Above	Grand Ole Opry
Abovestyle	background-color: #CF2B2B
Subheader
Image1
Caption1	logo since 2005
Headerstyle	background-color: #CF2B2B
Header1	History
Label2	Format:
Data2	stage show and broadcast
Label3	Location:
Data3	Grand Ole Opry HouseNashville, Tennessee
Label4	Broadcast outlets:
Data4	WSM-AM, WSM website, Sirius-XM Radio
Label5	First broadcast:
Data5	November 28, 1925
Label6	Founder:
Data6	George D. Hay
Label7	Genres:
Data7	country, bluegrass, others
Label8	Predecessor:
Data8	WSM Barn Dance
Label9	Website:
Data9	Opry.com

The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee that has presented the biggest stars of the genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM. Dedicated to honoring country music and its history, the Opry showcases a mix of legends and contemporary chart-toppers performing country, bluegrass, folk, comedy, and gospel. Considered an American icon, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and millions of radio and Internet listeners. The Opry, today part of the American landscape, is "the show that made country music famous" and has been called the "home of American music" and "country’s most famous stage." In 1939, it debuted nationally on NBC Radio. The Opry moved to a permanent home, the Ryman Auditorium, in 1943. As it developed in importance, so did the city of Nashville, which became America's 'country music capital.'

Membership in the Opry remains one of country music's crowning achievements. Such legends as Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Roy Acuff, the Carter family, Bill Monroe, Ernest Tubb, Kitty Wells and Minnie Pearl became regulars on the Opry's stage (although Williams was banned in 1952). In recent decades, the Opry has hosted such contemporary country stars as Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley. Since 1974, the show has been broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry House east of downtown Nashville and performances have been sporadically televised in addition to the radio programs.

History

Beginnings

The Grand Ole Opry started as the WSM Barn Dance in the new fifth-floor radio studio of the National Life & Accident Insurance Company in downtown Nashville on November 28, 1925. On October 18, 1925, management began a program featuring "Dr. Humphrey Bate and his string quartet of old-time musicians." On November 2, WSM hired long-time announcer and program director George D. "Judge" Hay, an enterprising pioneer from the National Barn Dance program at WLS-AM in Chicago, who was also named the most popular radio announcer in America as a result of his radio work with both WLS and WMC-AM in Memphis, Tennessee. Hay launched the WSM Barn Dance with 77-year-old fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson on November 28, 1925, which is celebrated as the birth date of the Grand Ole Opry.

Some of the bands regularly on the show during its early days included the Possum Hunters (with Dr. Humphrey Bate), the Fruit Jar Drinkers, the Crook Brothers, the Binkley Brothers' Dixie Clodhoppers, Uncle Dave Macon, Sid Harkreader, Deford Bailey, Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, and the Gully Jumpers.

Judge Hay, however, liked the Fruit Jar Drinkers and asked them to appear last on each show because he wanted to always close each segment with "red hot fiddle playing." They were the second band accepted on Barn Dance, with the Crook Brothers being the first. When the Opry began having square dancers on the show, the Fruit Jar Drinkers always played for them. In 1926, Uncle Dave Macon, a Tennessee banjo player who had recorded several songs and toured the vaudeville circuit, became its first real star.

Name

The name Grand Ole Opry came about on December 10, 1927. The Barn Dance followed the NBC Red Network's Music Appreciation Hour, which consisted of classical music and selections from the Grand Opera genre. The final selection that night featured a musical interpretation of an onrushing railroad locomotive. In response to this, Judge Hay quipped: "Friends, the program which just came to a close was devoted to the classics. Doctor Damrosch told us that there is no place in the classics for realism. However, from here on out for the next three hours, we will present nothing but realism. It will be down to earth for the 'earthy'." He then introduced the man he dubbed the "Harmonica Wizard"—DeFord Bailey—who played his classic train song "The Pan American Blues". After Bailey's performance, Hay commented: "For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on, we will present the 'Grand Ole Opry'". The name stuck and has been used for the program since.

Larger venues

As audiences for the live show increased, National Life & Accident Insurance's radio venue became too small to accommodate the hordes of fans. They built a larger studio, but it was still not large enough. After several months with no audiences, National Life decided to allow the show to move outside its home offices. In October, 1934, the Opry moved into then-suburban Hillsboro Theatre (now the Belcourt); and then on June 13, 1936, to the Dixie Tabernacle in East Nashville. The Opry then moved to the War Memorial Auditorium, a downtown venue adjacent to the State Capitol. A 25-cent admission was charged in an effort to curb the large crowds, but to no avail. On June 5, 1943, the Opry moved to the Ryman Auditorium., the "Mother Church of Country Music"]]

Top-charting country music acts performed there during the Ryman years, including Roy Acuff, called the King of Country Music, Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, Faron Young, Martha Carson, Lefty Frizzell, and many others.

One hour of the Opry was nationally-broadcast by the NBC Red Network from 1939 to 1956; for much of its run, it aired one hour after the program that had inspired it, National Barn Dance. The NBC segment, originally known by the name of its sponsor, The Prince Albert Show, was first hosted by Acuff, who was succeeded by Red Foley in 1946. From October 15, 1955 to September 1956, ABC-TV aired a live, hour-long television version once a month on Saturday nights (sponsored by Ralston-Purina), pre-empting one hour of the then-90-minute Ozark Jubilee. From 1955–57, The Country Show: with Stars of the Grand Ole Opry, a filmed program, was syndicated by Flamingo Films.

On October 2, 1954, a teenage Elvis Presley made his only Opry performance. Although the audience reacted politely to his revolutionary brand of rockabilly music, after the show he was told by Opry manager Jim Denny that he ought to return to Memphis to resume his truck-driving career, prompting him to swear never to return. In an era when the Grand Ole Opry represented solely country music, audiences did not accept Elvis on the Opry because of his infusion of rhythm and blues as well as his infamous body gyrations, which many viewed as vulgar. In the 1990s, Garth Brooks was made a member of the Opry and was credited with selling more records than any other singer since Presley. Brooks commented that one of the best parts of playing on the Opry was that he appeared on the same stage as Presley.

1960s

In the 1960s, as the hippie counterculture movement spread, the Opry maintained a straight-laced, conservative image with "longhairs" not being featured on the show. The Byrds were a notable exception. Country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons, who at that time was a member of The Byrds, was in Nashville to work on the band's country-rock album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The band's record label, Columbia Records, had arranged for The Byrds to be allowed to perform at the Ryman on March 15, 1968, a prospect that thrilled Parsons. The Byrds further outraged the Opry establishment by breaking with accepted protocol when they performed Parsons' song "Hickory Wind" instead of the Merle Haggard song "Life in Prison", as had been announced by compare Tompall Glaser. The Opry House stage includes a large circle of wood cut from the original stage at the Ryman.

While the theme park was closed in 1997 and replaced by the Opry Mills mall, Opry House itself was left intact and incorporated into the new facility. Currently the Opry plays several times a week at the Grand Ole Opry House, except for an annual winter run at the Ryman Auditorium.

2010 flooding

In May 2010, the Opry House was flooded, along with much of Nashville, due to the Cumberland River overflowing its banks. While repairs were made, the Opry was temporarily housed at alternate venues in Nashville, with the Ryman Auditorium hosting the majority of the shows. Other venues included the TPAC War Memorial Auditorium; another former Opry home, TPAC's Andrew Jackson Hall, Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Allen Arena at Lipscomb University and the Two Rivers Baptist Church. The Opry returned to the Grand Ole Opry House on September 28, 2010 in a special edition of the Opry entitled Country Comes Home that was televised live on Great American Country. The evening was filled with one-of-a-kind Opry moments. Martina McBride and Connie Smith dueted on Smith's signature hit "Once A Day," and other collaborations included Dierks Bentley and Del McCoury ("Roll On Buddy, Roll On"), Josh Turner and Lorrie Morgan ("Golden Ring"), and Montgomery Gentry and Charlie Daniels Band ("Devil Went Down To Georgia"), among others. The show closed with an all-star guitar jam featuring Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Steve Wariner, Ricky Skaggs, and Marty Stuart.

Broadcasts

at the Opry in 2005]] The Grand Ole Opry is broadcast live on WSM-AM at 7 p.m. Central Time on Saturday nights. A similar program, the Friday Night Opry, airs live on Friday nights. From March through December, the Tuesday Night Opry is also aired live. A Wednesday Night Opry program was scheduled to debut in summer, 2010, but those plans were abandoned after the 2010 flooding.

The Opry can also be heard live on The Roadhouse (XM Satellite Radio channel 10, and Sirius channel 62). A condensed radio program, America's Opry Weekend, is syndicated to stations around the United States. The program is also streamed on WSM's website.

PBS televised live performances from 1978 to 1981. In 1985, The Nashville Network began airing an edited half-hour version of the program as Grand Ole Opry Live; the show moved to Country Music Television and CMT Canada in 2001 (expanding to an hour in the process), and then to the Great American Country (GAC) cable network in 2003. The television version on GAC (Opry Live on Saturdays) is currently on hiatus.

Membership

: See :Category:Grand Ole Opry members

, the oldest living Opry member, at Opry House in 2004. The circle of wood is from the Ryman Auditorium's stage.]]Being made a member of the Grand Ole Opry, country music's big house, the oldest, most enduring "hall of fame," is to be identified as a member of the elite of country music. In many ways, the artists and repertoire of the Opry defined American country music. Hundreds of performers have entertained as cast members through the years, including new stars, superstars and legends.

Opry membership is not only earned, but must be maintained throughout the artist's career. After artists die, they are no longer considered standing members of the Grand Ole Opry. However, their impact is often celebrated at special events, such as the 50th anniversary commemorating the death of Hank Williams in 2003, which featured performances from Hank Williams Jr. and his grandson, Hank Williams III.

Controversies

In the mid-1960s management decided to more strictly enforce the requirement that members must perform on at least 26 shows a year to keep their membership active. This imposed a tremendous financial hardship on members who made much of their income from touring and could not afford to be in or near Nashville every other weekend. This was aggravated by the fact that the Opry's appearance fee paid to the artist was essentially a token ($44 at the time). This requirement has been lessened over the years, but artists offered membership are expected to show a dedication to the Opry with frequent attendance.

Another controversy that raged for years was over allowable instrumentation, especially the use of drums and electrically amplified instruments. Some purists were appalled at the prospect; traditionally a string bass provided the rhythm component in country music and percussion instruments were seldom used. Electric amplification, then new, was regarded as the province of popular music and jazz in 1940s. Though the Opry allowed electric guitars and steel guitars by World War II, the no-drums/horns restrictions continued. They caused a conflict when Pee Wee King and then Bob Wills defied the show's ban on drums. The restrictions chafed many artists, such as Waylon Jennings, who were popular with the newer and younger fans. These restrictions were largely eliminated over time, alienating many older and traditionalist fans, but probably saving the Opry long-term as a viable ongoing enterprise.

Commercialization

Management has been very conscious of the need to enforce its trademark on the name "Grand Ole Opry" and limit use to members of the Opry and products associated with or licensed by it. However, it lost a legal case against the owners of a small, now-defunct Nashville record label calling itself Opry Records. The record company's attorneys successfully argued that WSM's management indeed owned the rights to the words Grand Ole Opry, but only in that order and combination, but no more owned the word "opry" in isolation than they owned "grand" or "ole". It allowed a plethora of small-time country music shows to label themselves as Oprys of one sort or another; such as the Bell Witch Opry, Carolina Opry, Ozark Opry, Current River Opry and Kentucky Opry. (Much the same thing happened when the Coca-Cola Company failed to trademark the term "cola.") The Grand Ole Opry has no association with any other "Opry" establishment.

In September 2004, it was announced that the Grand Ole Opry had contracted for the first time with a "presenting sponsor" and would henceforth be known as "the Grand Ole Opry presented by Cracker Barrel." Cracker Barrel, a long-time Opry sponsor headquartered in nearby Lebanon, Tennessee, is a chain of country-themed restaurants and gift shops whose market overlaps that of the Opry to a great extent. In 2009, Humana, Inc., an insurance company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, became the presenting sponsor of the Opry.

Honors

Peabody Award, 1983

Radio Hall of Fame induction, 1992

See also

Country Music Association

Country Music Hall of Fame

Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center

Notes

References

Hay, George D. A Story of the Grand Ole Opry. 1945.

Kingsbury, Paul (1998). "Grand Ole Opry". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 208–9.

Wolfe, Charles K. A Good-Natured Riot: The Birth of the Grand Ole Opry. Nashville: Country Music Foundation Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8265-1331-X.

External links

Opry.com

The Ryman Auditorium

Library of Congress Local Legacies Project: Grand Ole Opry

American Radio Works history of the Opry

Good Ole Days of the Grand Ole Opry - slideshow by Life magazine

Category:Gaylord Entertainment Company Category:1925 radio programme debuts Category:Culture of Nashville, Tennessee Category:Peabody Award winners Category:Tennessee culture Category:History of Tennessee Category:Landmarks in Tennessee Category:Radio programs on XM Radio Category:American country music radio programs Category:Country music television series

Name	Steve Martin
Caption	at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Birth name	Stephen Glenn Martin
Birth date	August 14, 1945
Birth place	Waco, Texas, United States
Medium	Stand-up, television, film, music, publishing
Nationality	American
Active	1967–present
Genre	Improvisational, sketch, slapstick
Influences	British television, Red Skelton, Jerry Lewis, Jack Benny, Laurel and Hardy, Wally Boag
Influenced	Eddie Izzard, Chris Rock, Judd Apatow, Patton Oswalt, Dane Cook, Brian Posehn, Bo Burnham, Will Forte, David Walliams, Sarah Silverman, Will Arnett, Jon Stewart, Harry Hill, Vic Reeves, Stephen Colbert, Louis C.K., Tina Fey, Russell Peters, Howie Mandel, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, Artie Lange
Spouse	Victoria Tennant (November 20, 1986–1994) Martin was raised in Inglewood, California, and then later in Garden Grove, California, in a Baptist family. One of his earliest memories is of seeing his father, as an extra, serving drinks onstage at the Call Board Theatre on Melrose Place. During World War II, in England, Martin's father had appeared in a production of Our Town with Raymond Massey. Years later, he would write to Massey for help in Steve's fledgling career, but would receive no reply. Expressing his affection through gifts of cars, bikes, etc., Martin's father was stern, not emotionally open to his son. Martin's first job was at Disneyland, selling guidebooks on weekends and full-time during the summer school break. That lasted for three years (1955–1958). During his free time he frequented the Main Street Magic shop, where tricks were demonstrated to potential customers. In his authorized biography, close friend Morris Walker suggests that Martin could "be described most accurately as an agnostic [...] he rarely went to church and was never involved in organized religion of his own volition".
|rowspan	2| Cameo
Colspan	"5" style="font-size:90%"|"—" denotes a title that did not chart.
Name	Martin, Steve
Alternative names	Martin, Stephen Glen
Short description	Comedian, writer, and entertainer
Date of birth	August 14, 1945
Place of birth	Waco, Texas, United States

Category:1945 births Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from Texas Category:American banjoists Category:American buskers Category:American comedy musicians Category:American dramatists and playwrights Category:American film actors Category:American memoirists Category:American screenwriters Category:American stand-up comedians Category:California State University, Long Beach alumni Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Living people Category:Mark Twain Prize recipients Category:People from Waco, Texas Category:People from Garden Grove, California Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners Category:People from Inglewood, California

Name	Porter Wagoner |
Landscape	|
Background	solo_singer |
Birth name	Porter Wayne Wagoner |
Alias	Mr. Grand Ole Opry |
Born	August 12, 1927 West Plains, Missouri, USA |
Died	October 28, 2007 Nashville, Tennessee, USA | | Instrument = acoustic guitar |
Genre	country music, gospel |
Occupation	country music singer and songwriter |
Years active	1951–2007 |
Label	RCA Victor (1951 – 1980) Shell Point (2000 – 2002) TeeVee (2003 – 2006) Anti (2007)
Associated acts	Norma Jean Dolly Parton|
Url	www.porterwagoner.com |
Past members	|
Notable instruments	|

Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. He introduced a young Dolly Parton on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet team throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. Known as Mr. Grand Ole Opry, Wagoner charted 81 singles from 1954–1983; and is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Biography

Early career

Wagoner's first band, The Blue Ridge Boys, performed on radio station KWPM-AM from a butcher shop in his native West Plains, Missouri where Wagoner cut meat. His big break came in 1951, when he was hired by Si Siman as a performer on KWTO-AM in Springfield, Missouri. This led to a contract with RCA Victor.

With lagging sales, Wagoner and his trio played schoolhouses for the gate proceeds; but in 1953, his song "Trademark" became a hit for Carl Smith, followed by a few hits of his own on RCA. Starting in 1955 he was a featured performer on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee in Springfield, Missouri. He often appeared on the show as part of the Porter Wagoner Trio with Don Warden and Speedy Haworth. Warden, on steel guitar, became Wagoner's long-time business manager. In 1957, Wagoner and Warden moved to Nashville, Tennessee, joining the Grand Ole Opry.

Wagoner's stage alter ego was Skid Row Joe. The cast included:

Singer Norma Jean (1960–1967)

Singer Dolly Parton (1967–1974)

Singer Mel Tillis

Comedian/stand-up bass Curly Harris (1960–mid-60s)

Comedian/stand-up bass Speck Rhodes (mid-1960s onward)

Announcer Don Howser

The house band, The Wagonmasters:

: Benny Williams on guitar : Buck Trent on banjo and guitar : George McCormick on rhythm guitar : Don Warden on steel guitar : "Little" Jack Little on drums : Mack Magaha on fiddle : Ray Downs on rhythm guitar and vocal : Michael Treadwell on bass guitar After 1974: : Fred Newell on banjo/guitar/mandolin : Dave Kirby on guitar : Stu Basor on steel guitar/dobro : Bobby Dyson on bass : Jerry Carey on drums : Mack Magaha on fiddle : Linda Carol Moore vocals

Later career

Wagoner brought James Brown to the Grand Ole Opry, produced a rhythm & blues album for Joe Simon, and appeared in the Clint Eastwood film Honkytonk Man. During the mid-1980s, Wagoner formed an all-girl group, The Right Combination, named after one of his hit records with Parton. He also hosted Opry Backstage during the 1990s on The Nashville Network. Though Parton's departure caused some animosity on both sides, the two reconciled in the late 1980s and appeared together a number of times in the following years; Parton inducted Wagoner into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002.

Wagoner made a guest appearance on the HBO comedy series Da Ali G Show in 2004, its second season, interviewed by Borat Sagdiyev.

On July 14, 2006, he underwent surgery for an abdominal aneurysm.

Wagoner was honored on May 19, 2007 at the Grand Ole Opry for both his 50 years of membership and his 80th birthday. It was telecast on GAC's Grand Ole Opry Live that day with artists such as Parton, Stuart and Patty Loveless. Grand Ole Opry Live host Nan Kelley was part of the birthday celebration as well.

On June 5, 2007, Wagoner released his final album called Wagonmaster. The album was produced by Marty Stuart for the Anti- label. The album received the best reviews of Wagoner's career and briefly charted on the country charts. He also toured during the summer of 2007 to promote the album. One of these was to open for the rock group The White Stripes at a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Family

Wagoner was married twice, to Velma Johnson for less than a year in 1943, and then to Ruth Olive Williams from 1946 to 1986, though they separated 20 years before the divorce. He was survived by his three children, Richard, Denise and Debra.

Death

Until his illness and death, Wagoner appeared regularly on the Grand Ole Opry and toured actively. He died from lung cancer in Nashville on October 28, 2007. Wagoner's funeral was held November 1, 2007 at the Grand Ole Opry House. He is buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville.

Dolly Parton performed a concert at her Tennessee theme park, Dollywood, in his memory after his death.

Porter Wagoner Boulevard in his native West Plains, Missouri is named in his honor.

Discography

Awards

References

External links

Official Web site

Porter Wagoner MySpace page

Porter Wagoner at the Country Music Hall of Fame

Porter Wagoner obituary

Porter Wagoner obituary in The New York Times

Category:1927 births Category:2007 deaths Category:Deaths from lung cancer Category:Musicians from Missouri Category:Grammy Award winners Category:American male singers Category:American country singers Category:Country music television series Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:People from Howell County, Missouri Category:Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Cancer deaths in Tennessee

Name	June Carter Cash
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	June Valerie Carter
Born	June 23, 1929
Died	May 15, 2003Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Origin	Scott County, Virginia, USA
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica, autoharp
Genre	Country
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress, dancer, comedienne
Years active	1939–2003
Spouse	Johnny Cash
Associated acts	Carter Family, Johnny Cash

June Valerie Carter Cash (June 23, 1929 – May 15, 2003) was a singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash. She played the guitar, banjo, harmonica, and autoharp and acted in several films and television shows.

Biography

Early life

June Carter Cash was born Valerie June Carter in Maces Spring, Virginia to Maybelle Carter and Ezra Carter. She was born into country music and performed with the Carter Family from the young age of ten, beginning in 1939. In March 1943, when the Carter Family trio stopped recording together after the WBT contract, Maybelle Carter, with encouragement from her husband Ezra, formed "Mother Maybelle & the Carter Sisters" with her daughters, Helen, Anita, and June. The new group first aired on radio station WRTD in Richmond, Virginia, on June 1. Doc (Addington) and Carl (McConnell)—Maybelle's brother and cousin, respectively—joined them in late 1945. June, then 16, was a co-announcer with Ken Allyn and did the commercials on the radio shows for "Red Star Flour", "Martha White," and "Thalhimers Department Store", just to name a few. For the next year, the Carters and Doc and Carl did show dates within driving range of Richmond, through Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. June later said she had to work harder at her music than her sisters, but she had her own special talent—comedy. A highlight of the road shows was her "Aunt Polly" comedy routine. Carl McConnell wrote in his memoirs that June was "a natural born clown, if there ever was one." She attended John Marshall High School during this period.

In the late 1940s, Maybelle & The Carter Sisters, along with their lead guitarist, a young Chet Atkins, were living in Springfield, Missouri, and performing regularly at KWTO. Ezra "Eck" Carter, Maybelle's husband and manager of group, steadfastly declined numerous offers from the Grand Ole Opry to move the act to Nashville, Tennessee, because the Opry would not permit Atkins to accompany the group onstage. Atkins's reputation as a guitar player had begun to spread, and studio musicians were fearful that he would displace them as a 'first-call' player if he came to Nashville. Finally, in 1950, Opry management relented and the group, along with Atkins, became part of the Opry company. Here the family befriended Hank Williams and Elvis Presley (to whom they were distantly related), and June met Johnny Cash.

With her thin and lanky frame, June Carter often played a comedic foil during the group's performances alongside other Opry stars Faron Young and Webb Pierce.

Career highlights

June Carter Cash is best known for singing and songwriting, but she was also an author, actress, comedienne, philanthropist and humanitarian. Director Elia Kazan saw her perform at the Grand Ole Opry in 1955 and encouraged her to study acting. She studied with Lee Strasberg and Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. Her acting roles included Mrs. "Momma" Dewey in Robert Duvall's 1998 movie The Apostle, Sister Ruth, wife to Johnny Cash's character Kid Cole, on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993–1997), and Clarise on Gunsmoke in 1957. June was also "Momma James" in The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James.

As a singer, she had both a solo career and a career singing with first her family and later her husband. As a solo artist, she became somewhat successful with upbeat country tunes of the 1950s like "Jukebox Blues" and, with her exaggerated breaths, the comedic hit "No Swallerin' Place" by Frank Loesser. June also recorded "The Heel" in the 1960s along with many other songs. She won a Grammy award in 1999 for her solo album, Press On. Her last album, Wildwood Flower, was released posthumously in 2003 and won two additional Grammys. It contains bonus video enhancements showing extracts from the film of the recording sessions, which took place at the Carter Family estate in Hiltons, Virginia, on September 18–20, 2002. The songs on the album include "Big Yellow Peaches," "Sinking in the Lonesome Sea," "Temptation" and the trademark staple "Wildwood Flower".

Her autobiography was published in 1979, and she wrote a memoir, From the Heart, almost 10 years later.

Carter was a longtime supporter of SOS Children's Villages. In 1974 the Cashes donated money to help build a village near their home in Barrett Town, Jamaica, which they visited frequently, playing the guitar and singing songs to the children in the village.

Death

June Carter Cash died in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 15, 2003, of complications following heart valve replacement surgery, in the company of her family and her husband of 35 years, Johnny Cash who died less than four months later on September 12, 2003. At Carter's funeral, her stepdaughter, Rosanne Cash, stated that "if being a wife were a corporation, June would have been a CEO. It was her most treasured role." June and Johnny Cash are buried in Hendersonville Memory Gardens near their home in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Awards

In 1999, she won a Grammy Award for her album Press On. Her last album, Wildwood Flower, was released posthumously in 2003 and won two additional Grammys. She ranked #31 in CMT's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music in 2002. She was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

Film portrayal

June Carter was played by Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line, a 2005 biopic of Johnny Cash (played by Joaquin Phoenix). The film largely focuses on the development of their relationship over the course of 13 years, from their first meeting to her finally accepting his proposal for marriage. Witherspoon's portrayal led her to receive many awards for her role, including an Academy Award for Best Actress and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Witherspoon also performed all vocals for the role, singing many of June's famous songs, including "Juke Box Blues" and "Jackson" with Phoenix.

Discography

Albums

Albums with Johnny Cash

Singles

Singles with Johnny Cash

See also

Walk the Line

Notes

References

Carter, Jimmy, ''Public papers of the presidents of the United States: Jimmy Carter, 1977, Government Printing Office, 1978

Cash, June Carter. Among My Klediments. Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 1979. ISBN 0-310-38170-3.

Dawidoff, Nicholas. In the Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music. Vintage Books, 1998. ISBN 0-375-70082-X.

McConnell, Carl P. A Brief History of My Family and an Autobiographical Sketch of My Musical Life. January 24, 1976. Background for liner notes for a Doc and Carl album recorded at Johnny Cash's Nashville studio.

Zwonitzer, Mark, with Charles Hirschberg. Will you miss me when I'm gone? : the Carter Family and their legacy in American music. New York Simon & Schuster, 2002.

External links

Keep on the Sunnyside: June Carter Cash Remembered

June Carter Cash Forum

at Yahoo! Music

A.P. Carter Museum

Friends of the Carter Family Fold

Category:1929 births Category:2003 deaths Category:People from Scott County, Virginia Category:Deaths from surgical complications Category:American country singers Category:American female singers Category:American banjoists Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American female guitarists Category:Burials in Tennessee Category:Carter family Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Autoharp players Category:People from Nashville, Tennessee Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:Liberty Records artists Category:Johnny Cash

Name	John Conlee
Background	solo_singer
Born	August 11, 1946
Origin	Versailles, Kentucky, USA
Instrument	Vocals
Genre	Country
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1978–present
Label	ABC, MCA Nashville, Columbia, 16th Avenue
Associated acts	Bud Logan
Url	www.johnconlee.com

John Conlee (born August 11, 1946, in Versailles, Kentucky) is an American country music singer. Between 1978 and 2004, Conlee charted a total of thirty-two singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and recorded eleven studio albums. His singles include seven Number One hits: "Rose Colored Glasses","Lady Lay Down," "Backside of Thirty," "Common Man," "I'm Only in It for the Love," "In My Eyes," "As Long As I'm Rockin' with You" and "Got My Heart Set on You." Besides these, Conlee has sent fourteen other songs into the Top Ten.

Biography

John Conlee was born August 11, 1946, on a tobacco farm in Versailles, Kentucky. By age 10, Conlee had begun singing and playing guitar, and later sang tenor in a barbershop quartet. Conlee did not immediately take up a musical career, instead becoming a licensed mortician, ! width="50"|CAN Country |- | rowspan="2"|1978 | "Rose Colored Glasses" | align="center"|5 | align="center"|6 | rowspan="3"|Rose Colored Glasses |- | "Lady Lay Down" | align="center"|1 | align="center"|2 |- | rowspan="2"|1979 | "Backside of Thirty" | align="center"|1 | align="center"|5 |- | "Before My Time" | align="center"|2 | align="center"|1 | rowspan="2"|Forever |- | rowspan="3"|1980 | "Baby You're Something" | align="center"|7 | align="center"|7 |- | "Friday Night Blues" | align="center"|2 | align="center"|3 | rowspan="3"|Friday Night Blues |- | "She Can't Say That Anymore" | align="center"|2 | align="center"|11 |- | rowspan="3"|1981 | "What I Had With You" | align="center"|12 | align="center"|15 |- | "Could You Love Me (One More Time)" | align="center"|26 | align="center"|37 | rowspan="2"|With Love |- | "Miss Emily's Picture" | align="center"|2 | align="center"|7 |- | rowspan="3"|1982 | "Busted" | align="center"|6 | align="center"|5 | rowspan="4"|Busted |- | "Nothing Behind You, Nothing in Sight" | align="center"|26 | align="center"|36 |- | "I Don't Remember Loving You" | align="center"|10 | align="center"|3 |- | rowspan="3"|1983 | "Common Man" | align="center"|1 | align="center"|1 |- | "I'm Only in It for the Love" | align="center"|1 | align="center"|2 | rowspan="4"|In My Eyes |- | "In My Eyes" | align="center"|1 | align="center"|2 |- | rowspan="3"|1984 | "As Long As I'm Rockin' with You" | align="center"|1 | align="center"|1 |- | "Way Back" | align="center"|4 | align="center"|2 |- | "Years After You" | align="center"|2 | align="center"|2 | rowspan="3"|Blue Highway |- | rowspan="3"|1985 | "Working Man" | align="center"|7 | align="center"|6 |- | "Blue Highway" | align="center"|15 | align="center"|13 |- | "Old School" | align="center"|5 | align="center"|6 | Greatest Hits Vol. 2 |- | rowspan="3"|1986 | "Harmony" | align="center"|10 | align="center"|19 | rowspan="3"|Harmony |- | "Got My Heart Set on You" | align="center"|1 | align="center"|1 |- | "The Carpenter" | align="center"|6 | align="center"|1 |- | rowspan="3"|1987 | "Domestic Life" | align="center"|4 | align="center"|5 | rowspan="3"|American Faces |- | "Mama's Rockin' Chair" | align="center"|11 | align="center"|7 |- | "Living Like There's No Tomorrow" | align="center"|55 | align="center"|— |- | 1988 | "Hit the Ground Runnin'" | align="center"|43 | align="center"|— | rowspan="3"|Fellow Travelers |- | rowspan="2"|1989 | "Fellow Travelers" | align="center"|48 | align="center"|54 |- | "Hopelessly Yours" | align="center"|67 | align="center"|— |- | 1990 | "Doghouse" | align="center"|61 | align="center"|— | single only |}

References

Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:American country singers Category:American male singers Category:MCA Records artists Category:Musicians from Kentucky Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:People from Woodford County, Kentucky

Name	Jeannie Seely
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Marilyn Jeanne Seely
Alias	Miss Country Soul
Born	July 06, 1940
Origin	Titusville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genre	Country, Nashville Sound, Bluegrass
Occupation	Singer, Songwriter, Actress
Years active	1966–present
Label	Monument Records Decca Records MCA Records Columbia Records
Associated acts	Jack Greene, Jan Howard, Dottie West, Connie Smith, Skeeter Davis, Dolly Parton
Url	Jeannie Seely Official Site

Jeannie Seely (born Marilyn Jeanne Seely July 6, 1940 in Titusville, Pennsylvania) is an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry star. She is best-known for her 1966 Grammy award-winning Country hit, "Don't Touch Me", which peaked at No. 2 on the country charts.

Seely has produced numerous country hits, from the 60s into the mid-70s, including duets with Jack Greene like 1969's "I Wish I Didn't Have to Miss You". Seely has befriended many country singers, including Jan Howard and Dottie West.

Biography & career

Early Life & Rise to Fame

Seely was born in Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1940. She was the youngest of four children. Growing, up Seely, along with her siblings and parents lived in a two-story farmhouse which still exists today in her hometown. Her musical influences partially came from her parents, Leo and Irene. Leo played the banjo on the weekends and also called local square dances. Seely's mother, Irene sang with her daughter every Saturday morning while they baked bread together. She started listening to the weekly broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry at age 11. By the time she was 16, Seely appeared on a television station, "WICU" in Erie, Pennsylvania. While in high school, she was an honors student and was also a cheerleader. After she graduated high school in 1958, Seely worked in her hometown's bank. She also did night courses at America's Institute of Banking. At age 21, Seely packed up everything she owned and moved out to California. She first started working at a Beverly Hills bank, but left after a year and worked for half the money as a secretary at Liberty and Imperial Records in Hollywood, California.

Seely also at this time started working for Four Star Records (a record company Patsy Cline once recorded for), where she began her career as a songwriter. The R&B; artist Irma Thomas recorded one of her songs called "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is", that became a big Pop hit for her. Seely also appeared as a regular act on the program Hollywood Jamboree with Glen Campbell, who was a rising Country Music star at the time. Finally, Seely got a recording contract of her own from Challenge Records. Songwriter, Hank Cochran was impressed with Seely's talents and though she should move to Nashville to peruse a career in Country Music, but Seely didn't think she was ready yet. Upon the encouragement of Country singer Dottie West (who also recorded one of her songs), she finally took Cochran's advice in 1965 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

The Success of "Don't Touch Me"

Upon arriving to Nashville, she was hired to fill in for Norma Jean on Porter Wagoner's road show and television series. Seely was also looking for a record label to sing with. Seely was initially turned down by every record label in town; however one record label (Monument Records) offered Seely a recording contract in early 1966. She was soon recording in the studio by March. One of the first songs recorded then was her husband's self-penned, "Don't Touch Me". The song was then released and turned brought Seely her first major success country singles chart. The song peaked at the No. 2 position on the Billboard Country charts and stayed there for three weeks, however on all the other major country charts (Cashbox, Record World), the song hit No. 1.; it remained on the charts for over five months. The song even climbed into the lower regions of the pop singles charts, peaking at No. 85. Because of the success of "Don't Touch Me", Seely was invited to perform on the Grand Ole Opry that June. She also won Billboard's, Cashbox's, and Record World's "Most Promising Female Artist Award". In March 1967, Seely won the Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Don't Touch Me", becoming only the third female country singer to win the award. That year, an album was released titled, The Seely Style, which featured "Don't Touch Me". In September, 1967 Seely joined the Grand Ole Opry, a lifelong dream of hers, where today she still remains a member.

Following her breakthrough hit's success, Seely released a follow-up single titled "It's Only Love", from her first album. The song proved a solid follow-up, making the Top 15 on the Country charts at No. 15. The next year, Seely had two other Top 40 Country hits from her next album, Thanks! Hank, one of which hit the Top 20 called "A Wanderin' Man". For the rest of the decade, Seely enjoyed only one other Top 10, titled, "I'll Love You More (Than You'll Ever Need)" in 1968. Another album released in 1968, titled, "Little Things" produced a Top 30 hit, "Welcome Home to Nothing". Seely only stayed under Monument until late 1968, before switching over to Decca records in 1969.

For several years Jeannie was married to Hank Cochran, the writer of such songs as “Make the World Go Away”, “She's Got You”, “I Fall to Pieces”, “The Chair”, and “Ocean Front Property”. The marriage – the only for Jeannie but the fourth for Hank – finally ended in a divorce.

Success With Jack Greene in the 70s & Revitalizing Her Solo Career

While moving over to Decca in 1969, Seely teamed up with fellow Country star, Jack Greene. Together they recorded a single ("I Wish I Didn't Have to Miss You") and an album (Jack Greene/Jeannie Seely). Their single hit No. 2 on the Billboard Country charts in 1970 and No. 1 on all the other major Country charts, making the duo one of the most successful duet pairings of the early 1970s. Their road shows were also successful, and gave both singers' careers a boost. In 1972, they released a new album entitled, Two for the Show. Two singles from the album hit the Top 20 on the Country charts, starting with "Much Oblige", followed by "What in the World Has Gone Wrong With Our Love". The duo has been nominated for the CMA Awards' Vocal Duo of the Year as well as various Grammy award nominations. Together they toured for ten years performing everywhere from New York's Madison Square Garden to London's Wembley Arena, most often in country music "package shows."

A long list of artists – including Dottie West, Norma Jean, Tex Williams, Lorrie Morgan, Jack Greene, Connie Smith, and Doyle Lawson – have recorded compositions written by Jeannie. In 1972, Faron Young took “Leavin’ And Sayin’ Goodbye” to the No. 1 position, earning Jeannie a BMI Songwriter’s Award.

After being successfully paired with Jack Greene, Seely saw the time to take note to revitalizing her career as a solo artist. In 1973, Decca then became MCA records. Under MCA, she recorded a new album, titled Can I Sleep in Your Arms/Lucky Ladies, the name of two singles to be released by Seely between 1973 and 1974. The first single was released in 1973, which was "Can I Sleep in Your Arms". The song was well-liked by Country radio, and peaked in the Top10 at No. 6, just missing the Top 5 spot. "Can I Sleep in Your Arms" was originally derived from an old hobo lament titled, "Can I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight". The follow-up to the Top 10 came with "Lucky Ladies" in 1974, which came close to hitting the Top 10, peaking in the Top 15. "Lucky Ladies" was also derived from another song. Seely transformed an old Appalachian ballad titled "Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies" to "Lucky Ladies". While under MCA, Seely's material got more sexual and riskier like 1975's "First Time" and 1976's "Since I Met You Boy". In early 1977, Seely switched labels again, this time to Columbia records.

After just getting started under a new record company, Seely was involved in a serious near-fatal automobile accident in 1977, which almost caused her career to come abruptly to an end. Because of the support of friends and family, most notably good friend Dottie West, Seely was able to recover and return to touring and performing. (Ironically in August 1991, West would too be involved in a serious automobile accident, which would ultimately claim her life.) Today, Seely greatly misses West, and she was played by Cathy Worthington in the TV-movie about West's life in 1995, titled , starring Michele Lee. By late 1977, Seely's chart success was already fading from the public view. Her last record to hit the national charts came later that year, with the song, "Take Me to Bed".

Later Careers & Life Today

In the early 1980s, Seely continued to record and perform. She served as an opening act for Willie Nelson's road show, and also appeared in his film Honeysuckle Rose, and also recorded for the soundtrack, which eventually received a "Platinum" rating by the RIAA. Seely also became the first female Country singer to host half-hour segments of the Grand Ole Opry, first starting in 1985, when Country singer Del Reeves was caught in a snowstorm. In the late-80s, Seely played various acting roles. She played "Miss Mona" in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas play as well as playing Jean Shepard's daughter and Lorrie Morgan's mother in the Country music musical Takin' It Home. In 1988, she also published her own book, titled Pieces of a Puzzled Mind. In the early 90s, Seely continued to try new things, including playing Danny Shirley's mother in the music video for Confederate Railroad's 1993 No. 1 hit, "Trashy Woman". Seely has also played at Dolly Parton's "Dollywood" and served as Brad Paisley's date for the 2000 CMA awards show. Lorrie Morgan has also recorded one of Seely's compositions for her 1997 album, Shakin' Things Up. Morgan credits Seely to be one of the biggest inspirations to her career, and even refers to her as a second mother.

In 2003, Seely appeared in the movie Changing Hearts starring Faye Dunaway. Fellow Country singers and friends Rita Coolidge and Jan Howard also appeared in the movie. In Fall 2003, Seely released a new album, which was marketed towards Bluegrass music titled Life's Highway, which received high critical acclaim. Today, Jeannie Seely still remains a member of the Grand Ole Opry and lives close by the Opry in a house by the Cumberland River that was renovated and decorated by Seely herself.

On Monday, May 3, 2010, Seely posted on her official Facebook page that she had lost her home along Nashville's Cumberland River, car, clothes and personal possessions as a result of the 2010 Nashville Flood. Seely and her dog, Cheyenne, sought refuge at a friends.

On Saturday, November 10, 2010, Jeannie Seely married attorney, Gene Ward.

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Jeannie Seely's Official Website

Jeannie Seely at CMT.com

Members of the Grand Ole Opry: Jeannie Seely at Opry.com

Category:1940 births Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:American female singers Category:American country singers Category:People from Crawford County, Pennsylvania Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:Challenge Records artists

Name	Jason McCoy
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Jason Dwight Campsall
Born	August 27, 1970
Origin	Anten Mills, Ontario, Canada
Instruments	GuitarVocals
Genre	Country
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1989–present
Label	Airstrip MusicMCA CanadaUniversalOpen Road Recordings
Associated acts	The Road Hammers
Url	www.jasonmccoy.com

Jason McCoy (born Jason Dwight Campsall, August 27, 1970 in Barrie, Ontario) is a Canadian singer/songwriter who performs country music.

He was born in Barrie, Ontario and was raised for a time in Camrose, Alberta before his family settled in Anten Mills, Ontario.

He has won many awards including the 2001 Male Vocalist of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Awards, 3 SOCAN Song of the Year awards, 19 CCMA nominations and 5 Juno nominations (all for Best Country Male Vocalist). He also won 6 awards at the 2004 Ontario Country Performer and Fan Association awards. In 2006, he was awarded with the Global Artist Award at the CMA Awards in Nashville.

McCoy is also one of the three members of the group The Road Hammers, which has released two studio albums, in addition to charting four singles in Canada and one in the United States.

Biography

At around the age of 5, his family moved to Camrose, Alberta, returning three years later. "The cowboy culture really stuck with me. I just fell in love with the music. For some reason, as a little kid, I had some sort of connection with these guys who were singing about these depressing things," McCoy said, citing Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash to lesser known artists like Ed Bruce and Wynn Stewart. "I just didn't have a voice for rock 'n' roll." Jason started playing guitar at age 7 and wrote his first song when he was 12.

In his teens, Jason owned a rock 'n' roll guitar and was partial to AC/DC. In the 1980s, he joined a band called Three Quarter Country, which performed at legions, Saturday night dances, and clubs in Barrie, Midland, Orillia and other small towns. Jason won a talent contest in Toronto in 1988, allowing him to travel to Nashville to record an album with Ray Griff. He later signed with MCA Records in 1995.

On May 1, 1999, he married his long time love, Terrine Barnes. Their daughter, Grace Margaret McCoy, was born June 21, 2006.

McCoy is a member of the country-rock group The Road Hammers, which also features musicians Clayton Bellamy, Chris Byrne, and no longer Corbett Frasz. While it seems the majority of his time is going towards The Road Hammers, he is still maintaining a solo career.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Music videos

Awards

6 2004 OCPFA Awards

1 Gold album (Playin' for Keeps)

19 CCMA Award Nominations

5 time Juno Award Male Country Vocalist of the Year Nominee

Global Artist of the Year in 2006 for the CMA Awards

References

http://www.countryeh.com/Volumes/Dec2006Issue.pdf

External links

Official Site

The Road Hammers Official

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian country singers Category:Canadian male singers Category:Open Road Recordings artists Category:MCA Records artists

Name	Hank Williams III
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Shelton Hank Williams III
Born	December 12, 1972Nashville, Tennessee|
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass, drums Keyboards
Genre	Alt-country
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, drummer
Years active	1991–present
Label	Curb Records, Sanctuary Records, Bruc Records, Sidewalk Records
Associated acts	AssjackArson AnthemSuperjoint RitualWhipping PostBedwetterSalidaBuzzKill
Url	Official Website
Notable instruments	"Last Badass Gibson ES-175 Guild Acoustics and Nightbird Solidbody Fryette Pitbull Crate BV300H Randall RG100

Shelton Hank Williams III, known as Hank 3 (born December 12, 1972), is a musician in Americana, Neotraditional Country, alt.country, cowpunk, Southern rock, hellbilly, psychobilly, sludge metal, hardcore genres. The grandson of country music legend Hank Williams and the son of Hank Williams Jr., he is one of the most prominent musicians to play neotraditional country in a country music market dominated by pop country. In addition to his honky tonk recordings, Williams' style alternates between punk and metal. He is the principal member of the punk metal band Assjack, the drummer for the Southern hardcore punk band Arson Anthem, and was the bassist for Pantera singer Phil Anselmo's band Superjoint Ritual.

In his career, he has released seven studio albums, including five for Curb Records.

Career

Hank Williams III spent much of his early career playing drums in punk rock bands with his good friend Fart Lips during the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s.

Three years after a one night stand in 1995, Hank Williams III was served papers on stage while opening up for the underground band Buzzov•en. The judge told Williams that playing music was no real job and to come up with $60,000 in overdue child support. To avoid being branded as a deadbeat dad, Williams signed a contract with Nashville, Tennessee, music industry giant Curb Records to pay off the debt. was issued shortly thereafter, which spliced together recordings to make it seem that three generations of Williams men were singing alongside one another. In the late 1980s, upon first meeting Hank Williams III, Minnie Pearl, a friend of the late Hank Williams Sr., reportedly said "Lord, honey, you're a ghost," as she was astonished by his striking resemblance to his grandfather.

Hank Williams III first solo album, Risin' Outlaw, was released in September 1999 to respectable sales and strong reviews. While his name (and his uncanny vocal and physical resemblances to his grandfather) could have guaranteed Williams a thriving country audience, he had little patience for the often predictable Nashville sound, nor for even the minimal constraints on behavior his promoters required. His opinions on this subject are well summed up in his songs "Trashville" and "Dick in Dixie."

Williams' live shows typically follow a Jekyll and Hyde format: a country music set featuring fiddle player Adam McOwen and slide guitar player Andy Gibson, followed by a hellbilly set, and then an Assjack set. He plays both the country and the psychobilly with his "Damn Band." Assjack produces a very different sound than either, mixing heavy doses of metalcore, psychobilly, and hardcore punk.

The lineup for Assjack includes the addition of supplemental vocalist Gary Lindsey, bassist Zach Shedd switching from upright to electric bass, and the departure of his fiddle and slide guitar players. McOwen's predecessor was fellow-fiddle-player Michael "Fiddleboy" McCanless, who would play all three sets, adding traditional violin for the country set of the concert before plugging his instrument into an amplifier and distortion unit for later sets. Another former band member was guitarist Duane Denison, previously with The Jesus Lizard, who left The Damn Band and Assjack in January 2001 and later that year formed Tomahawk.

Williams has had significant contractual conflicts with Curb Records. He expressed dissatisfaction with his debut, and reportedly the label was unwilling to release his appropriately named This Ain't Country LP, nor to allow him to issue it on another record label. In response, Williams began making t-shirts stating "Fuck Curb." Also during this era, Williams played bass guitar in heavy metal band Superjoint Ritual, a now-defunct band led by former Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo'

In late 2004, Thrown Out of the Bar was slated for release, but Curb opted not to issue it. Williams and label executive Mike Curb would be in and out of court for the next year before a judge ruled in favor of Williams in the spring of 2005, demanding that Curb release the album. Shortly thereafter Williams and Curb came to terms, and Williams dropped his "Fuck Curb" campaign. Bar was reworked into Straight to Hell, released on Curb’s rock imprint, Bruc. Battles with Wal-Mart delayed the appearance of this album, which was released on February 28, 2006 as a two-disc set in two formats: a censored version (for Wal-Mart), and an uncensored version that was the first major-label country album ever to bear a parental advisory warning. One of the songs, "Pills I Took", was written by a little-known Wisconsin group called Those Poor Bastards, who originally released the song on their 2004 CD Country Bullshit.

Hank III has recently played drums for Arson Anthem, formed with Phil Anselmo and Mike Williams of the sludge band Eyehategod.

Also, Hank III released his long awaited punk-metal album AssJack on August 4, 2009.

His next album, Rebel Within, was released in May 2010. Rebel Within was the last album by Williams to be released on Curb Records. It charted at number 20 in Billboard magazine. A forthcoming album by Hank III is due for release in 2011; he will self-release the album.

References

External links

Official Website

Hank III Interview on AmericanaRoots.com

Hank III interviews, videos & message board on Hankville.com

Category:Living people Category:1972 births Category:American alternative country singers Category:American country guitarists Category:American country singers Category:American heavy metal bass guitarists Category:American heavy metal singers Category:American punk rock bass guitarists Category:American punk rock drummers Category:American punk rock guitarists Category:American punk rock singers Category:Cowpunk Category:Curb Records artists Category:Musicians from Tennessee Category:People from Nashville, Tennessee

Name	Garth Brooks
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Troyal Garth Brooks
Spouse	Trish Yearwood
Born	February 07, 1962Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano, saxophone, harmonica
Genre	Country, country rock, country pop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1984–2001, 2009–present
Label	Capitol Nashville, Liberty, Big Machine / Pearl
Associated acts	Chris Gaines, Trisha Yearwood, Steve Wariner, George Jones, Huey Lewis, Chris LeDoux, George Strait
Url

Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962), best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at #2 in the US country album chart while climbing to #13 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart. Brooks' integration of rock elements into his recordings and live performances has earned him immense popularity. This progressive approach allowed him to dominate the country single and album charts while quickly crossing over into the mainstream pop arena, exposing country music to a larger audience.

Brooks, with the assistance of Don Rowley and Britt Jones, has enjoyed one of the most successful careers in popular music history, breaking records for both sales and concert attendance throughout the 1990s. Garth Brooks still continues to sell well and according to Nielsen Soundscan, his albums sales through end 2010 are at 68,513,000, which makes him the best-selling albums artist in the United States in the SoundScan era (since 1991), a title held since 1991, well over 6 million ahead of his nearest rival, The Beatles. Furthermore, according to RIAA he is the second best-selling solo albums artist in the United States of all time behind Elvis Presley (overall is third to the Beatles and Elvis Presley) with 128 million units sold. Brooks has released six albums that achieved diamond status in the United States, those being: Garth Brooks (10× platinum), No Fences (17× platinum), Ropin' the Wind (14× platinum), The Hits (10× platinum), Sevens (10× platinum) and Double Live (21× platinum). Since 1989, Brooks has released 19 records in all, which include; 9 studio albums, 1 live album, 4 compilation albums, 3 Christmas albums and 2 box sets, along with 77 singles. He won several important awards in his career as 2 Grammy Awards, 16 American Music Awards (not including the poll of "Artist of the '90s") and the RIAA Award as Best selling solo albums artist of the Century in the United States. As of 2010, Brooks' world-wide sales now exceed 200 million .

Troubled by conflicts between career and family, Brooks officially retired from recording and performing from 2001 until 2009. This was the second marriage for each of his parents, giving Garth four older half-siblings (Jim, Jerry, Mike, and Betsy). The couple had two children together, Kelly and Garth. At their home in Yukon, Oklahoma, the family hosted weekly talent nights. All of the children were required to participate, either by singing or doing skits. Brooks learned to play both the guitar and banjo.

As a child, he often sang in casual family settings but his primary focus was athletics. In high school, he played American football and baseball and ran track and field. He received a track scholarship to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, where he competed in the javelin. Brooks graduated in 1984 with a degree in advertising. Brooks traveled to Nashville to pursue a recording contract; he returned to Oklahoma within 24 hours. Phelps continued to urge Brooks to return to Nashville, which he did. In 1986, Brooks married Sandy Mahl, whom he had met while working as a bouncer. In 1987, the couple moved to Nashville, and Brooks began making contacts in the music industry. The couple later had three daughters: Taylor Mayne Pearl (born 1992), August Anna (born 1994) and Allie Colleen (born 1996). The couple divorced in 1999. Garth Brooks remarried on December 10, 2005 to Trisha Yearwood, a leading country singer. The album also reached #3 on the pop chart, and eventually became Brooks's highest-selling album, with domestic shipments of 17 million. It contained what would become Brooks's signature song, the blue collar anthem "Friends in Low Places", as well as two other Brooks classics, the dramatic and controversial "The Thunder Rolls" and the philosophically ironic "Unanswered Prayers". Each of these songs, as well as the affectionate "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House", reached #1 on the country chart. Similarly, Brooks was influenced by the operatic rock of the 1970s-era Freddie Mercury, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen. In his highly successful live shows, Brooks used a wireless headset microphone to free himself to run about the stage, adding energy and arena rock theatrics to spice up the normally staid country music approach to concerts. The hard rock band Kiss was also one of his earliest grade school musical influences and his shows often reflected this. Brooks said that the style of his show was inspired mostly by Chris LeDoux.

1991–93: Ropin' the Wind and The Chase

Brooks's third album, Ropin' the Wind, released in September 1991, had advance orders of 4 million copies and entered the pop album charts at #1, a first for a country act.

After spending time in Los Angeles during the 1992 riots, Brooks co-wrote the gospel-country-rock hybrid "We Shall Be Free" to express his desire for tolerance. The song became the first single off his fourth album The Chase. It only reached #12 on the country chart, his first song in three years to fail to make the top ten. Nevertheless, the song often received standing ovations when performed in concert, went to #22 in the Christian charts through a marketing deal with Rick Hendrix Company, and earned Brooks a 1993 GLAAD Media Award.

1993–94: In Pieces

In 1993, Garth Brooks, who had criticized music stores which sold used CDs since it led to a loss in royalty payments, persuaded Capitol Records not to ship his August 1993 album In Pieces to stores which engaged in this practice. This led to several anti-trust lawsuits against the record label and ended with Capitol shipping the CDs to the stores after all.

Despite the delay in shipping the album to certain stores, In Pieces was another instant No. 1 success, selling a total of about 10 million copies worldwide. Some of his fans were upset, however, that the album was not released simultaneously around the world. In the United Kingdom, one of Brooks's most committed fan bases outside the United States, country music disc jockeys, such as Martin Campbell and John Wellington, noted that many fans were buying the album on import. This made it the first album to debut in the top 10 of the UK Country album charts before its official release date. Once officially released there, in 1994, the album reached the top spot on the UK Country chart and number two on the UK pop albums chart. That same year "The Red Strokes" became Brooks's first single to make the pop top 40 in the UK, reaching a high of No. 13; it was followed by "Standing Outside The Fire", which reached No. 23. Previous albums No Fences, Ropin' The Wind and The Chase also remained in the top 30 in the UK.

To support the album, Brooks embarked on a 1994 UK tour, selling out venues such as Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre and London's Wembley Arena. He opened the London radio station, Country 1035 and made a number of general television and radio appearances, where he was often mocked by the presenters. On ITV's regional news show London Tonight, Brooks was described as "a top-selling, rooting tooting, cotton picking, Country and Western star, yeeha!" The nationwide Big Breakfast show's presenters Chris Evans and Paula Yates, commented that "He's selling more records than anyone in the world, but none of us have ever heard of him." Yates then told Brooks that, "Country singers always seem to be weeping over the dead dog and things," and also remarked, "I thought you'd come in here and twiddle your pistol around and be impressed." Although Brooks remained polite, he did observe that Yates was obviously unfamiliar with modern country music. Scores of Brooks fans later wrote to complain about his treatment on the show. Sometime after this, Dwight Yoakam appeared on the same show and after Yates told him, "You seem different from other country singers we've had on the show," Yoakam replied, "What? All two of us?"

Despite the disdain of the British media, Brooks's overall popularity in the country was evident, with a top disc jockey, Nick Barraclough, referring to Brooks as Garth Vader (a play on Darth Vader) for his "invasion" of the charts and his success as an icon of the country genre. Unlike Alan Jackson, who refused to return to the UK after being treated in a similar manner by the press, Brooks returned in 1996 for more sold-out concerts, although this time his media appearances were mostly restricted to country radio and interviews with magazines.

Elsewhere in the world Brooks was also considered a star, and he enjoyed hit records and sell-out tours in countries including Brazil, throughout Europe, the Far East, New Zealand, and Australia.

In 1994 Brooks paid homage to one of his musical influences when he appeared on the hard rock compilation , a collection of Kiss cover songs by popular artists from all genres. As the only country performer to participate, some worried that Brooks would turn his cover of the song originally sung by drummer Peter Criss, "Hard Luck Woman", into a country song. Brooks instead insisted on remaining true to the song, and requested that the members of Kiss perform the music on the track, the only song on the album that the band musically contributed. The unlikely collaboration performed the song live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in promotion of , and despite its hard-rock appeal, Brooks's version did appear on the country charts.

Pop Crossover success

1995–98: Success in the mid and late 90s

Brooks released Fresh Horses, his first album of new material in two years, in November 1995; within six months of its release, it had sold over three million copies. Despite its promising start, Fresh Horses plateaued quickly, topping out at quadruple platinum. The album's lead single, "She's Every Woman" peaked at #1 on the Billboard Country Chart, however its follow-up single, "The Fever" (a cover of the Aerosmith song) only peaked at #23, becoming Brooks's first released Country single to not chart on the Top 10. However, Brooks had three additional Top 10 hits from the album following the second single, including "The Beaches of Cheyenne", that also hit #1.

In 1997, Brooks released his seventh studio album, Sevens. Originally, it was scheduled to be released in August 1997, when he would promote it with a concert in Central Park. Plans went awry when Capitol Records experienced a huge management shakeup, leaving many of his contacts at the label out in the cold. Brooks also subsequently appeared as Gaines in a television mockumentary for the VH1 series Behind The Music and as the musical guest on an episode of Saturday Night Live which he hosted as himself.

Brooks's endless promotion of the album and the film did not seem to stir much excitement and the failure of the Chris Gaines experiment became fairly evident mere weeks after the album was released. Although critics admired Brooks for taking a musical risk, the majority of the American public was either totally bewildered, or completely unreceptive to the idea of Garth Brooks as anything but a pop-country singer. Many of his fans also felt that by supporting the Gaines project they would lose the real Garth Brooks. Sales of the album were unspectacular and although it made it to #2 on the pop album chart, expectations had been higher and retail stores began heavily discounting their oversupply. Less than expected sales of the album (more than two million) and no further developments in the production of the film as a result brought the project to an indefinite hiatus in February 2001 and Gaines quickly faded into obscurity.

Despite the less than spectacular response to the Chris Gaines project, Brooks gained his first – and only – US Top 40 pop single in "Lost in You", the first single from the album.

2000–04: Official retirement

As his career flourished, Brooks seemed frustrated by the conflicts between career and family. He talked of retiring from performing in 1992 and 1995, but each time returned to touring. In 1999 Brooks appeared on The Nashville Network's Crook & Chase program and again mentioned retirement.

On October 26, 2000, Brooks officially announced his retirement from recording and performing. Later that evening, Capitol Records saluted his achievement of selling 100 million albums in the US with a lavish party at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center. Three months later, Brooks and Wal-Mart issued The Limited Series, a six-CD box set containing past material and a Lost Sessions disc with eleven previously unissued recordings. This set marked the first time in history that a musician had signed an exclusive music distribution deal with a single retailer. The set sold more than 500,000 physical copies on its issue date, proving that Brooks still had a large fan base. By the first week in December 2005, it had sold over 1 million physical copies.

Brooks took a brief break from retirement early in 2005 to perform for several charity causes. With Yearwood, he sang Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Who'll Stop the Rain" on the nationwide telethon for Hurricane Katrina relief. He also released a new single, "Good Ride Cowboy", as a tribute to his late friend, rodeo star and country singer, Chris LeDoux.

In early 2006 Wal-Mart issued The Lost Sessions as a single CD apart from the boxed set, with extra tracks including a top 25 duet with Yearwood, "Love Will Always Win". The couple were later nominated for a "Best Country Collaboration With Vocals" Grammy Award for the song.

On August 18, 2007, Brooks announced plans for a new boxed set called The Ultimate Hits. The new set features two discs containing 30 hits, three new songs, and a DVD featuring music videos for each of these songs. The album's first single, "More Than a Memory", was released to radio on August 27, 2007. "More Than a Memory" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming the highest-debuting single in the chart's history. The previous record had been set only one week earlier, when Kenny Chesney's "Don't Blink" debuted at #16.

In November 2007, Brooks performed nine sold-out shows in Kansas City at the Sprint Center, which had opened a month prior. Originally scheduled to be only one show, the performance expanded to nine due to incredibly high demand, with all nine shows (equaling about 140,000 tickets) selling out in under two hours. The shows took place from November 5 to 12, with the final show on November 14 – the final show was simulcast to more than 300 movie theaters across the US.

2009–present: return to performing

On October 15, 2009, Brooks announced that he was coming out of retirement, to do weekend performances at Encore Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. Four performances are planned for several weekends in 2010; one on Friday night, two shows on Saturday, and one on Sunday. This schedule will allow Brooks to continue during the week to have the family life for which he had retired, and to continue to perform on the weekend. On October 28, 2010, Garth announced he would do his first "arena" concert in Nashville since 1998. All proceeds benefits the Community Foundation in Middle Tennessee in support of all those Tennessee Residents affected by the disastrous flooding that occurred the weekend of May, 02 2010.

The financial terms of the agreement have not been announced, but Wynn did disclose that he gave Brooks access to a private jet to quickly transport him between Las Vegas and his home in Oklahoma.

Garth's first weekend on shows in Vegas received positive reviews and was called the "antithesis of Vegas glitz and of the country singer's arena and stadium extravaganzas" by USA Today. The shows feature Brooks performing solo with his own guitar accompaniment, and include his own hits as well as songs that have influenced him. Artists covered in the show include Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Seger, Billy Joel, and Don McLean. His first performances at Encore Las Vegas coincided with his wedding anniversary, and his wife Trisha Yearwood joined him for two songs.

concert in 2009]]

Personal life

Brooks attended and graduated from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, where he starred on the track team. He was also a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, Pi chapter.

In 1999, Brooks and his wife separated, announcing their plans to divorce on October 9, 2000. The divorce became final in 2001. Following Brooks's divorce, however, the pair did begin dating, and the couple wed on December 10, 2005, at their home in Oklahoma, marking the second marriage for Brooks and the third for Yearwood. They own a house in Goodlettsville, Tennessee and a house in Malibu, California, and Port St. Lucie, FL but keep a primary residence at a ranch in Owasso, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa where they live.

In 2000 Brooks attempted to donate part of his liver to country music contemporary, and close friend, Chris LeDoux; however, it was found to be incompatible. LeDoux did receive a donor, but died in March 2005, due to complications from liver cancer.

Setting records

The Recording Industry Association of America announced that Garth Brooks was the best-selling solo artist of the 20th century in America. This conclusion drew criticism from the press and many music fans who were convinced that Elvis Presley had sold more records, but had been short-changed in the rankings due to faulty RIAA certification methods during his lifetime. Brooks, while proud of his sales accomplishments, stated that he too believed that Presley must have sold more.

The RIAA has since reexamined their methods for counting certifications. Under their revised methods, Presley became the best-selling solo artist in U.S. history, making Brooks the number two solo artist, ranking third overall, as The Beatles have sold more albums than either he or Presley. The revision brought more criticism of the accuracy of the RIAA's figures, this time from Brooks' followers.

On November 5, 2007, Brooks was again named the best selling solo artist in US history, surpassing Presley, after audited sales of 123 million were announced.

He is also notable for a twenty-three hour marathon signing autographs at an unannounced visit to Fan Fair in 1996.

Charitable activities

In 1999, Garth Brooks began the Teammates for Kids Foundation which provides financial aid to charities for children. The organization breaks down into three categories spanning three different sports.

Touch 'Em All Foundation – Baseball Division

Top Shelf – Hockey Division

Touchdown – Football Division

The foundation enlists players to donate a predetermined sum of money depending on their game performance. Brooks has participated in spring training for the San Diego Padres in 1998 and 1999, the New York Mets in 2000 and, most recently, with the Kansas City Royals in 2004 to promote his foundation. Starting during the 2008 season, fans at Royals games in Kauffman Stadium now sing along to "Friends in Low Places".

Brooks is also a fundraiser for various other charities, including a number of children's charities and famine relief. He has also donated at least $1 million to wildlife causes. It was announced that Garth would perform a charity concert on January 25 and 26, 2008 at the Staples Center for the victims of the recent California Wildfires. On December 1, tickets went on sale and sold out within minutes, prompting them to announce 3 more shows. All 5 L.A. shows sold out in less than 59 minutes. CBS aired the first of these concerts (January 25 at 9 pm) live, giving viewers a chance to donate to the Firefighters Relief efforts.

In December 2010, Garth played 9 shows in less than a week in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena to benefit victims from the May 2010 Nashville flood. Over 140,000 tickets were sold and $5 million dollars raised.

Awards

1990–1999 Artist of the Decade

2 Grammy Awards (total of 7 nominations)

16 American Music Awards (not including the poll of Artist of the '90s won in 2000)

11 Country Music Association Awards

18 Academy of Country Music Awards

5 World Music Awards

10 People's Choice Awards

24 Billboard Music Awards

2 ASCAP Awards

2 Blockbuster Awards

Academy of Country Music Awards, Artist of the Decade (1990s)

Recording Industry Association of America, Artist of the Century (1900s)

1 Radio Music Award

2 Primetime Emmy Award nominations (Outstanding in a Variety of Music Program)

1 Golden Globe nomination (Best Original Song)

GLAAD Media Award for "We Shall Be Free"-1993

1 CMT Music Awards nomination, Collaborative Video of the Year for "Workin' For A Livin'" With Huey Lewis (2008)

Academy of Country Music Awards, inaugural "Crystal Milestone Award" honoring him as the top-selling country music artist in history, with album sales of over 128 million in the U.S. (2008)

2 American Music Awards Nominations(2008):

Country Music – Favorite Male Artist Country Music – Favorite Album for "The Ultimate Hits"

Discography

;Studio albums

1989: Garth Brooks

1990: No Fences

1991: Ropin' the Wind

1992: The Chase

1993: In Pieces

1995: Fresh Horses

1997: Sevens

1999: Garth Brooks...In the Life of Chris Gaines

2001: Scarecrow

;Other albums/compilations

1994: The Garth Brooks Collection

1994: The Hits

1998: Double Live

2005: The Lost Sessions

2007: The Ultimate Hits

See also

List of best selling music artists

List of best selling music artists in US

References

Sources

Further reading

External links

Teammates for Kids Foundation official website

Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:People from Tulsa, Oklahoma Category:American Christians Category:American country singers Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American male singers Category:American musicians of English descent Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:Musicians from Oklahoma Category:Oklahoma State University alumni

Name	Darius Rucker
Background	solo_singer
Born	May 13, 1966
Origin	Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Instrument	Vocals, Rhythm guitar
Genre	Rock, R&B;, Country
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1986–present
Label	Atlantic Hidden Beach Capitol Nashville
Associated acts	Hootie & the Blowfish Frank Rogers

Darius Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American musician. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, he first gained fame as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carolina along with Mark Bryan, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld and Dean Felber. The band has released five studio albums with him as a member, and charted six top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Rucker co-wrote the majority of the band's songs with the other three members.

He released a solo R&B; album, Back to Then, in 2002 on Hidden Beach Recordings but did not chart any singles from it. Six years later, Rucker signed to Capitol Records Nashville as a country music artist, releasing the album Learn to Live that year. Its first single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It", made him the first African American to chart a number one on the Hot Country Songs charts since Charley Pride in 1983. It was followed by two more number-one singles, "It Won't Be Like This for Long" and "Alright" and the number three "History in the Making". In 2009, he became the first African American to win the New Artist Award from the Country Music Association, and only the second African American to win any award from the association. A second Capitol album, Charleston, SC 1966, was released on October 12, 2010, and was led off by the number-one "Come Back Song".

Early life

Darius Rucker was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, where his family history goes back generations. His single mother, Carolyn, who was a nurse, raised him with his five siblings: three sisters and two brothers. According to Rucker, his father was "never around," and Rucker only saw him before church on Sundays. His father was in a gospel band called The Rolling Stones. All five albums feature songs that Rucker, Bryan and Felber wrote. As the frontman, Rucker began to be called simply "Hootie" in the media, though the band title combines the nicknames of his college friends.

Rucker's signature contribution to the band is his baritone voice which Rolling Stone has called "ingratiating," TIME has called "low, gruff, [and] charismatic," He has brought additional attention as the sole African-American member of a major rock band with otherwise white members. Rucker said they "flipped" the formula of the all black band with a white frontman, like Frank Sinatra performing with Count Basie. He also received death threats for singing the Hootie song "Drowning," a protest song against the flying of the Confederate flag above the South Carolina statehouse.

Shortly after gaining a measure of fame, Felber and Rucker (who consider themselves best friends) moved into an apartment in Columbia, South Carolina. That same week, he made a voice cameo in an episode of the sitcom Friends. and sang backing vocals on Radney Foster's 1999 album See What You Want to See. Rucker encouraged Atlantic Records to agree to a deal with Edwin McCain, and made a guest appearance on McCain's debut album, Honor Among Thieves.

Solo career

In 2001, he made his solo R&B; debut album, The Return of Mongo Slade, for Atlantic Records. Because of contractual changes, it was never released by the label. Hidden Beach Recordings, an independent label, acquired the masters from Atlantic and released the album as Back to Then in July 2002.

Rucker appeared on a pop-star edition of the quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in July 2001. He also portrayed a singing cowboy in a television commercial for the fast food chain Burger King, promoting their TenderCrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch sandwich in 2005. In the commercial, he sang a jingle set to the tune of "Big Rock Candy Mountain."

Country music

Debut album (2008-2009)

In early 2008, Rucker signed to Capitol Records Nashville as the beginning of a career in country music. His first solo single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" (which he co-wrote with Clay Mills) debuted at number 51 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts for the week of May 3, 2008. It is the first single from his second album, Learn to Live. For this album, Rucker worked with Frank Rogers, a record producer who has also produced for Brad Paisley and Trace Adkins. Rucker also made his Grand Ole Opry debut in July 2008. "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" became the first top 20 hit for an African American on the country music charts since Charley Pride's last Top 20 hit, which came in 1988. The single reached number one in September, making Rucker the first solo, African-American artist to chart a number one country hit since Pride's "Night Games" in 1983.

Learn to Live was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 6, 2009, and received a platinum certification on August 7, 2009. The album's second single, "It Won't Be Like This for Long", spent three weeks at the top of the country charts in mid-2009. Its follow-up, "Alright", became Rucker's third straight number one hit, making him the first country music singer to have his or her first three singles reach number one since Wynonna achieved that feat in 1992. The album's fourth single, "History in the Making" was released in September and peaked at number three on the country charts. The singles from the album also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, respectively peaking at numbers 35, 36, 30 and 61.

Rucker's entry into the country world was met with some intrigue, largely because of his history as a rock musician and because he is African-American. Billboard magazine said that "there's a sense of purpose that makes Rucker feel like a member of the country family, rather than calculating interloper." Rucker made visits to various country stations around the US, explaining that he was aware that he was the "new kid on the block." Mike Culotta, the program director of the Tampa, Florida radio station WQYK-FM expected that Rucker would be "somebody who would have entitlement," but instead said that "Darius engaged everybody." When Rucker found that "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" went to number one, he cried. On November 11, 2009, Rucker won the Country Music Association New Artist of the Year award (formerly known as the Horizon Award), making him the first African American to do so since the award was introduced in 1981. Only one other African American has won at the CMAs: Charley Pride, who won entertainer of the year in 1971 and male vocalist in 1971 and 1972.

Second album (2010-present)

Rucker released his second country album, titled Charleston, SC 1966, on October 12, 2010. The title is inspired by Radney Foster's solo debut album, Del Rio, TX 1959. Its first single was "Come Back Song," which Rucker wrote with Chris Stapleton and Casey Beathard. It was his fourth number one on the country charts as well as a number 37 hit on the Hot 100. Rucker wrote this song with Rogers and Kara DioGuardi.

Personal life

Rucker is a Miami Dolphins fan, and has a tattoo of their logo. He also likes the film Stir Crazy, which he has seen more than 100 times. The Hootie song "Where Were You" is about Rucker's strained relationship with his father, and was only released in Europe, where Rucker thought that his father would be unlikely to hear it.

Rucker is close friends with golfer Tiger Woods, whom he met in a bar when Woods was 18. Rucker sang at the golfer's wedding with Hootie & the Blowfish, and at his father's funeral.

Discography

Albums

Back to Then (2002)

Learn to Live (2008)

Charleston, SC 1966 (2010)

Billboard number-one singles

"Don't Think I Don't Think About It" (2008)

"It Won't Be Like This for Long" (2009)

"Alright" (2009)

"Come Back Song" (2010)

References

External links

Official website

Category:1966 births Category:African American rock musicians Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American male singers Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Hootie & the Blowfish members Category:Living people Category:Musicians from South Carolina Category:People from Charleston, South Carolina Category:University of South Carolina alumni Category:English-language singers

Name	Crystal Bowersox
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Crystal Lynn Bowersox
Born	August 04, 1985
Origin	Elliston, Ohio, United States
Genre	Rock, indie folk, acoustic, blues, gospel, soul, blues-rock, country
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, flute
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	2010–present
Label	19/Jive (2010–present)
Url	CrystalBowersox.com

Crystal Lynn Bowersox (born August 4, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter from Elliston, Ohio, who was the runner-up on the ninth season of American Idol. Bowersox's debut album, Farmer's Daughter, was released on December 14, 2010 under Jive Records.

Early life

Bowersox was born in Elliston, Ohio along with her twin brother, Carl.

Crystal attended Oak Harbor High School in Oak Harbor, Ohio, and later attended the Toledo School for the Arts in Toledo, Ohio.

Crystal performed her first professional gig at the age of 10. From local bars in Toledo, Ohio, most popularly Papa's Tavern, and The Village Idiot in Maumee, OH. At the age of 17, she moved to Chicago looking for opportunity. She most commonly played as a busker at several train stations, including the Washington and Lake Redline stops. She frequented open mics, such as the Uncommon Ground Clark and Grace, and Devon locations. She also played extensively in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. In 2006, Chicago's department of cultural affairs chose Crystal to represent Chicago folk musicians, for the Sister Cities program, "Experience Chicago", held in Birmingham, UK. In 2007, Crystal Traveled internationally on an independent small cafe tour, including Memphis, TN, Oxaca MX, Ankara, and Istanbul, Turkey.

American Idol

Bowersox auditioned for American Idol in Chicago, Illinois. She sang "Piece of My Heart." Guest judge Shania Twain commented that she had a "raw, natural talent."

On March 2, 2010 Bowersox was hospitalized because of complications from diabetes, forcing a last minute switch in scheduling to give her extra time to recuperate. Bowersox confirmed the illness on the May 19, 2010 results show during an interview with host Ryan Seacrest. The men competed that day instead of the women. She sang the next day and impressed all of the judges.

The following week, her strong performance prompted Simon Cowell to state, "Right now, you are the one everyone has to beat."

After Siobhan Magnus's elimination from the top 6 of American Idol, Bowersox became the last remaining female contestant in the competition.

Bowersox is the first female contestant to make it to the finale since Jordin Sparks won the title in 2007. Crystal is also the first contestant in American Idol history to have one of their original songs played on the show, or at least during their hometown package. Crystal's original song "Holy Toledo" was played on the May 19th Top 3 Results show as the background music for her homecoming package - when she returned to Toledo, Ohio and Elliston, Ohio the previous weekend - and segued into her live performance of the same song at "Bowerstock."

During her time on Idol, Bowersox dated Tony Kusian, but the couple broke up just hours before the Idol finale.

On the final performance day, in Simon Cowell's final critique on American Idol, he called her performance of "Up to the Mountain" "outstanding" and by far, "the best performance and song of the night".

On May 26, Bowersox was named the runner-up to winner Lee DeWyze.

Performances

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- !Week # !Theme !Song choice !Original recording artist !Order # !Result |- |Audition |Auditioner's Choice |"Piece of My Heart" |Erma Franklin |N/A |Advanced |- |Hollywood Week |First Solo |"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" |Aretha Franklin |N/A |Advanced |- |Hollywood Week |Group Round |"Get Ready" |The Temptations |N/A |Advanced |- |Hollywood Week |Second Solo |"If It Makes You Happy" |Sheryl Crow |N/A |Advanced |- |Top 24 (12 Women) |rowspan="3"|Billboard Hot 100 Hits |"Hand in My Pocket" |Alanis Morissette |11 |Safe |- |Top 20 (10 Women) |"Long as I Can See the Light" |Creedence Clearwater Revival |1 |Safe |- |Top 16 (8 Women) |"Give Me One Reason" |Tracy Chapman |7 |Safe |- |Top 12 |The Rolling Stones |"You Can't Always Get What You Want" |The Rolling Stones |12 |Safe |- |Top 11 |Billboard #1 Hits |"Me and Bobby McGee" |Roger Miller |5 |Safe |- |Top 10 |R&B;/Soul |"Midnight Train to Georgia" |Cissy Houston |9 |Safe |- |Top 9 |Lennon/McCartney |"Come Together" |The Beatles |5 |Safe |- |Top 9 |Elvis Presley |"Saved" |LaVern Baker |1 |Safe |- |Top 7 |Inspirational |"People Get Ready" |The Impressions |7 |Safe |- |Top 6 |Shania Twain |"No One Needs to Know" |Shania Twain |4 |Safe |- |Top 5 |Frank Sinatra |"Summer Wind" |Wayne Newton |3 |Safe |- |Top 4 |Songs of the Cinema DuetSolo |"Falling Slowly" — Once with Lee DeWyze"I'm Alright" — Caddyshack |Glen Hansard & Markéta IrglováKenny Loggins |35 |Safe |- |Top 3 |Contestant's ChoiceJudges' Choice |"Come to My Window""Maybe I'm Amazed" |Melissa EtheridgePaul McCartney |25 |Safe |- |Top 2 |Contestant's ChoiceSimon Fuller's ChoiceFirst Single |"Me and Bobby McGee""Black Velvet""Up to the Mountain" |Roger MillerAlannah MylesSolomon Burke |246 |Runner-up |}

Due to the judges using their one save to save Michael Lynche, the Top 9 remained intact for another week. Though Crystal Bowersox was the last contestant announced to be 'safe' and moving on to the Top 3, Ryan Seacrest stressed on the Top 4 Results Night that the 'safe' contestants would be announced "in no particular order." Thus, the audience has no way of knowing which of the Top 3 was the second-lowest vote-getter that night after Michael Lynche, who was eliminated. Song selected by Ellen DeGeneres.

Post-Idol career

On May 27, 2010, one day after Bowersox was announced the runner-up, it was announced that she had signed with Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment and with Jive Records. Her single "Up to the Mountain" has since been released to radio stations and iTunes.

Bowersox and musician Brian Walker were married on October 10, 2010, at Uncommon Ground Café in Chicago, the restaurant where the couple had met 6 years earlier while both performing at Open Mic Night.

Bowersox's debut album Farmer's Daughter was released to stores and iTunes on December 14, 2010. Bowersox performed her single "Farmer's Daughter" on The Ellen Degeneres Show on December 16, 2010.

Discography

2010: Farmer's Daughter

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website

Crystal Bowersox at American Idol

Category:1985 births Category:American pianists Category:American harmonica players Category:American blues singers Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:Idol series runners-up Category:Living people Category:2010s singers Category:American female guitarists Category:American female singers Category:American Idol participants Category:Musicians from Ohio Category:American buskers Category:People from Ottawa County, Ohio

Name	Charlie Daniels |
Background	solo_singer |
Birth name	Charles Edward Daniels |
Alias	Charlie Daniels |
Born	October 28, 1936 |
Origin	Leland, North Carolina, U.S.
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, fiddle |
Genre	CountrySouthern rockOutlaw countryCountry rock |
Occupation	Musician, Singer-songwriter |
Years active	1950s–present |
Label	Buddah RecordsEpic RecordsLiberty Records
Associated acts	Marshall Tucker BandThe Charlie Daniels Band
Url	www.charliedaniels.com |

Charles Edward "Charlie" Daniels (born on October 28, 1936, in Leland, North Carolina) is an American musician known for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He is known primarily for his number one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has performed and written. Daniels has been active as a singer since the early 1950s. He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on January 24, 2008.

Career

Daniels is a singer, guitarist, and fiddler, who began writing and performing in the 1950s. In 1964, Daniels co-wrote "It Hurts Me" (a song which Elvis Presley recorded) with Joy Byers. He worked as a Nashville session musician, often for producer Bob Johnston, including playing electric bass on three Bob Dylan albums during 1969 and 1970, and on recordings by Leonard Cohen. Daniels recorded his first solo album, Charlie Daniels, in 1971 (see 1971 in country music). He produced the 1969 album by The Youngbloods, Elephant Mountain and played the violin on "Darkness, Darkness".

His first hit, the novelty song "Uneasy Rider", was from his 1973 second album, Honey in the Rock, and reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

During this period, Daniels played fiddle on many of The Marshall Tucker Band's early albums: "A New Life", "Where We All Belong", "Searchin' For a Rainbow", "Long Hard Ride" and "Carolina Dreams". Daniels can be heard on the live portion of the "Where We All Belong" album, recorded in Milwaukee, WI on July 11, 1974.

In 1974, Daniels organized the first in a series of Volunteer Jam concerts based in or around Nashville, Tennessee, often playing with members of Barefoot Jerry. Except for a three-year gap in the late 1980s, these jams have continued ever since. In 1975, he had a top 30 hit as leader of the Charlie Daniels Band with the Southern rock self-identification anthem "The South's Gonna Do It Again". "Long Haired Country Boy" was a minor hit in that year. Daniels played fiddle on Hank Williams, Jr.'s 1975 album Hank Williams, Jr. and Friends.

Daniels won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance in 1979 for "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", which reached #3 on the charts. The following year, "Devil" became a major crossover success on rock radio stations, after its inclusion on the soundtrack for the hit movie Urban Cowboy. He appeared in the movie. The song is by far Daniels' greatest success, still receiving regular airplay on U.S. classic rock and country stations, and is well-known even among audiences who eschew country music in general. A hard rock/heavy metal cover version of the song was included in the video game as the final guitar battle against the last boss (Lou, the devil). Daniels has openly stated his opposition to the metal cover and the devil winning occasionally in the game.

Subsequent Daniels pop hits included "In America" (#11 in 1980), "The Legend of Wooley Swamp" (#31 in 1980), and "Still in Saigon" (#22 in 1982). In 1980, Daniels participated in the country music concept album, The Legend of Jesse James.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, several of Daniels' albums and singles were hits on the Country charts and the music continues to receive airplay on country stations today. Daniels released several Gospel and Christian records. In 1999, he made a guest vocal appearance on his song "All Night Long" with Montgomery Gentry (Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry) for their debut album, "Tattoos and Scars," which was a commercial success.

In 2000, he composed and performed the score for the feature film Across the Line starring Brad Johnson. In 2005, he made a cameo appearance along with Larry the Cable Guy, Kid Rock, and Hank Williams, Jr. in Gretchen Wilson's music video for the song "All Jacked Up". In 2006, he appeared with Little Richard, Bootsy Collins, and other musicians as the backup band for Williams' opening sequence to Monday Night Football.

On October 18, 2005, Charlie Daniels was honored as a BMI Icon at the 53rd annual BMI Country Awards. Throughout his career, Daniels' songwriting has garnered 6 BMI Country Awards; the first award was won in 1976 for "The South's Gonna Do It Again".

In November 2007, Daniels was invited by Martina McBride to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was inducted by Marty Stuart and Connie Smith during the January 19, 2008, edition of the Opry at the Ryman Auditorium.

Daniels now resides in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, where the city has named a park after him. Daniels continues to tour regularly. Daniels appeared in commercials for UPS in 2001 with other celebrities convincing NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett to race the UPS Truck.

Daniels is currently featured playing fiddle in a television commercial for GEICO auto insurance.

Political statements

"The South's Gonna Do It" had a mild message of Southern cultural identity within the Southern rock movement. Daniels was an early supporter of Jimmy Carter's presidential bid and performed at his January 1977 inauguration.

"In America" was a reaction to the 1979-1981 Iran Hostage Crisis; it described a patriotic, united America where "we'll all stick together and you can take that to the bank / That's the cowboys and the hippies and the rebels and the yanks." The song experienced a revival following the September 11 attacks, when it was floated around the internet as "F*** Bin Laden." In contrast, "Still in Saigon" (written by Dan Daley) was an effective portrayal of the plight of the American Vietnam veteran ten years after the war; it was part of an early 1980s wave of attention to the subject, presaging treatments such as Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." and "Shut Out the Light", Billy Joel's "Goodnight Saigon", Huey Lewis and the News' "Walking on a Thin Line", Paul Hardcastle's "19" and somewhat later Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road".

In 1989, Daniels' country hit "Simple Man" was interpreted by some as advocating vigilantism. Lyrics such as "Just take them rascals [rapists, killers, child abusers] out in the swamp / Put 'em on their knees and tie 'em to a stump / Let the rattlers and the bugs and the alligators do the rest," got Daniels considerable media attention and talk show visits.

In 2003, Daniels published an Open Letter to the Hollywood Bunch in defense of President George W. Bush's Iraq policy. His 2003 book Ain't No Rag: Freedom, Family, and the Flag contains this letter as well as many other personal statements. During the 2004 presidential campaign, Daniels said that having never served in the military himself, he did not have the right to criticize John Kerry's service record. His band's official website contains a "soapbox" page, where Daniels has made statements such as the following: "In the future Darwinism will be looked upon as we now look upon the flat earth theory," and "I am more afraid of you and your ilk than I am of the terrorists," regarding U.S. Senator Harry Reid. On March 27, 2009, Daniels criticized the Obama Administration for "changing the name of the War on Terror to the "Overseas Contingency Operation" and referring to terrorism as "man-caused disasters"".

Personal life

Charlie Daniels enjoys hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities. He is a member and supporter of the National Rifle Association (NRA). Daniels married his wife, Hazel, in 1963. Together, they have one son. On 15 January 2010, Daniels was rushed to the hospital after suffering a stroke while snowmobiling in Colorado. He recovered and was released 2 days later. He has 3 grandchildren.

Discography

References

External links

Official Website

Charlie Daniels interview www.AwaitngTheFlood.com

Charlie Daniels interview www.CountryMusicPride.com

Charlie Daniels at bmi.com

Category:American country singers Category:American male singers Category:American session musicians Category:American country fiddlers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:Musicians from North Carolina Category:People from Wilmington, North Carolina Category:Southern rock fiddlers Category:1936 births Category:Living people Category:Epic Records artists Category:American Christians

Name	Carrie Underwood
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Carrie Marie Underwood
Born	March 10, 1983Muskogee, Oklahoma
Origin	Checotah, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
Genre	Country, country pop, CCM
Years active	2005–present
Label	19 / Arista Nashville (2005-current)Arista (2005-2009)
Associated acts	Brad Paisley, Randy Travis
Url

Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American country singer-songwriter who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol.

Underwood has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist, a multiple Grammy Award winner, a Grand Ole Opry inductee, a Golden Globe Award nominee, a three-time Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Female Vocalist winner, and a past winner of ACM Entertainer of the Year. She is the first ever female artist to win back-to-back Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards for Entertainer of the Year (2009/2010).

Her debut album, Some Hearts, was certified seven times platinum, and as of February 2006, was the fastest selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history. It was also the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, as of February 2008. Some Hearts yielded three number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs. Her second album, Carnival Ride, was released on October 23, 2007. It has sold over 3 million copies as of January 2010, and produced four number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Underwood released her third album, Play On, on November 3, 2009. It has been certified Platinum by the RIAA and has produced three number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs so far. As of May 2010, Underwood has sold 20 million singles and over 16 million albums worldwide.

Having 10 #1 Hits on Billboard Hot Country Songs, Underwood is tied with Reba McEntire as the Female Country Artist with Most #1 Hits on such chart from 1990 to present. She's also the only solo Country Artist to have a #1 hit on Billboard Hot 100 Songs in the 2000 decade, as "Inside Your Heaven" reached the top of the chart on July 2005. Some Hearts, Underwood's debut album, was named the Best Country Album of the 2000 Decade by Billboard, and she's the only Female Artist to appear on the Top 10 of Billboard's Best Country Artists of the 2000 Decade list, ranked at #10. She was also ranked #50 on the Artists of the Decade list by Billboard. In 2010, Underwood was #3 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Artists, #4 on the Top Country Album Artists and #23 on Top Artists of 2010.

Biography

Early life

Underwood was born to Stephen and Carole Underwood on March 10, 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She was raised on her parents' farm in the rural town of Checotah, Oklahoma. She has two older sisters, Shanna Means and Stephanie Shelton. Her father worked in a sawmill, while her mother taught elementary school. During her childhood, Underwood performed at Robbins Memorial Talent Show, and sang at the Free Will Baptist Church. She later sang for local events in Checotah, including Old Settler's Day and the Lion's Club. In 1996, Capitol Records was preparing a contract for Underwood but cancelled it when company management changed. She spent part of her summer as a page for Oklahoma State Representative Bobby Frame.

Education

Underwood graduated from Checotah High School in 2001 as salutatorian. Underwood is a member of the Alpha Iota chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. For two years during the summer, she performed in Northeastern State University's Downtown Country show in Tahlequah. She also competed in numerous beauty pageants at the university and was selected as Miss NSU runner-up in 2004.

American Idol

In the summer of 2004, Underwood auditioned for American Idol in St. Louis, Missouri. After she sang "Could've Been" by Tiffany on the top 12 girls night, judge Simon Cowell commented that she would be one of the favorites to win the competition. During the top 11 finalists' performance on the March 22, 2005, Idol episode, Underwood sang a rendition of the number one 1980s rock hit "Alone", made famous by Heart, and Cowell predicted that Underwood would not only win the competition, but she would also outsell all previous Idol winners.

One of the show's producers later said she dominated the voting, winning each week handily. She gained a fan base known as "Carrie's Care Bears" during the course of the show, and became the fourth season winner on May 25, 2005.

Performances and results

Underwood is one of very few contestants to have never landed in the Bottom 3 or Bottom 2 joining the ranks of Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, David Archuleta, Crystal Bowersox, and Lee DeWyze.

Post-Idol

Underwood came back the next season of American Idol to perform her single "Jesus Take the Wheel". She also appeared on the sixth season of American Idol. She sang her single "Wasted" on March 8, making this her fourth time performing on the show since winning the competition in 2005. Underwood also performed at the Idol Gives Back concert singing "I'll Stand By You", (a cover of The Pretenders hit). A video of Underwood's trip to Africa accompanied the song. Underwood sang the same song at American Idol's season finale on May 23, 2007. Underwood sang "Praying for Time", a former number one for George Michael, during the seventh season American Idol Gives Back mini-telethon. She also came back to perform "Last Name" on May 21, 2008, for the finale of the seventh season of American Idol.

On February 12, 2009, Underwood appeared with the other six American Idol winners at the inauguration of The American Idol Experience at Walt Disney World in Florida. She and the other Idol winners received a microphone-shaped trophy honoring them for winning American Idol. Underwood also took the stage to sing her hit single "All-American Girl" as well as perform a duet of "Go Your Own Way" with fellow winner David Cook.

She returned again for season 8 on Wednesday, March 18 to perform a duet with Randy Travis with her single "I Told You So", a song Randy Travis wrote for his 1987 album Always & Forever. Underwood was back again on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, to perform the farewell song of Season 8, "Home Sweet Home".

On April 21, 2010, Underwood returned for Idol Gives Back to perform "Change" from her third studio album, Play On. She returned on the finale of American Idol Season 9 to perform "Undo It", her third single from the Play On album. She also sang Delta Goodrem's "Together We Are One" with all previous Idol winners that night as a farewell to Simon Cowell.

Career

2005–2007: Some Hearts

Underwood's debut album, entitled Some Hearts, was released on November 15, 2005, entering the Billboard 200 chart with 315,000 copies sold. The large first week sales of Some Hearts made it number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and the biggest debut of any country artist since the advent of the SoundScan system in 1991. Some Hearts has since been certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA, and is the fastest-selling debut country album in the history of the SoundScan era.

in 2006.|thumb|left|upright]] "Inside Your Heaven", Underwood's first single, was released on June 14, 2005 in the U.S., debuting at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and on the Canadian Singles Chart, where it remained for one and seven weeks, respectively. It was the longest running single of 2005 in Canada. The single also peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Pop Songs. In addition, it peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, Underwood's only single to receive significant airplay on Christian stations. It was certified gold by the RIAA and two times platinum by the CRIA.

The album's second single, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was released to radio on October 18, 2005. It reached number one for six consecutive weeks. The songwriters, Gordie Sampson, Brett James and Hillary Lindsey, were awarded the 2006 Grammy award for Country Song of the Year.

Underwood's third single, "Some Hearts", was released to Pop, Adult Contemporary and Hot Adult Contemporary stations in October 2005 and peaked in the Top 25 on the Hot AC format, while it made the Top 15 on the AC Charts. "Don't Forget to Remember Me", the second of Underwood's singles to be released to country radio, her fourth single overall, also proved successful, reaching number one on the Radio & Records Country Chart, number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and number forty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100. "Don't Forget To Remember Me" was her second number one country single and third number one single overall.

"Jesus, Take the Wheel" won the Gospel Music Association's award for Best Country Single of the Year. Underwood performed "Jesus, Take the Wheel" on May 23, 2006, and received a standing ovation at the ACM Awards. At the same show, she won Best New Female Vocalist and Single of the Year for the "Jesus, Take the Wheel".

Later that autumn, Underwood's third country single,

Underwood also had her film soundtrack appearance with "Some Hearts" which was played during the ending credits of Aquamarine.

2007–2009: Carnival Ride

Underwood's second album, Carnival Ride, was released on October 23, 2007. "So Small", the first single from the album, was released on July 31, 2007. On Carnival Ride, Underwood was more involved in the songwriting process than on her debut; she set up a writers' retreat at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium to collaborate with such Music Row tunesmiths as Hillary Lindsey, Craig Wiseman, Rivers Rutherford, and Gordie Sampson. Carnival Ride was certified double platinum as of December 14, 2007.

Underwood made her second vocal performance in a film with "Ever Ever After" for the Disney's Enchanted. In the music video for the song, she appears as both animated and live action, much like the characters in the movie. Underwood's name was also mentioned in the Disney Channel series, Hannah Montana. She appeared on the holiday CD Hear Something Country Christmas 2007 with a rendition of "Do You Hear What I Hear?". Since then, the song has reached #2 on the AC Chart, and remained there for 3 consecutive weeks.

Underwood was named as Billboard's best country artist of the Billboard year 2007, and in December 2007 over 1,000,000 People magazine readers named "Before He Cheats" as the song of the year. "All-American Girl", her second single, also reached number 1 on the Billboard country charts.

In January 2008, Underwood embarked on a joint tour with Keith Urban named the Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour, with dates fixed nationwide that continued through April.

On May 19, 2008, Underwood opened the 43rd Annual Country Music Association Awards with her new single "Last Name" and later went on to win Top Female Vocalist for the second consecutive year. On May 21, she performed "Last Name" again on the season finale of American Idol. The single later reached number one on the Hot Country Song chart, making it the third single to reach #1 from Carnival Ride, her sixth consecutive number one on the Hot Country Chart and her seventh straight country single number one, and her eighth number one single overall. This made Underwood the first female artist to have two consecutive albums each release three number-ones on this chart since Shania Twain in 1998.

Her single, "Just a Dream" was released on July 21, 2008. For the chart week of November 8, 2008, the song became her ninth number one, her seventh consecutive number one on the Hot Country Chart, and her eighth straight number one country single overall. With that, Underwood became the third female artist in country music history to have released four consecutive Number Ones from the same album with Rosanne Cash's King's Record Shop and Shania Twain's "The Woman in Me" being the other two that have done so.

Underwood received two Country Music Association nominations for the 2008 CMA Awards, Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year: Carnival Ride. At the show, she walked away with the Female Vocalist of the Year award for the third consecutive time and lost the Album of the Year award to George Strait's Troubadour.

Underwood co-wrote a song for Idol alum Kristy Lee Cook's major-label debut album Why Wait, called "Not Tonight".

On October 21, 2008, Carnival Ride was re-released as a Wal-Mart exclusive 2-pack with a Christmas CD containing 5 songs including her hit, "Do You Hear What I Hear?".

On October 22, 2008, Times Square got a double dose of Underwood as she unveiled her wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York. The creation of Underwood’s figure began when a team of Madame Tussauds studio artists flew out to meet her on tour for her figure sitting. Underwood was an enthusiastic participant in the figure making process – not only did she spend more than an hour with the studio artists, but she also generously donated a replica of the dress that she wore to the 2006 CMA Awards, when she was first named Female Vocalist of The Year, to Madame Tussauds for her figure to don. “We are thrilled that Carrie was able to join us today to help unveil her figure. Not only is she a bona fide superstar with fans around the world, but she is also an incredibly kind and generous young woman – a true role model for young people today. We know that our guests will love her figure, and we can’t wait for them to see it,” said Janine DiGioacchino, General Manager of Madame Tussauds New York and Madame Tussauds Washington D. C. Underwood's wax likeness is now part of the attraction's "VIP Room" and is posed in a standing position with hands on hips.

The fifth single "I Told You So" was officially released on February 2, 2009. On March 18, she performed the song live with Randy Travis, who originally recorded the song. It peaked at number two on the Billboard country charts.

On February 11, 2009, The nominees for the 44th Academy of Country Music Awards were announced, and Underwood was nominated for four major awards, including Top Female Vocalist, Video of the Year for "Just a Dream", Album of the Year for "Carnival Ride", and Entertainer of the Year. Underwood was the only female nominee for this year's Entertainer of the Year, alongside Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney and George Strait. On April 5, 2009 Underwood won the Academy Of Country Music Award for Female Vocalist Of the Year. Underwood also won the prestigious trophy for Entertainer of The Year, thus making her only the 7th female to take the award (previous female winners include Loretta Lynn in 1975, Dolly Parton in 1977, Barbara Mandrell in 1980, Reba McEntire in 1994, Shania Twain in 1999, and most recently Dixie Chicks in 2000) in the award show's four decade run.

Underwood was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2009 CMT Awards for "Just a Dream".

Also in 2009, Forbes reported that Underwood is the top earning American Idol alumni from June 2008 – May 17, 2009. She earned more than twice as much as the second place finisher, with estimated earnings of $14 million during this time period.

2009–present: Play On

Underwood released her third studio album on November 3, 2009 via Arista Nashville. USA Today revealed on August 30, 2009, that the album would be titled Play On, named after the final song on the album. Three promotional singles were made available to iTunes prior to the release of the album. The album debuted atop both Nielsen SoundScan's country and overall album charts, selling nearly 318,000 copies. It also debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and was rated as the highest first week sales for a female artist in 2009. Susan Boyle broke that record a few weeks later when her debut album sold 701,000 copies during its debut week, therefore making Underwood grab the second-highest female artist first week sales for 2009.

It was announced in August 2009 that Underwood was currently writing a song with pop/R&B; singer-songwriter Ne-Yo for the album. Underwood later stated that she was not sure if the song fit within the context of the rest of the album, but was confident that "someone, somewhere, will definitely record this song".

The first single from the album, "Cowboy Casanova", co-written by Underwood, Brett James and hip hop producer Mike Elizondo, was released on September 14, but after a demo of the song was leaked to and played by a Seattle radio station on September 2, Underwood decided to release the song late that night. The song's official release was September 14. The song was digitally released on iTunes on September 22, 2009. The song has been established as the fastest-selling song in the past year of country music, as well as Underwood's fastest-selling song to date. According to a news release, “Cowboy Casanova” has become Underwood’s 11th No. 1 single and the first hit from Play On.

Underwood made a promotional stop in Singapore to promote her upcoming album, Play On, to the Asian media. The album was released on Nov. 2 in Singapore and various parts of Asia, followed by a November 3 release in the US.

Awards, in April 2010]] On November 10, Underwood and Brad Paisley played a free mini-concert in downtown Nashville for ABC's Good Morning America, one day before the CMA Awards. She performed "All-American Girl" (from her album Carnival Ride) and "Temporary Home" (from Play On). The show was open to the public. The pair co-hosted the 2009 CMA Awards on November 11 for a second time. She received two nominations: for Female Vocalist Of The Year and Musical Event Of The Year for I Told You So featuring the original artist Randy Travis. She performed "Cowboy Casanova" at the awards show.

It was announced on November 17, 2009, that Underwood's second single would be "Temporary Home". The single was released to country radio the week of December 14, 2009. On November 16, she performed "Temporary Home" on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. On February 4, 2010, the video for Temporary Home made its premiere.

Underwood hosted a Christmas special, Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special, a two-hour variety show on Fox. Also featured were seventh-season American Idol champion David Cook, Dolly Parton, Kristin Chenoweth, Brad Paisley and others. The show was broadcast on December 7, 2009.

On December 10, 2009, Underwood's 2010 tour was announced. The first leg of the tour started March 11, 2010 in Reading, Pennsylvania and ended May 30, 2010 in Spokane, Washington. The second leg of the tour started on September 25, 2010 in Portland, Oregon and ends December 19, 2010 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

On December 16, Underwood received the 2009 Harmony Award at Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Underwood's image was one of three selected to appear on the cover of the 2010 edition of the World Almanac and Book of Facts. This makes her the second American Idol winner to make the cover of the annual publication, following David Cook.

Underwood performed a duet with Canadian singer Bryan Adams at the February 2010 CRS Radio Event in Nashville. She also performed a duet with country star Miranda Lambert at this same event, singing a Creedence Clearwater Revival song, "Travelin' Band".

Underwood appeared on the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother". That was her acting debut. Her character, Tiffany, is a pharmaceutical sales representative who becomes the love interest for another main character on the show. The episode, entitled "Hooked", was aired at 8pm on March 1, 2010.

On Saturday, March 20, 2010, a truck driver in Underwood's crew was killed in a terrible crash on I-95 en route to her concert in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Underwood dedicated her hit single, "Temporary Home", to him, and she teared up towards the end of the song. The audience gave both Underwood and the driver a standing ovation after the performance.

On March 2, 2010, Underwood was nominated for 6 Academy of Country Music Awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year for Play On, Female Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year for Cowboy Casanova(writer and artist), and Vocal Event for her duet with Randy Travis on "I Told You So". The ACMs took place in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 18, 2010. At the show, Underwood was named Entertainer of the Year, making her the only country female artist in history to win this award twice, let alone consecutively. Underwood opened the show with fellow artist Miranda Lambert with the Creedence Clearwater Revival song Travelin' Band. Brad Paisley played guitar while Charlie Daniels appeared on fiddle. A guest appearance was made by CCR lead singer John Fogerty. She also performed "Temporary Home" during the show.

Host Reba McEntire presented Underwood with the "ACM Triple Crown Award" signifying her winning Top New Artist, Top Female Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year during her career. She was only the 2nd Female to win the Coveted "Triple Crown Award", as the only other woman to win this award was Barbara Mandrell.

On Tuesday, March 30, 2010, it was announced that Underwood's single, "Temporary Home", from her junior album "Play On", has hit #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, thus spawning Underwood's 12th #1 single in her career. On April 6, 2010, Carrie Underwood was in Columbus, Ohio, when it was announced that she would film the audience for her music video for "Undo It".

On April 16, 2010, Underwood announced a second leg for her "Play On Tour". Her opening acts were confirmed to be Sons of Sylvia and Billy Currington. Tickets went on sale on April 24, 2010 for the second leg.

On April 20, 2010, Underwood was one of the first artists to be confirmed to perform at the 2010 CMT Music Awards. The ceremony was be held live in Nashville, Tennessee on June 9, 2010. Underwood, was a 3-time nominee for Video of the Year for "Cowboy Casanova", Female Video of the Year for "Cowboy Casanova", and CMT Performance of the Year for her performance of "Temporary Home" on Underwood's very own CMT Invitation Only.

On May 24, 2010, "Undo It", Underwood's third single from "Play On", was released to radio.

In May, 2010, Underwood was selected on People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People List for 2010. This was the 4th year in a row that she was selected for this prestigious list.

On May 23, 2010, CBS aired a special PSA that Underwood had taped for a new charitable foundation that she organized with the Academy of Country Music Association to help the victims of the May 2010 Nashville Flood.

On June 9, 2010, the CMT Music Awards were held. Underwood walked away with the biggest award of the night for Video of the Year for "Cowboy Casanova". She also won CMT Performance of the Year for "Temporary Home" from CMT: Invitation Only presents Carrie Underwood. Underwood performed "Undo It" at the show. She was presented by American Idol judge and co-writer of the song Kara DioGuardi.

On June 22, 2010, Underwood participated in the Nashville Rising Benefit concert with other celebrities like Miranda Lambert, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Toby Keith, Jason Aldean, LeeAnn Rimes. She was the first to perform and her set list consisted of her current single "Undo It" then followed it up by a breathtaking performance of her first single "Jesus, Take the Wheel", transitioning into the classic hymn "How Great Thou Art". At the end of her performance the audience gave her a standing ovation. When asked why she decided to do it she responded "You hear everything from people losing possessions to entire houses being gone. I've heard of people living in tents in their backyard," she said. "You just hear the worst of the worst and hope that in some way there's something you can do about it. It is for a good cause so I feel like everyone [was happy to be] giving. You look out there and everybody's at their best." According to CMT the sold out concert was estimated to raise between 2-3 million dollars for the city of Nashville.

In June 2010, Underwood was nominated for four Teen Choice Awards, including Choice Country Artist Female, Choice Country Album for "Play On", Choice Country Single for "Undo It", and Choice American Idol Alum. All the awards were fan-voted at the show's official website.

On June 16, 2010, the RIAA certified Underwood's song, "Temporary Home", as Gold. On July 8, 2010, the RIAA certified Underwood's song, "Undo It", as Gold. The certifications gave Underwood her seventh and eighth Gold single to tag along with four platinum or multi-platinum singles.

On July 30, 2010, Underwood performed at The Today Show's Summer Concert Series. Underwood performed "Before He Cheats", "Cowboy Casanova", and "Undo It". Later on that day, she confirmed in an interview that the fourth single from Play On would be "Mama's Song".

On July 31, 2010, Underwood performed at the Greenbrier Classic PGA Tour event alongside Brad Paisley. An estimated 60,000 people attended the outdoor event and watched the two perform in the pouring rain.

On the week ending August 7, 2010, "Undo It" hit #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

On August 26, 2010, Underwood and Brad Paisley were announced as cohosts for the 44th Country Music Awards to be held in Nashville, November 10, 2010. This is the third year in a row that Underwood and Paisley hosted the CMAS. Underwood is also nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year ("Play On").

In early September, 2010, Underwood gave a press conference in NYC where she was announced as the new face of "Olay" skincare products. She is the first ever North American ambassador for the product. As part of the campaign, Underwood will appear in television and print ads.

The 4th single from Play On, Mama's Song, was released to country radio on September 13, 2010. The music video premiered on VEVO on September 24. Underwood's real-life mother and husband Mike Fisher appeared in the video.

On September 16, 2010, Underwood taped a special concert at the Grand Ole Opry that aired on November 14, 2010, on the TV show Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, and Keith Urban participated in rebuilding a school in Tennessee that was lost in the Nashville flood.

On October 2, Underwood sold out the prestigious Hollywood Bowl in LA and played with the Hollywood Bowl orchestra as part of her Play On Tour. Randy Travis and Orianthi joined her on stage to perform a few songs.

Underwood was honored by the CMT Artists of the Year special as one of the 5 top Artists of the year in 2010 in country music. The event aired on CMT on December 3, 2010.

On October 14, 2010, Underwood won an Inspirational Country Music Award for Video of the year for her song, "Temporary Home".

On October 23, 2010, Underwood won Female Vocalist of the Year, and Video of the Year for "Cowboy Casanova" at the French Country Music Awards.

Underwood co-wrote and recorded a song entitled "There's a Place for Us," the lead single from . It was released to iTunes on November 16, 2010. Underwood and songwriters, David Hodges and Hillary Lindsey, received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

Underwood co-hosted the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on November 10, 2010 with Brad Paisley.

Underwood won her 6th American Music Award. She won "Favorite Country Album", for "Play On". That makes her the only artist in the American Music Award history to have all albums awarded in such a category.

Underwood was the American Country Awards' top winner with six wins, Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for (Play On), Female Artist Single of the Year for ("Cowboy Casanova"), Female Artist Video of the Year for ("Cowboy Casanova") and Touring Artist of the Year.

On December 14, 2010, Underwood was nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press for her first Golden Globes award, under the category Best Original Song from a Movie, for the song she co-wrote and recorded for the movie "Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader."

Carrie was nominated for a Pollstar Touring Award on January 4, 2011, for her Play On Tour, for Most Creative Stage Production. The award ceremony will be held February 5, 2011, at the Nokia Center in LA.

Filmography

Underwood starred in and hosted a 2009 television special, Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special, and, in 2010, made her dramatic acting debut in an episode of the television series, How I Met Your Mother. She performed a voice-over as 'Carrie Underworm', a parodied "worm" character, in an episode of the PBS children's television series, Sesame Street, and will portray Sarah Hill in the independent film, Soul Surfer, scheduled for release in 2011. On October 4, 2010, Underwood was featured in an episode on the second season of the MTV show The Buried Life, playing herself as one of the dream dates the members want to ask out on a date.

Personal interests

after performing in Tikrit, Iraq in December 2006.]] In addition to being a singer, Underwood is a guitarist and pianist, and has accompanied herself on guitar for some songs such as "Don't Forget to Remember Me" and "Inside Your Heaven" during live concert performances and on albums. She plays a McPherson guitar with an off-set sound hole.

Underwood is an animal lover and a vegetarian. She stopped eating meat at the age of thirteen because she couldn't stand the thought of eating one of her own animals. She was voted "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" by PETA in 2007 for the second time, the first being in 2005 alongside Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. In a 2007 interview with PETA, Underwood stated, "Ever since I was little I loved animals [...] If you told me I could never sing again, I'd say that was horrible, but it's not my life. If you told me I could never be around animals again, I would just die." Underwood is a supporter of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and has done several public service announcements for the organization. Underwood has also done a "Protect Your Pets" public service announcement for Do Something.

Aside from maintaining her physique through healthy eating habits, Underwood told Oprah Winfrey earlier this year that she makes healthy living and fitness a priority. In Nashville, Underwood's personal trainer incorporates a mix of running and kickboxing to keep her trim figure. She also uses a food log to keep track of her eating habits and even gives herself a reward for staying on the healthy eating track.

Underwood also lent her voice to benefit cancer research. She was featured on the 2008 song, "Just Stand Up". The proceeds benefited Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C). As a result of their fund raising efforts, the SU2C scientific advisory committee, overseen by the American Association for Cancer Research was able to award $73.6 million towards novel, groundbreaking research.

A native of eastern Oklahoma, she co-wrote a song dedicated to her hometown, "I Ain't in Checotah Anymore". In December 2005, Underwood was named Oklahoman of the Year by Oklahoma Today. Underwood performed with the USO Christmas Tour in Iraq during the 2006 Holiday season, to spread holiday cheer to the troops overseas. She follows a celebrity entertainment tradition started by Bob Hope that continues to this day. Several Internet sites have photos and video clips of Underwood's performances in Iraq, including photos of Underwood in military garb.

Underwood has also stated she has a great interest in sports. In 2005, she performed the "Star-Spangled Banner" at Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons, and in 2006 at the NBA All-Star Game. She also performed the "Star-Spangled Banner" at the between the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers in 2006, as well as at the 2006 edition of NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600, the MLB All Star Game in Pittsburgh, P.A., and at Game 3 of the 2007 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies. In 2007 she was seen attending an NHL game between the Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets alongside fellow American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler, as well as another game between the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers.

On February 7, 2010, Underwood performed the National Anthem for Super Bowl XLIV.

In August 2009, Underwood formed the Checotah Animal Town and School (C.A.T.S.) Foundation to benefit her hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma. On August 28, 2009, Underwood visited Checotah High School with ABC news anchor Robin Roberts, where she gave a presentation on stage, sang with a young girl in front of students and school faculty, and donated over $117,000 worth of musical instruments to three music programs at three of Checotah's schools. Underwood later mingled with fans, signing autographs and taking pictures, as well as being interviewed by several local news stations. The story aired on November 10, 2009 on a program called "In the Spotlight With Robin Roberts" on ABC.

On October 16, 2009, Underwood performed in Singapore; it is her first public appearance in an Asian country in line of a series of events for the grand opening of the newest shopping attraction in the heart of the city, ION Orchard.

Underwood has participated in the annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball tournament for charity for many years. The event takes place in Nashville, Tennessee and benefits research for life-threatening diseases. At this event in 2010, her then-fiance Mike Fisher also played for the Grand Ole Opry team and the two of them were given a "surprise bridal shower" and received gifts from Gloriana, Luke Bryan, David Nail and Josh Thompson among others.

Personal life

Underwood performed at halftime of the 2006 Thanksgiving Day football game at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas, and was friends with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. She attended his birthday party in April 2007, and on May 15, 2007, he escorted her to the Academy of Country Music Awards. They were rumored to be dating on and off throughout 2007. Although she denied the rumor when asked, Romo confirmed it by saying "[...] I'm dating Carrie Underwood" on his website. He also told an Illinois newspaper that they were dating.

In August 2007, Underwood began dating Chace Crawford of the American television series Gossip Girl. On October 4, 2007, People magazine reported that the two were seen holding hands in New York City, though according to further reports, they ended their relationship in the spring of 2008.

She became engaged in December 2009 to Ottawa Senators hockey player Mike Fisher, whom she began dating after they met at one of her concerts in 2008. Underwood and Fisher appeared together publicly for the first time in January 2010, at the Bell Sens Soiree, an annual fundraiser in Gatineau for the Ottawa Senators' official charity. After appearing together at the CMT Awards in June 2010, Underwood told reporters that Fisher was planning a surprise honeymoon for the two of them after their summer wedding.

On July 10, 2010, Underwood and Fisher wed at the Ritz Carlton Resort at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia, with more than 250 people in attendance. The couple gave People magazine the following statement, which they signed "Mike & Carrie Fisher": "We could not feel more blessed to have found each other and to have shared this day with our friends and family that mean so much to us!" According to People, Monique Lhuillier created a dress of Chantilly lace for Underwood and also designed the bridesmaids' dresses. The ceremony featured classical music and readings of the couple's favorite Bible verses. National Hockey League players, as well as Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, American Idol contestants, and judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson were in attendance

Discography

2005: Some Hearts

2007: Carnival Ride

2009: Play On

Tours

2005: American Idols LIVE! Tour 2005

2006:

2008: Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour (w/ Keith Urban)

2008: Carnival Ride Tour

2010: Play On Tour

Awards

Grammy Awards

On December 7, 2006, Underwood's album Some Hearts received four Grammy nominations. Underwood won her two Grammy Award nominations: Best New Artist, becoming the second of only three country artist to ever win this award after Leann Rimes, and was followed by Zac Brown Band in 2010, and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Jesus, Take the Wheel", which also won Best Country Song for the songwriters Gordie Sampson, Brett James and Hillary Lindsey. The song was also nominated for "Song of the Year". Her nomination and victory in the Best New Artist category marked the first time that an American Idol winner or contestant had been nominated for such category. The award ceremony was held on February 11, 2007, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. She sang the Eagles song "Life in the Fast Lane" alongside Grammy nominees Rascal Flatts. She also sang the Eagles' "Desperado" to honour Don Henley of The Eagles. She also paid tribute to Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys by performing "New San Antonio Rose".

On February 10, 2008, Underwood was nominated for two Grammys: Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for "Before He Cheats" and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, for "Oh, Love" a duet with Brad Paisley. She won one Grammy Award that night, for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and "Before He Cheats" also won Best Country Song for its songwriters. The song was also nominated for "Song of the Year". Underwood performed "Before He Cheats" at the ceremony, with a more powerful vocal ending.

On February 8, 2009, Underwood, for the third year in a row, won the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Last Name", which she performed during the show, for a total of four Grammy awards in three years. "Ever Ever After", which she recorded for the soundtrack of the 2007 film Enchanted, was also nominated for a Grammy Award under the category Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

On December 2, 2009, Underwood received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her No. 1 song "Just a Dream" and a nomination for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for "I Told You So" with Randy Travis, the latter of which she won to score her the 5th Grammy of her career.

On January 30, 2010, Underwood performed at the annual Clive Davis Pre-Grammy party at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She performed a duet with Harry Connick Jr. of "All the Way", and a solo version of her hit "Cowboy Casanova".

Underwood performed at the Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010 for the fourth consecutive year, with Celine Dion, Usher, Smokey Robinson and Jennifer Hudson during the 3-D Michael Jackson tribute at the 52nd Grammy Awards. Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich stated that Michael Jackson greatly admired Carrie Underwood, which is why she was hand-picked to perform during his tribute.

On January 31, 2010, Underwood won her fifth Grammy Award. She won the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for "I Told You So" with Randy Travis.

On December 1, 2010, Underwood was nominated for a Grammy award for the 8th time, for 'Best Female Country Vocal Performance' for Temporary Home. The awards will take place on February 13, 2011.

International awards

Underwood received her very first international award nomination in 2006. She was nominated for "World's Best Selling New Artist" at the 2006 World Music Awards. The award is given due to worldwide sales (who sells more is the winner). Among the six nominees, Underwood ranked #2, while British singer James Blunt ranked #1 and ended winning the award.

Also in 2006, Underwood's record "Jesus, Take the Wheel" won "SOCAN Song of the Year" at the Canadian Country Music Awards.

In 2008, Underwood won her first international award, which was "Female Vocalist of the Year" at the European Country Music Association Awards.

On October 23, 2010, Underwood won 2 awards from the 8th French Country Music Awards. She won "Best Female Vocalist of the Year (Meilleure Chanteuse)" and "Best Video of the year (Meilleure Video)" for "Cowboy Casanova". The ceremony was held by The French Association of Country Music.

On December 14, 2010, Underwood was nominated for a CMC Australian Country Music Award for International Artist of the Year.

References

Bibliography

Tracey, Kathleen. Carrie Underwood: American Idol IV. September 2005. Blue Banner Biography series (Juvenile) ISBN 1-58415-425-X

Footnotes

External links

Official site of Carrie Underwood from Arista Records

Carrie Underwood at Billboard.com

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