Amy Lee Biography

Amy Lee is the vocalist and songwriter of the goth-drama band Evanescence, whose debut album, Fallen (2003), was nominated for five Grammys in 2003. The band won two Grammys that year, for Best New Artist and for Best Hard Rock Performance, the latter for the hit song “Bring Me To Life,” featured in the movie Daredevil (2003, starring Ben Affleck). Amy Lee and band co-founder Ben Moody (guitarist) met at summer camp in Arkansas when they were teenagers. Although they rarely performed live, their early recordings gained a local following and in 2001 they were signed to a recording contract. John Le Compt (guitar), Rocky Gray (drums) and Will Boyd (bass) joined the band, and the success of Fallen made them overnight rock stars. Within a year, however, Moody left the band and was replaced by guitarist Terry Balsalmo. A live album and DVD released in 2004, Anywhere But Home, continued the band’s success, and their second studio album, 2006’s The Open Door, debuted at the top of Billboard’s Top 200 chart. Boyd left the band in 2006, and some kind of internal dust-up in 2007 led to the departure of Le Compt and Gray. Amy Lee, the only original member of the band, vowed to soldier on.