Grant, who will perform in each episode, is a huge part of the show’s draw, said executive producer Andrew Glassman (“Average Joe”).

“Amy was our first choice for the show, someone who fits our values and persona,” he explained.  “She is the ideal choice. 

"The warmth and compassion she has for other people are so genuine and so real that it strikes you in the room on a personal level, and carries right through the screen.”

Born in Augusta, Georgia, Grant signed her first record deal at the age of 16.  Her self-titled album, comprised largely of songs she had composed, was a runaway success in the contemporary Christian music market.  Several albums followed, including the successful 1979 “My Father’s Eyes.”  She briefly attended Vanderbilt University, dropped out, then married singer-songwriter Gary Chapman in 1982.  Her career began to take off. 

“Age to Age,” which contained her now-famous titles, “El Shaddai” and “In a Little While” (which she penned with Chapman), gave Grant her first GRAMMY (Best Contemporary Gospel Performance), and two Dove Awards (Gospel Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year).  The first of her Christmas albums followed, which led to her trademark holiday shows, along with other successful albums like “Straight Ahead.”

But it was Grant’s desire to crossover into the secular pop market that made her into a household name.  On the cover of her 1985 album, “Unguarded,” she sported a leopard jacket and belted out songs that sounded mainstream, but had a strong Christian message.  Although some Christian fans were dismayed, Grant had found her audience.  The song, “Find a Way,” became the first Christian track to hit Billboard’s Top 40 list.  And “Next Time I Fall,” which she sang with Chicago’s former front man Peter Cetera, gave Grant her first Billboard Number 1 hit. 

Grant followed up with the 1988 album “Lead Me On” then, three years later, hit the musical jackpot with “Heart in Motion,” which has since sold more than five million copies.  The song “Baby, Baby,” written for one of Grant’s children (her daughter, Millie), established her as a major mainstream pop artist.  And, while some fans were dismayed at the secular bent, the album stayed atop Billboard’s contemporary Christian music chart for 32 weeks.

In 1994, “House of Love” offered more of the same – as well as a glimpse into Grant’s future, when she sang a duet with country crooner Vince Gill.  Five years later, amidst rumors of an affair, Grant divorced Chapman and married Gill, who was already divorced from his first wife, Janice Gill, a member of the country band, Sweethearts of the Rodeo.