Sara Evans has been dominating the country music scene ever since she began playing in local Booneville, Mo., bars with her family of two older brothers -- who played guitar -- and four younger sisters, who helped with vocals. She was only 5 years old. Since then, the 37-year-old singer/songwriter, who released her first album in 1997, "Three Chords and the Truth," has learned a lot about fame, fortune and life itself.

"Three Chords" was a critic's delight, but never really caught on with her anticipated audience. It wasn't until her second album, "No Place That Far," in 1998, when she teamed up with Vince Gill on the album's single of the same name, that people took notice of Evans' mix of pop sounds with country crooning. It became her first No. 1 single and she's never looked back. "Born to Fly" in 2000 proved to be a supercharged album that became a certified double-platinum seller with three hit singles, "Suds in the Bucket," "I Could Not Ask For More" and "I Keep Looking."

But along with these huge successes in her life, Evans has known the hardship as well. When she was just 8 years old, she was hit by a car right in front of her family's home. She suffered multiple fractures of both legs, which meant more than eight months of recuperation in a wheelchair, though she kept on singing to help pay for her mounting medical bills. And recently, Evans' divorce was finalized from husband Craig Schelske. But Evans looks on the bright side, noting her marriage gave her three beautiful and loving children, Avery, Olivia and Audrey, who still tour with her whenever possible.

Evans recently released her "Greatest Hits" CD, a 14-song collection featuring 10 of her signature songs, as well as four new songs looking to take their place alongside her other No. 1 hits.

Bankrate: You said you've been singing forever. I know that you started singing at age 5 in your family's band. Was this the first time you ever sang professionally?

Sara Evans: Yes, I started at 5, but I remember my brothers started taking guitar lessons and my parents would have me sing along with them. Then they realized that I had a gift, as did my brothers, so they decided they would have us kids do music. I started singing in country bars when I was 6 and 7 years old.

Bankrate: Was it at this age that you knew you wanted to be a professional singer?

Sara Evans: I have known it my whole life. But when I was 16, I got a job in this place called The Country Stampede in Columbia, Mo., that lasted two years. It was a very big professional dance hall and I would have to rehearse every Wednesday night and perform every Saturday night. I was used to it because I had been doing it my whole life. I became the darling of the dance hall. Then I said this is what I'm going to do; this is what I have to do for the rest of my life.