Hill grew up in Star, Miss., where she began singing at an early age. Her first public performance was at a 4-H luncheon at age 7. Influenced by Elvis Presley (Presley, Elvis), Reba McEntire (McEntire, Reba), and Tammy Wynette (Wynette, Tammy), Hill formed a band that played at local rodeos while in high school. At 19 she dropped out of college and moved to Nashville, Tenn., to pursue a career as a professional singer.

In 1993 Hill released her first album, Take Me As I Am, which included two country chart-topping singles, "Wild One" and "Piece of My Heart" . Her second album, It Matters to Me, appeared in 1995 and produced a number one single of the same title. The following year, Hill embarked on the Spontaneous Combustion Tour with fellow country singer Tim McGraw (McGraw, Tim). The two were married within months.

It was Hill's third album—Faith—issued in 1998, that propelled her to major stardom. Helped by the crossover success of "This Kiss," a romantic up-tempo song, the album sold five million copies. In the fall of 1998 Hill began appearing as a headliner, and in April 1999 she launched her first major tour as a solo artist.

Hill's fourth album, Breathe, appeared in 1999. It debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard country album chart and on the Billboard 200 chart, which measured all music genres. In 2000 Hill sang the national anthem at Super Bowl XXXIV, and she later performed at the Academy Awards. When Hill and McGraw combined talents for a tour that same year, more than one million fans turned out for more than 60 shows. Both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association named Hill top female vocalist for 2000.