Evans ‘could not ask for more’

Kirk Baird

Friday, July 13, 2001 | 9:15 a.m.

It's a good time to be Sara Evans.

In fact, it's the best time.

There's her marriage and 2-year-old son.

There's her rocketing career, with three albums to her credit and a No. 1 single, "Born to Fly," from the album of the same name.

And there's her spot as the middle act on Reba McEntire's "Girls' Night Out" tour, which plays tonight at Mandalay Bay's Events Center.

"That's why, literally, I say this onstage every night, 'I could not ask for more,' " Evans said.

During a recent phone interview from her home in Nashville, Evans was alluding to both her feelings about her life and the title of a song from her latest record, "I Could Not Ask For More."

"That songs kills me every time I sing it because that's the way I feel," the 30-year-old Evans said. "I know that's the way a lot of people feel about their spouses, friends and family."

It's difficult, if not downright impossible, to begrudge Evans her success. Born in a tiny Missouri town, she grew up on a farm with six siblings while performing at festivals with the family's bluegrass band.

Realizing at an early age her calling was to be a country singer, she left for Nashville at 20 to make her dream a reality. But the task proved more difficult than Evans anticipated, and she took a job as a waitress at a Holiday Inn while waiting for her big break.

There she met her future husband, Craig Schelske, and moved with him to his home state of Oregon to join his family band. In 1993 the couple were married, and two years later they moved back to Nashville for Evans to make another go at a singing career.

This time, however, her efforts produced a contract with RCA, and in 1997 her first album, "Three Chords and the Truth," was released. A throwback to the late-1950s-early '60s-style of country, the record was praised by critics but ignored by radio.

"It was far too retro for radio," Evans concedes. "They were a little bit fearful to play it at that time, especially when they were feeling like the fans wanted the younger, more pop country."

But the album served one purpose: It opened doors for the singer.

" 'Three Chords and the Truth' gave me all sorts of recognition in Nashville," she said. "It was the way it was supposed to be. I earned a lot of respect in the Nashville community because of that record. It was right."

Deciding to ditch her "retro" image for her sophomore effort, "No Place That Far," Evans went with a more "normal" style, mixing her bluegrass roots with a contemporary flair.

The merger worked and "No Place That Far" reached No. 1, eventually going gold.

She then took time off for the birth of her son, Avery, just as her career was building. But with the success of last year's release, "everything is just exploding," Evans said.

It's easy to see why.

A mixture of old-school and contemporary country, "Born to Fly" soars where other artists stumble, carefully straddling the line between pop accessibility and heartfelt twang.

Which is perfect for the "Girls' Night Out" tour. Neither too country, nor too pop, the concert series is a showcase for what Evans joked are the "five coolest girls" in country music.

Fresh from the George Strait stadium tour, in which she and Lee Ann Womack were the only female artists on the bill, Evans said she's happy to join the first all-woman country concert series -- a Lilith Fair for the country set.

"On the Strait tour, me and Lee Ann Womack ... both kind of dressed and acted kind of tough since we were out there with all these guys," she said.

That's not the case with "Girls' Night Out."

"This is a girlie tour," Evans said. "I think it's going to be neat for people to see all these clothes and hair and makeup. I know we're all going to be competing to see who has the best clothes. It'll be great. Maybe we'll even share clothes -- who knows."

If it's sounds like a perfect women's night out, she's quick to add that men are invited to the party, too.

"I've never been a man hater. I love men. Men are going to love this tour as much as women," Evans said. "Hopefully they'll come out and be inspired, too.