Yearwood `Discovered’ For ‘95 Tour

Georgia native Trisha Yearwood returned to one of her favorite big cities recently to announce that the Chicago-headquartered Discover Card will sponsor about 70 of her 1995 shows.

Appearing with students of DePaul University in Chicago, Yearwood also announced that part of her “Discover Presents Trisha Yearwood” affiliation will consist of making “about a half-dozen” speaking appearances at colleges and universities along her tour route as proof to students that their dreams and labors can pay off. A national television special also is in the works, as well as Yearwood performances with some symphonies (including the London Symphony Orchestra) and a show to benefit youth programs.

“I thought, `This is perfect - me talking about how important it is to stay in school and get your degree and all that,”’ she says, while confessing that she was “a little nervous, because it’s a lot easier for me to sing than talk.” She notes that her own higher learning - at Belmont College in Nashville, Tenn. - has helped produce her stardom.

Asked how her new album,

“Thinkin’ About You,” ended up being released on Valentine’s Day, she indicates it was something of an afterthought. The album originally was scheduled for issuance last fall, but she and producer Garth Fundis had just finished a Christmas album and were hesitant about rushing back into the studio to do a non-seasonal package. They targeted the release for late February, she says, and then decided to push it forward to Valentine’s Day.