Second Cup Café: Lari White

Singer-songwriter, producer, and actress Lari White has had an exciting year.

White produced country star Toby Keith's latest album, "White Trash With Money," which has sold more than 1 million copies since its April release. The album has spawned the hits "Get Drunk And Be Somebody" and "It's A Little Too Late."

She also made her Broadway debut in the short-lived musical "Ring of Fire," based on the music of Johnny Cash.

White visits Second Cup Café to sing some songs from her most recent album, "Green-Eyed Soul."

Born and raised in Dunedin, Fla., White began performing when she was a child.

According to her Web site, White's grandfather was a "true hellfire-hollering primitive Baptist preacher," and her father was the electric guitar player in a rock and roll band. She sang in the church choir and with relatives as part of The White Family Singers.

She earned a scholarship to the University of Miami, where she studied voice and music engineering.

White got her first big break when she won first prize in the Nashville Network's talent show "You Can Be A Star" in 1988. That lead to the release of her first single, "Flying Above The Rain."

It was a few years before she got a chance to record her first album, but she kept busy by studying acting and singing in local dinner theaters. She signed with RCA Records in 1992 and released her debut album, "Lead Me Not," the following year.

Things took off with the release of her 1994 second album, "Wishes," which contained the Top 10 singles "That's My Baby," "Now I Know," and "That's How You Know (When You're In Love.)"

More solo albums followed, but she earned her Best Album Gospel Grammy as one of the singers on the 1995 compilation "Amazing Grace."

As an actress, White has appeared in the films "Cast Away" and "No Regret."

She and her husband, songwriter Chuck Cannon, make their home in Nashville — where they run their successful recording studio, The Holler.