Grant made her debut in 1977 as a teenager, and scored her first number-one Christian radio hit two years later. After she signed to a record company at the age of sixteen in 1977, Amy Grant's first self-titled album (largely self-composed) was a runaway success in terms of the Christian music market of the time. She is a graduate of Harpeth Hall School and was an English major at Furman University and later Vanderbilt University, where she was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. Grant then made a few more albums before dropping out of college to pursue a career in music. These albums included 1979's My Father's Eyes (the title track written by Grant's future first husband, singer-songwriter Gary Chapman) and Never Alone in 1980. 1982 marked a turning point in both Grant's career and her personal life. After she married Chapman (on June 15, 1982), her album Age to Age forced critics to notice. The breakthrough album contained the signature track, "El Shaddai" (written by Michael Card) and the Grant-Chapman penned song, "In A Little While". "El Shaddai" was later awarded one of the "Songs of the Century" by the RIAA in 2001. Grant received her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Gospel Performance, as well as two GMA Dove Awards for Gospel Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year. Age to Age became the first Christian album by a solo artist to be certified gold (1983) and the first Christian album to be certified platinum (1985). In the mid-1980s, Grant began touring and recording with young up-and-coming songwriter Michael W. Smith Grant and Smith continue to have a strong friendship and creative relationship, often writing songs for or contributing vocals to each other's albums. Grant followed up this album with the first of her Christmas albums - albums that later would be the basis for her trademark holiday shows. In 1984, she released another pop-oriented Christian hit, Straight Ahead, earning Grant her first appearance at the Grammy Awards show.

Hardly had Grant established herself as the "Queen of Christian Pop" when she changed directions to widen her fan base (and hence her musical message). Her goal was to become the first Christian singer-songwriter who was also successful as a contemporary pop singer. Unguarded (1985) surprised some fans for its very mainstream sound (and Grant's leopard-print jacket, in four poses for four different covers). "Find a Way," from Unguarded, became the first Christian song to hit Billboard's Top 40 list, also reaching #7 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Amy Grant scored her first Billboard Number One hit in 1986 with "The Next Time I Fall", a duet with former Chicago singer/bassist Peter Cetera. That year, she also recorded a duet with singer Randy Stonehill for his Love Beyond Reason album, entitled "I Could Never Say Goodbye", and recorded The Animals' Christmas with Art Garfunkel. Lead Me On (1988) contained many songs that were about Christianity and love relationships, but some interpreted it as not being an obviously "Christian" record. Years later, Lead Me On would be chosen as the greatest Contemporary Christian album of all time by CCM Magazine.

When Heart in Motion was released in 1991, many fans were surprised that the album was so clearly one of contemporary pop music. Amy's desire to widen her audience was frowned upon by the confines of the popular definitions of "ministry" at the time. The track "Baby Baby" (written for Grant's newborn daughter, Millie, whose "six week old face was my inspiration,") became a pop hit (hitting number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart), and Grant was established as a name in the mainstream music world. "Baby Baby" received Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Record and Song of the Year (although it failed to win in any of those categories). Four other hits from the album made the Pop top 20: "Every Heartbeat" (#2), "That's What Love Is For" (#7), "Good For Me" (#8), and "I Will Remember You" (#20). On the Adult Contemporary chart, all five songs were top 10 hits, with two of the five ("Baby Baby" and "That's What Love Is For") reaching #1. Many Christian fans remained loyal, since the album also topped the Billboard's Contemporary Christian Chart for 32 weeks. Heart in Motion is Grant's best-selling album, having sold over 5 million copies according to the RIAA. Grant followed the album with her second Christmas album, Home For Christmas in 1992, which included the song "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)", written by Chris Eaton and Grant, and would later be covered by many artists, including Donna Summer, Jessica Simpson(who acknowledged Grant as one of her favorite artists), Vince Gill Sara Groves, Point of Grace, and Broadway star Barbara Cook.

House of Love in 1994 continued in the same vein, boasting catchy pop songs mingled with spiritual lyrics. The album was a multi-platinum success and produced the pop hit "Lucky One" as well as the title track (a duet with country music star and future husband Vince Gill. Grant and Chapman separated and divorced in 1999. On March 10, 2000, Grant married Vince Gill

Grant returned to her gospel music roots with the 2002 release of Legacy... Hymns and Faith. The album featured a Vince Gillinfluenced mix of bluegrass and gospel and marked Grant's 25th anniversary in the music industry. Grant followed this up with the pop release Simple Things in 2003. The album did not have the success of her previous pop or gospel efforts. Although neither of her latest hymn releases has captured the popularity of her previous gospel career, Grant still remains a popular concert draw and enjoys popularity amongst both fan bases.