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Susan Rae Hill was born in Irving, TX, on July 17, 1967. The adult contemporary vocalist's first single -- recorded using her mother's maiden name of Ashton to avoid confusion with Kim Hill -- gained an audience with CCM radio listeners around America in 1991, and made her album Wakened by the Wind the biggest-selling debut in the history of the Sparrow label. Ashton reached number one in the Christian charts two more times that year, received a Dove award for New Artist of the Year and won a CCM readers and reporters poll for Best New Artist. Her second album, Angels of Mercy (1992), proved her staying potential: it spawned four CCM number one singles and was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Pop Gospel Album category. Ashton won the 1993 CCM readers award for Favorite Inspirational Album and a reporters poll for Best Female Artist. She narrowly missed capturing Dove awards for Female Vocalist of the Year, Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year and Contemporary Album of the Year. Al...