Suzy Bogguss rides an Outbound Plane to stardom (Created June 5, 2013)

Before there were country's big-name female stars of today, there was Suzy Bogguss. With a balance of traditional sound and contemporary marketing, she was one of the most acclaimed singers spanning the bridge from the '80s to the 90's, with tracks like "Someday Soon," "Letting Go" and "Outbound Plane" continually sending her to the top of the charts.

Born in Aledo, Illinois, Bogguss' early introduction to church choir came at the age of five. With a small push from mom and dad, she also learned piano and drums, and eventually took up guitar as a teenager. She later spent her college years making the rounds of local coffeehouses and clubs, and booked gigs that took her from the Midwest to the Northeast, and all the way to Canada.

Bogguss moved to Nashville in 1985. She worked as a demo singer, took a job at the Dollywood theme park and also sold tapes of her own music. The trifecta of hard work and persistence landed one of those tapes in the hands of a label executive, who signed her to Liberty/Capitol. By 1987, she was off and running with the lead singles to what would be her debut album, "Somewhere Between," which appeared the following year.

With a wealth of support from fans and critics, Bogguss broke through to the mainstream with 1991's "Aces," which contained the aforementioned "Someday Soon," "Letting Go" and "Outbound Plane," as well as the title track, which all became hits. Her 1992 follow-up, "Voices in the Wind," resulted in the highest-charting of her career with a cover of John Hiatt's "Drive South."

Though Bogguss' career eventually hit a downward spiral, the last decade has afforded her the chance to release ac ollection of pop, jazz, and swing tunes featuring Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, and Duke Ellington. She released her twelfth studio album "American Folk Songbook" in 2011, and she continues to perform and tour around the country.