about 1.4 million viewers while reaching a series peak of about 4 million viewers.

In the summer of 2005, at age 25, Simpson made her first appearance in a motion picture as Daisy Duke in the movie-remake of The Dukes of Hazzard. The film debuted at #1 at the U.S. box-office

In November 2005, after months of tabloid speculation, Simpson and her husband Nick Lachey officially announced their separation. Simpson filed for divorce on December 16, 2005, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple's divorce was highly publicized worldwide and was reportedly finalized on June 30.

Her fourth album, A Public Affair, was released on August 29, 2006.

In January 2002, Simpson posed in lingerie for Maxim magazine. The publication also named her #18 in its May 2006 Hot 100 issue, before naming her number 1 in 2004. She appeared on Maxim's cover again in July 2006.

Her second movie, Employee of the Month, co-starring Dane Cook and Dax Shepard was released in American cinemas in October 2006.

Jessica Simpson Filmography - Movies - TV

• Major Movie Star (2008) (post-production) .... Megan
• Blonde Ambition (2007) .... Katie
• Employee of the Month (2006) .... Amy
• The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) .... Daisy Duke
• Jessica (2004/II) (TV) .... Jessica Sampson
• "The Twilight Zone"
  - The Collection (2003) TV Episode .... Miranda Evans
• "That '70s Show"
  - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (2003) TV Episode .... Annette
  - Your Time Is Gonna Come (2003) TV Episode .... Annette
  - Going to California (2002) TV Episode .... Annette

  Jessica Simpson Soundtrack - Filmography

• Blonde Ambition (2007) ("A Public Affair", "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)")
• Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (2006) (TV) (performer: "9 to 5")
• The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) (performer: "These Boots are Made for Walkin'")
• The Master of Disguise (2002) (performer: "Irresistible")
• "Filhas da Mãe, As" (2001) TV Series (performer: "When You Told Me You Loved Me")
• Here on Earth (2000) (performer: "Where You Are")

  Jessica Simpson Discography - Discs - Albums - Singles

• "A Public Affair" year 2006 tracks 13 Epic
• "In This Skin [DualDisc]" year 2005 tracks 30 Columbia
• "Maximum Jessica Simpson" year 2004 tracks 11 United States Dist
• "Rejoyce: The Christmas Album" year 2004 tracks 11 Columbia
• "In This Skin [Bonus Track]" year 2004 tracks 14 Sony International
• "This Is the Remix [EP]" year 2002 tracks 7 Columbia
• "Irresistible" year 2001 tracks 12 Columbia
• "Sweet Kisses" year 1999 tracks 11 Columbia
• "A Public Affair [Single]" year 2006 tracks 1 Sony/Epic
• "I Belong to Me" year 2006 tracks 1 Sony/Epic
• "These Boots are Made for Walkin'" year 2005 tracks 1 Sony
• "Angels" year 2005 tracks 1 Sony International
• "With You" year 2004 tracks 1 Sony/Columbia
• "Take My Breath Away" year 2004 tracks 1 Sony International
• "Sweetest Sin/In This Skin" year 2003 tracks 1 Columbia
• "Little Bit" year 2001 tracks 1 Sony International
• "I Wanna Love You Forever [CD Single]" year 1999 tracks 1 Columbia