A kerosene bottle, containing blue dyed kerosene. In the U.S., kerosene is typically in a blue (or blue labeled) container.

Kerosene is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros (κηρός wax). The word "Kerosene" was registered as a trademark by Abraham Gesner in 1854, and for several years, only the North American Gas Light Company and the Downer Company (to which Gesner had granted the right) were allowed to call their lamp oil "Kerosene" in the United States of America.^[1] It eventually became a genericized trademark. It is sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage.^[2] The term "kerosene" is usual in much of Canada, the United States, Australia (where it can be referred to colloquially as "kero") and New Zealand.^[3]

Kerosene is usually called paraffin in the UK, Southeast Asia and South Africa. A more viscous paraffin oil is used as a laxative. A waxy solid extracted from petroleum is also called paraffin. Kerosene is widely used to power jet engines of aircraft (jet fuel) and some rocket engines, but is also commonly used as a cooking and lighting fuel and for fire toys such as poi. In parts of Asia, where the price of kerosene is subsidized, it fuels outboard motors on small fishing boats.^[4]

Kerosene lamps are widely used for lighting in rural areas of Asia and Africa where electrical distribution is not available or too costly for widespread use. Kerosene lamps consume an estimated 77 billion litres per year, equivalent to 1.3 million barrels of oil per day.^[5]

Kerosene in some jurisdictions such as the U.S. is legally required to be stored in a blue container to avoid it being confused with the much more flammable gasoline, which is typically kept in a red container. In other jurisdictions, such as Europe, there are no specific requirements for the storage of kerosene other than the container has to be closed and marked with its contents.

Properties[link]

Kerosene, a thin, clear liquid formed from hydrocarbons, with a density of 0.78–0.81 g/cm³, is obtained from the fractional distillation of petroleum between 150 °C and 275 °C, resulting in a mixture of carbon chains that typically contain between six and 16 carbon atoms per molecule.^[6] Major constituents of Kerosene include n-dodecane, alkyl benzenes, and naphthalene and its derivatives.

The flash point of kerosene is between 37 and 65 °C (100 and 150 °F), and its autoignition temperature is 220 °C (428 °F).^[7]

Heat of combustion of kerosene is similar to that of diesel; its lower heating value is 43.1 MJ/kg (around 18,500 Btu/lb), and its higher heating value is 46.2 MJ/kg.^[8]

Kerosene is immiscible in water (cold or hot), but miscible in petroleum solvents.

In the United Kingdom, two grades of heating oil are defined. BS2869 Class C1 is the lightest grade used for lanterns, camping stoves, wick heaters, and mixed with gasoline in some vintage combustion engines. BS2869 Class C2 is a heavier distillate, which is used as domestic heating oil. Premium kerosene is usually sold in 5 or 20 liter containers from hardware, camping and garden stores and is often dyed purple. Standard kerosene is usually dispensed in bulk by a tanker and is undyed.

National and international standards define the properties of several grades of kerosine used for jet fuel. Flash point and freezing point properties are of particular interest for operation and safety; the standards also define additives for control of static electricity and other purposes.

History[link]

Persian scholar Rāzi (or Rhazes) was the first to distill kerosene in the 9th century.

The process of distilling crude oil/petroleum into kerosene, as well as other hydrocarbon compounds, was first written about in the 9th century by the Persian scholar Rāzi (or Rhazes). In his Kitab al-Asrar (Book of Secrets), the physician and chemist Razi described two methods for the production of kerosene, termed naft abyad ("white naphtha"), using an apparatus called an alembic. One method involved using clay as an absorbent, whereas the other method involved using ammonium chloride (sal ammoniac). The distillation process was to be repeated until the final product was perfectly clear and "safe to light", i.e. volatile hydrocarbon fractions had been mostly removed. Kerosene was also produced during the same period from oil shale and bitumen by heating the rock to extract the oil, which was then distilled.^[9]

Abraham Gesner first distilled kerosene from bituminous coal and oil shale experimentally in 1846. Commercial production was achieved in 1854.

In 1846, Canadian geologist Abraham Gesner gave a public demonstration in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island of a new process he had discovered. He heated coal in a retort and distilled from it a clear, thin fluid which he showed made an excellent lamp fuel. He coined the name "Kerosene" for his fuel, a contraction of keroselaion, meaning wax-oil.^[10] The cost of extracting kerosene from coal was high. Fortunately, Gesner recalled from his extensive knowledge of New Brunswick's geology a naturally occurring asphaltum called albertite. He was blocked from using it by the New Brunswick coal conglomerate because they had coal extraction rights for the province, and he lost a court case when their experts claimed albertite was a form of coal.^[11] Gesner subsequently moved to Newtown Creek, Long Island, New York, in 1854, where he secured the backing of a group of businessmen. They formed the North American Gas Light Company, to which he assigned his patents. Despite clear priority of discovery, Gesner did not obtain his first kerosene patent until 1854, two years after James Young's US patent. Gesner's method of purifying the distillation products appears to have been superior to Young's, resulting in a cleaner and better-smelling fuel. Manufacture of kerosene under the Gesner patents began in New York in 1854, and later in Boston, being distilled from bituminous coal and oil shale.^[10]

In 1848, Scottish chemist James Young experimented with oil discovered seeping in a coal mine as a source of lubricating oil and illuminating fuel. When the seep became exhausted, he experimented with the dry distillation of coal, especially the resinous "boghead coal" (torbanite). He extracted a number of useful liquids from it, one of which he named "paraffine oil", because at low temperatures, it congealed into a substance resembling paraffin wax. Young took out a patent on his process and the resulting products in 1850, and built the first truly commercial oil-works in the world at Bathgate in 1851, using oil extracted from locally mined torbanite, shale, and bituminous coal. In 1852, he took out a US patent for the same invention. These patents were subsequently upheld in both countries in a series of lawsuits, and other producers were obliged to pay him royalties.^[10] See also coal oil.

In 1851, Samuel Martin Kier began selling kerosene to local miners, under the name "Carbon Oil". He distilled this by a process of his own invention from crude oil. He also invented a new lamp to burn his product.^[12] He has been dubbed the Grandfather of the American Oil Industry by historians.^[13] Since the 1840s, Kier's salt wells were becoming fouled with petroleum. At first, Kier simply dumped the useless oil into the nearby Pennsylvania Main Line Canal, but later he began experimenting with several distillates of the crude oil, along with a chemist from eastern Pennsylvania.^[14]

Ignacy Łukasiewicz, a Polish pharmacist residing in Lvov, had been experimenting with different kerosene distillation techniques, trying to improve on Gesner's process, using local seep oil. Many people knew of his work, but paid little attention to it. On the night of July 31, 1853, doctors at the local hospital needed to perform an emergency operation, virtually impossible by candlelight. They therefore sent a messenger for Łukasiewicz and his new lamps. The lamp burned so brightly and cleanly that the hospital officials ordered several lamps plus a large supply of fuel. Łukasiewicz realized the potential of his work and quit the pharmacy to find a business partner, and then travelled to Vienna to register his technique with the government. Łukasiewicz moved to the Gorlice region of Poland in 1854, and sank several wells across southern Poland over the following decade, setting up a refinery near Jasło in 1859.^[15]

The widespread availability of cheaper kerosene was the principal factor in the precipitous decline in the whaling industry in the mid-to-late 19th century, as the leading product of whaling was oil for lamps.

Fuel uses[link]

Heating and lighting[link]

At one time, the fuel was widely used in kerosene lamps and lanterns. Although it replaced whale oil, the 1873 edition of Elements of Chemistry said, "The vapor of this substance [kerosene] mixed with air is as explosive as gunpowder."^[16] This may have been due to the common practice of adulterating kerosene with other, more volatile hydrocarbons, such as the cheaper benzene.^[17] Kerosene was also a fire risk; in 1880, nearly two of every five New York City fires were caused by defective kerosene lamps.^[18]

These were superseded by the electric light bulb and flashlights powered by dry cell batteries, which are still used to this day.

Its use as a cooking fuel is mostly restricted to some portable stoves for backpackers and to less-developed countries, where it is usually less refined and contains impurities and even debris.

As a heating fuel, it is often used in portable stoves, and is sold in some filling stations. It is sometimes used as a heat source during power failures. The use of portable kerosene heaters is not recommended for closed indoor areas without a chimney due to the danger of buildup of carbon monoxide gas.^{[citation needed]}

A truck delivering kerosene in Japan

Kerosene is widely used in Japan as a home heating fuel for portable and installed kerosene heaters. In Japan, kerosene can be readily bought at any filling station or be delivered to homes.^{[citation needed]}

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, kerosene is often used as a heating fuel in areas not connected to a gas pipeline network. It is used less for cooking where LPG is preferred owing to its (LPG's) easier lighting. Kerosene is still often the fuel of choice for range cookers such as Rayburn.

The Amish, who abstain from the use of electricity, rely on kerosene for lighting at night.

More ubiquitous in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, kerosene space heaters were often built into kitchen ranges, and kept many farm and fishing families warm and dry through the winter. At one time, citrus growers used a smudge pot fueled by kerosene to create a pall of thick smoke over a grove in an effort to prevent freezing temperatures from damaging crops. "Salamanders" are kerosene space heaters used on construction sites to dry out building materials and to warm workers. Before the days of blinking electrically lighted road barriers, highway construction zones were marked at night by kerosene fired, pot-bellied torches. Most of these uses of kerosene created thick black smoke because of the low temperature of combustion.

A notable exception, discovered in the early 19th century, is the use of a gas mantle above the wick on a kerosene lamp. Looking like a delicate woven bag above the woven cotton wick, the mantle is a residue of mineral materials (mostly thorium dioxide) which is heated to incandescence by the flame produced by the wick. The thorium and cerium oxide combination produces both a whiter light and a greater fraction of the energy in the form of visible light than a black body at the same temperature would. These types of lamps are still in use today in areas of the world without electricity, because they give a much better light than a simple wick-type lamp does.^{[citation needed]}. Recently a multipurpose lantern which also doubles as cooking stove has been introduced in India in areas which do not have electricity.^[19]

Transportation[link]

In the mid-20th century, kerosene or tractor vaporising oil (TVO) was used as a cheap fuel for tractors. The engine would start on gasoline, then switch over to kerosene once the engine warmed up. A heat valve on the manifold would route the exhaust gases around the intake pipe, heating the kerosene to the point where it was vaporized and could be ignited by an electric spark.

In Europe following the Second World War, automobiles were modified similarly to turn to run on kerosene from the gasoline which would have to be imported and was heavily taxed. Besides additional piping and the switch between fuels, the head gasket was replaced by a much thicker one to diminish the compression ratio (making the engine less powerful and less efficient, but able to run on kerosene). The necessary equipment was sold under the trademark "Econom".^[20]

During the fuel crisis of the 1970s, Saab-Valmet developed and series-produced the Saab 99 Petro that ran on kerosene, turpentine or gasoline. The project, codenamed "Project Lapponia", was headed by Simo Vuorio, and towards the end of the 1970s, a working prototype was produced based on the Saab 99 GL. The car was designed to run on two fuels. Gasoline was used for cold starts and when extra power was needed, but normally it ran on kerosene or turpentine. The idea was that the gasoline could be made from peat using the Fischer-Tropsch process. Between 1980 and 1984, 3756 Saab 99 Petros and 2385 Talbot Horizons (a version of the Chrysler Horizon that integrated many Saab components) were made. One reason to manufacture kerosene-fueled cars was that in Finland kerosene was less heavily taxated than petrol. ^[21]

Kerosene is used to fuel smaller-horsepower outboard motors built by Yamaha Motors, Suzuki Marine, and Tohatsu. Primarily used on small fishing craft, these are dual-fuel engines that start on gasoline and then transition to kerosene once the engine reaches optimum operating temperature. Multiple fuel Evinrude and Mercury Racing engines also burn kerosene, as well as jet fuel.^[22]

Today, kerosene is mainly used in fuel for jet engines in several grades. One form of the fuel known as RP-1 is burned with liquid oxygen as rocket fuel. These fuel grade kerosenes meet specifications for smoke points and freeze points. The combustion reaction can be approximated as follows, with the molecular formula C₁₂H₂₆ (dodecane):

C₁₂H₂₆(l) + ³⁷/₂ O₂(g) → 12 CO₂(g) + 13 H₂O(g); ∆H˚ = -7513 kJ

In the initial phase of liftoff, the Saturn V launch vehicle was powered by the reaction of liquid oxygen with RP-1.^[23] For the five 6.4 meganewton sea-level thrust F-1 rocket engines of the Saturn V, burning together, the reaction generated roughly 1.62 × 10¹¹ watts (J/s) (162 gigawatt) or 217 million horsepower.^[23]

Kerosene is sometimes used as an additive in diesel fuel to prevent gelling or waxing in cold temperatures.^[24]

Ultra-low sulfur kerosene is a custom-blended fuel used by the New York City Transit to power its bus fleet. The transit agency started using this fuel in 2004, prior to the widespread adoption of ultra-low sulfur diesel, which has since become the standard. In 2008, the suppliers of the custom fuel failed to tender for a renewal of the transit agency's contract, leading to a negotiated contract at a significantly increased cost.^[25]

Cooking[link]

Advert for an oil stove, from the Albion Lamp Company, Birmingham, England, circa 1900

In countries such as India, kerosene is the main fuel used for cooking, especially by the poor, and kerosene stoves have replaced traditional wood-based cooking appliances. As such, increase in the price of kerosene can have a major political and environmental consequence. The Indian government subsidizes the fuel to keep the price very low, to around 15 cents per liter as of February 2007, as lower prices discourage dismantling of forests for cooking fuel.^[26]

Kerosene is used as a fuel in portable stoves, especially in Primus stoves invented in 1892. Portable kerosene stoves earn a reputation of reliable and durable stove in everyday use, and perform especially well under adverse conditions. In outdoor activities and mountainering, a decisive advantage of pressurized kerosene stoves over gas cartridge stoves is their particularly high thermal output and their ability to operate at very low temperature in winter or at high altitude.

Entertainment[link]

Kerosene is often used in the entertainment industry for fire performances, such as fire breathing, fire juggling or poi, and fire dancing. Because of its low flame temperature when burnt in free air, the risk is lower should the performer come in contact with the flame. Kerosene is not usually used as fuel for indoor fire dancing, as it produces an unpleasant odor, which becomes poisonous in sufficient concentration. Methanol was sometimes used instead, but the flames it produces look less impressive, and its lower flash point poses a high risk. Moreover, methanol is highly toxic for the optic nerves, and can cause blindness when swallowed.

Other uses[link]

Insecticide[link]

Kerosene has been found to be an effective pesticide. It is effective at killing a large number of insects, notably bed bugs and head lice (but note toxicity to humans, see below). It can also be applied to standing pools of water in order to kill mosquito larvae.

Industrial[link]

As a petroleum product miscible with many industrial liquids, kerosene can be used as both a solvent, able to remove other petroleum products, such as chain grease, and as a lubricant, with less risk of combustion when compared to using gasoline.

Medical[link]

In X-ray crystallography, kerosene can be used to store crystals. When a hydrated crystal is left in air, dehydration may occur slowly. This makes the colour of the crystal become dull. Kerosene can keep air from the crystal.

Toxicity[link]

Ingestion of kerosene is harmful or fatal. Kerosene should never be used to get rid of hair lice as it can cause burns and serious illness. A kerosene shampoo can even be fatal if fumes are inhaled.^[27][28]

Retail cost[link]

United States[link]

In 2008, the cost of kerosene was $39.92 per million BTUs ($37.84/GJ) for heating.^[29]

See also[link]

• Aviation fuel
• Gasoline gallon equivalent
• Tractor vaporising oil
• List of CO₂ emitted per million Btu of energy from various fuels

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Look up kerosene in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• "Kerosene", Webster Online Dictionary
• Article on Gesner
• Kerosene Fuel Primer
• San Diego Union-Tribune Article
• Material Saftey Data Sheet

Miranda Lambert
Background information
Birth name	Miranda Leigh Lambert[1]
Born	(1983-11-10) November 10, 1983 (age 28) Longview, Texas, U.S.
Origin	Lindale, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Country
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Epic Columbia Nashville RCA Records Nashville
Associated acts	Blake Shelton Pistol Annies Loretta Lynn Sheryl Crow Frank Liddell
Website	MirandaLambert.com

Miranda Leigh Shelton (née Lambert) ^[1] (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music artist who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star, where she finished in third place and later signed to Epic Records. Lambert made her debut with the release of "Me and Charlie Talking", the first single from her 2005 debut album Kerosene. This album, which was certified Platinum in the United States, also produced the singles "Bring Me Down", "Kerosene", and "New Strings". All four singles were Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.

After Epic's Nashville division closed, Lambert was transferred to Columbia Records Nashville for her second album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which was released in early 2007. Although the title track failed to make top 40, the next three singles ("Famous in a Small Town", "Gunpowder & Lead", and "More Like Her") were all Top 20 hits, with "Gunpowder & Lead" becoming her first Top 10 country hit in July 2008. Lambert's third album, Revolution, was released in September 2009. Five singles have been released from the album, including Lambert's two Number One hits "The House That Built Me," which spent four weeks at the top of the chart, and "Heart Like Mine". Lambert has also been honored by the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and the Country Music Association Awards.

In 2011, Lambert married fellow country singer Blake Shelton. She also released her fourth album, Four the Record, which includes the singles "Baggage Claim" and "Over You". Lambert also collaborated with Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley in the side project Pistol Annies.

Early life[link]

Miranda Leigh Shelton (née Lambert) was born November 10, 1983 in Longview, Texas and raised in Lindale, Texas. Her father, Richard Lee "Rick" Lambert, is a retired police officer who in later life became a private investigator in partnership with her mother, Beverly June Lambert (née Hughes). Miranda was taught about guns by her father at an early age and later became an avid deer hunter. Her parents took her to a Garth Brooks concert when she was nine and this started her interest in country music. Her father wrote and performed country music and she soon began singing in talent contests under his tutelage. She started her career playing in local restaurants.

At age sixteen, Lambert began appearing on the Johnny High Country Music Review in Arlington, Texas, the same show that helped launch the career of LeAnn Rimes. Lambert quickly landed a recording session in Nashville, but left the studio after she became frustrated with the "pop" sound of music. She then went back to Texas and asked her dad to teach her how to play guitar so she could write her own songs.^[2][3]

While still in high school, Lambert made her professional singing debut. She fronted the house band at the Reo Palm Isle Ballroom^[4] in Longview, Texas, a long-running venue that has showcased Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, and is where Brooks & Dunn started out as a bar room band.

Music career[link]

Lambert in 2006

This section requires expansion with: Critical reception, musical stylings, any other relevant info.

[edit] 2003–2006: Kerosene

In 2003, Lambert auditioned for the talent competition Nashville Star, eventually becoming a third-place finisher on the show. She performed in many places such as The Tap in College Station, Texas when she was 18. On September 15, 2003, she signed with Epic Records.^[5] Her debut single, "Me and Charlie Talking" (co-written by her father and Heather Little), was released in summer of 2004 as the lead-off single to her debut album. Titled Kerosene, Lambert's first album comprised twelve songs, eleven of which she co-wrote. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts,^[6] and eventually gained a Platinum certification by the RIAA for shipments of over one million copies,^[7] selling more than 930,000 copies up to July 2008.^[8] Overall, the album produced four Top 40 singles on the Billboard country charts, including the title track which was a Top 20 hit. Lambert also toured with Keith Urban^[9] and George Strait^[10] in early 2006. In 2007, she toured with Dierks Bentley and Toby Keith.^[11]

[edit] 2007–2008: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Lambert in 2007

Lambert's second album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was released on May 9, 2007. She wrote eight of the album's eleven tracks,^[12] including its four singles. Much of the track "Gunpowder & Lead," the album's third single and her highest-charting single, was written while she was taking a concealed handgun class in her home town.^[13]

In 2005, at the 40th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Lambert won the Cover Girl Fresh Face of Country Music Award. She was also nominated for the Country Music Association's Horizon Award in 2005; in 2007, Lambert also received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her single "Kerosene". She also won the Top New Female Vocalist award at the 2007 ACM (Academy of Country Music) Awards. At the 2008 ACM (Academy of Country Music) Awards, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend won Album of the Year.

Lambert was ranked #90 on the 100 Greatest Women (of Country Music) by Country Universe in 2008.^[14]

[edit] 2009–2011: Revolution

Lambert in April 2010

In February 2009, Miranda Lambert entered the studio to record her third album, Revolution, which was to be released on September 29, 2009. Lambert co-wrote all but four of the album's 15 tracks; the album also includes co-writes from Blake Shelton, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum.^[15] Ahead of the album's release, an EP, titled Dead Flowers, was issued on September 8, 2009.^[16] The EP, available exclusively at Best Buy, featured the Revolution album track "Dead Flowers" and three bonus tracks previously included on limited editions of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

During this time, Lambert (along with two other singers), became the new face of Cotton Inc.’s revived “The Touch, The Feel of Cotton” campaign.^[17] She has appeared in ads to promote cotton, and the website features a free download of the full version of her song, "Fabric of My Life."^[18]

Lambert debuted her new single, "Dead Flowers", at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 5, 2009.^[19] It was released to country radio on May 4, 2009, and was a minor Top 40 hit on the charts.

On September 24, 2009, Lambert and her band performed all the tracks on Revolution in sequence at the Ryman Auditorium, five days before its scheduled release date.^[15]

Upon the release of Revolution, Lambert's work was met with significant critical praise.^[20] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 85, based on 11 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".^[20]

Rolling Stone magazine praised the album saying, "Lambert remains country's most refreshing act, and not just because she makes firearms seem like a matter-of-fact female accessory." Entertainment Weekly magazine said, "She's found stylistic shades of songwriters twice her age..." and that the album is "...a portrait of an artist in full possession of her powers, and the best mainstream-country album so far this year." Boston Globe commented that “Revolution’’ is the sound of Miranda Lambert coming into her own." Slant magazine also had high praises reserved for the album saying, "Miranda Lambert expands on her fascinating, fully realized artistic persona on Revolution."

The album's second single, "White Liar", was released on August 17, 2009,^[21] and debuted at #50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. In February 2010, "White Liar" became Lambert's first Top Five hit, reaching a peak of #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

In promotion of Revolution, Miranda Lambert launched a headlining tour; Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars kicked off in March 2010 and included stops in over 22 cities, as well as a performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival.^[22]

"The House That Built Me," the album's third single, was released on March 8, 2010 and became a #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It retained this position for four weeks and it received a platinum certification from the RIAA on July 8, 2010.^[23] On February 13, 2011, Lambert won a Grammy Award in the Best Female Country Vocal Performance category for "The House That Built Me."^[24]

"Only Prettier" followed as the album's fourth single in July 2010 and its accompanying music video became somewhat viral. The music video for "Only Prettier" was directed by Trey Fanjoy and filmed in Joelton, Tennessee in June 2010,^[25] and premiered on VEVO on August 3, 2010.^[26] It features a 1950s theme and cameo appearances by fellow country artists Kellie Pickler, Laura Bell Bundy, and Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum. In the video, Lambert and her friends portray two rival cliques attending a high school sock hop.^[27] The alter-egos are shown doing things such as spiking the punch, stuffing their bras and smoking. Ultimately, the alter-egos have a bad time at the party, while Lambert, Pickler, Bundy and Scott enjoy themselves the entire night. Additionally, Lambert is also shown performing with her band on stage at the event.

On September 1, 2010, it was announced Miranda led nominations with an impressive 9 CMA awards, setting a record for the female with the most nominations in a single year by the organization. Miranda performed at the 44th Annual Country Music Association Awards on November 10, 2010.^[28] That same night she won the CMA Award for Female Vocalist of the Year and Revolution won Album of the Year.^[29] Lambert and Sheryl Crow performed "Coal Miner's Daughter" as a tribute to country legend Loretta Lynn, who also entered the stage to join them and finished the song with Crow and Lambert as backup. Later that night, Lynn presented the Female Vocalist of the Year CMA award to Lambert.

In December 2010, "Only Prettier", eventually reached a peak of number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, giving Lambert her seventh Top 20 hit. "Heart Like Mine" was released in January 2011 as the fifth and final single from Revolution. It became Lambert's second Number One hit on the country charts for the chart dated May 28, 2011.

[edit] 2011–present: Four the Record and Pistol Annies

On April 4, 2011 during the taping of the Academy of Country Music's 'Girls' Night Out' television special in Las Vegas, Lambert debuted her new project, girl group Pistol Annies. The group consists of Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. They released their single, "Hell on Heels," in May 2011,^[30] and released their debut album, Hell on Heels, on August 23, 2011, which debuted at #1 on Billboard's country chart.

Lambert announced in July 2011 that her fourth studio album, Four the Record, would be released on November 1, 2011.^[31] A month later, Sony Music Nashville announced that Lambert and labelmate Josh Thompson would transfer to RCA Nashville as part of a corporate restructuring.^[32]

Lambert also recorded a song for The Hunger Games soundtrack (The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond), called "Run Daddy Run" featuring The Pistol Annies. The soundtrack was released on March 20, 2012.

Acting debut[link]

Miranda Lambert began her acting debut on NBC's long-running legal drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in an episode titled "Father's Shadow", which originally aired on February 8, 2012. Lambert portrayed an actress named Lacey Ford, who falls under the spell of a nefarious producer (played by Michael McKean) and later claims to have been sexually assaulted by the reality show producer. "I had to really pull from my gut on this whole role I was playing because I'm a very strong, confident person," the country star says, noting that she was portraying "a more subdued, naïve character" than herself. "I really had to really transform my personality, which I wasn't sure I could do until I got on the set and sort of just tried to put myself in her shoes." She went on to add, "This was really nerve-racking all around, but also exciting because I've never acted before," she says. "And then playing an actress trying to get a role, it was like an audition within an audition. It was sort of my audition for myself to see if I could even act at all."^[33][34] Lambert told CMT News, "I have all of the [episodes] TiVo’ed. I watch the marathons. I love them. And I never wanted to act. I still don’t. I don’t want to be an actress. I just wanted to be on that show mainly so I could be a groupie [for their autographs]."^[35]

Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly praised Lambert in her debut role on SVU; "Lambert quickly communicated a convincing air of sodden despair and desperation. The script’s idea, an all too believable one, was to have Lacey be so desperate to become famous as a reality-TV star, she declined a rape kit test. "If he goes to prison," she said of McKean’s creep, "What happens to the show? I really want this part." Lambert really made you feel Lacey’s addled yearning. I don’t know, Miranda — I wouldn’t rule out that acting career so quickly..."^[36]

Personal life[link]

In 2006, Lambert began dating fellow country singer Blake Shelton.^[37] Lambert sang background vocals on Shelton's 2008 country cover of Michael Bublé's song "Home".^[38] The two recorded and co-wrote duet "Bare Skin Rug," for his studio album Startin' Fires released later in 2008. Shelton also co-wrote three songs on Revolution, and provided background vocals on "Maintain the Pain." On May 9, 2010, Shelton proposed to Lambert, after seeking (and receiving) her father's blessing and they became engaged.^[39][40] The two married on May 14, 2011 at the Don Strange Ranch in Boerne, Texas.^[40] Wearing her mother's wedding dress, Lambert walked down the aisle and exchanged vows with Shelton in front of 550 family members and friends, including fellow celebrities Reba McEntire, Kelly Clarkson, Cee Lo Green, Martina McBride, Dierks Bentley, Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum, Trace Adkins and the Bellamy Brothers. After the ceremony, Lambert expressed her excitement saying, "I'm married to my best friend! Looking forward to a lifetime of laughter."^[41] Lambert and Shelton live in Tishomingo, a small town in Oklahoma near Texoma.

Discography[link]

Albums

• Miranda Lambert (2001)
• Kerosene (2005)
• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2007)
• Revolution (2009)
• Four the Record (2011)

Awards[link]

Touring[link]

Tours[link]

• "Hookin' Up and Hangin' Out Tour" (2007)
  • with Toby Keith
• Sun City Carnival Tour (2009)^[55]
  • with Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland and Montgomery Gentry
• American Saturday Night Tour (2010)
  • with Brad Paisley and Justin Moore
• Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars (2010)
  • with Chris Young, Randy Houser, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, James Otto, David Nail, Wade Bowen, Jake Owen and Cross Canadian Ragweed
• CMT On Tour: Miranda Lambert Revolution (2010)^[56]
  • with Eric Church and Josh Kelley
• Miranda Lambert: Revolution Tour (2011)
  • with Justin Moore, Josh Kelley, Chris Young, Randy Rogers Band, Pat Green, Little Big Town, Ashton Shepherd and Gary Allan
• On Fire Tour (2012)
  • with Chris Young, Jerrod Niemann, Lee Brice, Thomas Rhett, Pistol Annies

Band[link]

Lambert's road band and crew consists of the following:^[57]

• Aden Bubeck — bass guitar
• Chris Kline — keyboard, harmonica, pedal steel, percussion, guitar
• Alex Weeden — lead guitar
• Scotty Wray — rhythm guitar, lap steel guitar, resonator guitar, banjo
• Keith Zebroski — drums

Touring personnel[link]

• Scott Fowler — backline tech
• Jason "Pone" Macalik — front of house engineer, backup bus driver
• Chris Newsom — monitor engineer, production manager, stage manager
• Sammy Bones — backline tech
• Jordan Powell — tour manager
• Jose "Puma" Raices — merchandise manager
• Aaron Luke — lighting director
• Charlie Sherman — bus driver

Filmography[link]

References[link]