Amy Lee

Background

Amy Lynn Hartzler, better known by her stage name Amy Lee, was born on December 13, 1981, in Los Angeles, California, to John Lee, a radio jockey and television personality, and Sara Cargill. She has two sisters, Carrie and Lori, and a brother, Robby, who died in 2018. They made their way from California to Florida to Illinois to Arkansas. She had a passion for the piano since she was a child and desired to be a classical composer. Lee was a music student at Middle Tennessee State University, but she dropped out after meeting lead guitarist Ben Moody at a youth camp, and formed Evanescence, in 1995. The band played on local radio stations until 1998 and 1999, when they released limited editions of two E.P.s, “Evanescence” and “Sound Asleep.” Later in 2002, they signed a record deal with Wind-Up Records, with former band member David Hodges, and released their debut album, “Fallen,” which went seven times platinum and catapulted them to international fame.

She has worked with bands such as Korn and Seether, as a solo artist. She’s also worked on the soundtrack for “Underworld” (2003) and musical projects including Walt Disney’s “Nightmare Revisited” (which she played live at the Hollywood premiere) and Jay Leno’s “The Good Night Show” (2008). In 2006, she appeared in a music video for Johnny Cash’s song ‘God’s Gonna Cut You Down.’

‘Freak on Leash’ was performed live in the M.T.V. studios in New York City in 2006 for the band’s acoustic set. In 2008, she sang a rendition of ‘Sally’s Song’ in Walt Disney’s “Nightmare Revisited.” Her band’s self-titled album “Evanescence” was released in Europe and the United States in 2011. It remains the band’s most successful project to date. In 2012, Lee recorded the song ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ for the album “We Walk The Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash,” which is a tribute album to country music icon Johnny Cash. She also made her debut as a film composer, collaborating with friend and composer Dave Eggar on the indie film “War Story” (2014).

Between 2003 and 2005, Lee was in a relationship with Seether’s lead singer Shaun Morgan. Her song ‘Call Me When You’re Sober’ was about him, after they split because of his habit of substance abuse. In a live music broadcast, in 2007, Lee announced that she was engaged. Josh Hartzler, a therapist and long-time friend of Lee’s, proposed to her, she later revealed on EvThreads.com. She has said that he was the inspiration for the songs ‘Good Enough’ and ‘Bring Me to Life.’ On May 6, 2007, the couple married and honeymooned in the Bahamas. Jack Lion Hartzler, the couple’s first child, was born on July 24, 2014.