Perry's success was so
sudden in 2008 it seemed as
if she was an overnight
success when the opposite
was true. The daughter of
Pentecostal pastors, she was
born Katheryn Elizabeth
Hudson on October 25, 1984
in Santa Barbara, California.
Raised by born-again
parents, Katy was initially
attracted to gospel music,
sometimes sneaking pop
music in to balance the
inspirational tunes, but when
she first started singing it was
in the church. She picked up
the guitar at the age of 13 and
soon started writing songs,
JOY FEELINGS
pursuing a music career in
earnest when she was 15.
Earning the attention of CCM
artists Jennifer Knapp and
Steve Thomas, Katy headed
out to Nashville in 2001,
where she cut demos and
eventually secured a contract
with Red Hill Records. Red
Hill released Katy Hudson, a
record targeted at a
Christian/Inspirational
demographic, in February
2001, but the album didn't
garner much attention and
was ultimately buried once
the label was shuttered at the
end of the year. In the wake
of the album's