WSMV-TV, virtual channel 4, is the NBC-affiliated television station serving the Nashville, Tennessee area. It broadcasts its digital signal on VHF channel 10. Owned by Meredith Corporation, its transmitter and tower are located adjacent to its studios on Knob Road in west Nashville, south of Charlotte Pike. Current syndicated programming on WSMV includes The Dr. Oz Show, The Twilight Zone and Access Hollywood.

History[link]

Early years[link]

WSMV began broadcasting as WSM-TV on September 30, 1950 at 1:10 p.m. It was Nashville's first television station and the second in Tennessee, behind WMCT (now WMC-TV, also an NBC affiliate) in Memphis. It was owned by the locally-based National Life and Accident Insurance Company along with WSM radio (650 AM & 95.5 FM); the AM station is renowned for broadcasts of the country music show "The Grand Ole Opry," which has been heard since 1925. The stations took its callsign from their parent's slogan, "We Shield Millions."

The television station has been an NBC affiliate from the very first day, though it also carried some programming from CBS, DuMont, and ABC. Affiliation with CBS ended in 1953 when WSIX-TV channel 8 (now WKRN-TV channel 2) signed on as a CBS primary affiliate. WSM shared ABC programming with WSIX-TV for a year until WLAC-TV channel 5 (now WTVF-TV) signed on as the CBS primary affiliate, leaving WSIX-TV as the ABC affiliate. Before the advent of satellite delivery, network programming was delivered to WSM-TV by microwave transmission from WAVE in Louisville, Kentucky.

Growth, 1960s and 1970s[link]

WSM-TV originally was headquartered in south Nashville at 15th Avenue South and Compton Avenue, near the present Belmont University. In 1957, the station attempted to a build a larger tower in west Nashville near Charlotte Avenue. During the construction process, the new tower's supporting wires failed. This caused the tower to collapse, which took the lives of several people. Afterward WSM-TV purchased its present property on Knob Road (farther west of the previous site) and built a tower there in a forested section away from potential damage to life and property.

WSM-TV shared its broadcast facilities with new public station WDCN-TV channel 2 (now WNPT-TV channel 8) beginning in 1962. In 1963, NL&AI built new studios for WSM-AM-FM-TV adjacent to the transmission tower on Knob Road. This left WDCN as the sole occupant of the south Nashville building, where that station remained until 1976. In 1974, NL&AI reorganized itself as a holding company, NLT Corporation, with the WSM stations as a major subsidiary.

The WSM stations' close ties to Nashville's country music business has meant that the Knob Road facility and/or its personnel was, from time to time, used for the recording of network and syndicated programs featuring Nashville-based performers. This was especially the case during the 1960s and 1970s. Most if not all of these shows were packaged by Show Biz, Inc., headquartered in Nashville and a subsidiary of Holiday Inn. Show Biz, Inc. produced The Porter Wagoner Show, That Nashville Music, The Bill Anderson Show, and several other programs seen throughout the U.S., especially on stations in the Southern and rural Midwestern U.S. The company dissolved in the late 1970s when its president, Jane Grams, became vice president and general manager of WTVC-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee. However, the Show Biz programs were seen on some stations well into the early 1980s.

Ownership changes since 1981[link]

NLT was taken over by American General, a Houston-based insurer, in 1980. The new owners were not interested in NLT's non-insurance businesses, and opted to sell off WSM-AM-FM-TV, the Opry and Opryland USA. Gaylord Entertainment Company bought the Opry, Opryland USA and WSM-AM-FM. Gaylord would have bought WSM-TV as well, but was already at the Federal Communications Commission's television ownership limit at the time; the FCC has since practically abandoned such restrictions. Instead, Gillett Broadcasting (property of George N. Gillett Jr.) bought WSM-TV on November 3, 1981 and changed the callsign to WSMV, in order to trade on the well-known WSM identity while at the same time separating it from its former radio sisters (later, the TV and radio stations would engage in news department cross promotions). Soon afterward, the radio stations moved out of the Knob Road facility into new studios at the Opryland Hotel. WSMV was later sold on June 8, 1989, to Cook Inlet Television Partners, an Alaska-based company which was a subsidiary of an Alaska Native Regional Corporation;^[1] Cook Inlet, in turn, sold it on January 5, 1995 to Meredith Corporation, its present licensee.^[2]

WSMV was not part of the affiliation deal between Meredith and CBS (however, two other Meredith stations, then-independent KPHO-TV in Phoenix, Arizona and then-NBC affiliate WNEM-TV in Saginaw, Michigan, were) because the purchase was announced more than one month after the affiliation deal had been finalized. As a result, WSMV became the only NBC affiliate in Meredith's present-day station group.

Past staff and programs[link]

The station's former staff include Pat Sajak (announcer and weekend weatherman from 1974 to 1977), Robin Roberts (sports anchor and reporter from 1986 to 1988), John Tesh (news anchor in 1975-1976), John Seigenthaler, Jr. (weekend anchor in the late 1980s) and Huell Howser (features reporter in the 1970s).

Ralph Emery, the longtime country music disc jockey on WSM-AM for many years, hosted morning (and at times, afternoon) shows on WSM(V) from the mid-1960s until the early 1990s; for much of that time, they were the highest-rated locally-produced early morning shows on American television. They featured performances by prominent country stars like Tex Ritter and current star Lorrie Morgan; also, the studio band consisted of top-notch Music Row session musicians.

Larry Munson, WSM-TV's sports director from 1956 until 1967 and later known as the play-by-play announcer for radio broadcasts of Georgia Bulldogs football, created and hosted a long-running hunting and fishing show called The Rod & Gun Club. Paul Eells replaced Munson as sports director in 1967. Like his predecessor, Eells served as the voice of the Vanderbilt Commodores football team during his time at WSM. Eells left to become the sports director at KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1978. There, he also served as radio play-by-play announcer for the Arkansas Razorbacks for 28 years until his death in 2006. Munson died in 2011.

Dan Miller was co-anchor of the main evening newscasts for nearly 40 years, except from August 1986 until March 1995. During this period, Miller spent time in Los Angeles as a news anchor at KCBS-TV, and as sidekick to friend and former WSMV colleague Pat Sajak on his short-lived late-night talk show The Pat Sajak Show. Miller returned to WSMV in 1992 to host 5 O'Clock with Dan Miller, which ran from 1992-93. Miller returned to anchoring duties for the evening newscasts in March 1995, continuing until his death in 2009. Miller died unexpectedly of a heart attack on April 8, 2009, while visiting The Masters golf tournament in his hometown of Augusta, Georgia.^[3]

In 1974, Bill Hall, an African-American, joined the staff as a weather reporter. He briefly worked as a week-end news anchor in 1976 before moving into his role leading the weather team in 1977. His unique style and personality made him one of Middle Tennessee's most well known local television personalities. He punctuated his weather discussions with comments about gardening, cooking, and hunting and fishing. During his WSM-WSMV career, Hall also hosted Land and Lakes, an outdoors show focusing on local hunting and fishing adventures. He retired in 2005. Hall died December 23, 2011.^{[4] [5] [6]}

Recent events[link]

Early in 2006, WSMV attracted some attention by becoming the largest-market NBC affiliate to refuse to carry the controversial NBC show The Book of Daniel on its programming schedule, after the premiere episode. This action, along with that of several smaller affiliates in the Midwest and South, prompted NBC to cancel the series after only three episodes.

In early March 2009, it was announced that WSMV's master control operations would be hubbed at WGCL-TV in Atlanta, another Meredith station. The new hub operation launched in summer 2009.

Digital Television[link]

WSMV previously aired programming from the NBC-owned Spanish-language network, Telemundo, on its DT2 subcarrier,^[7] since the Nashville DMA lacks a Telemundo affiliate of its own. The subchannel began airing in the summer of 2006, and was discontinued on December 31, 2010. WSMV management has indicated that programming on WSMV-DT2 will not be replaced, and that the subcarrier's spectrum will be used for non-OTA broadcast purposes. This move left the Nashville area with TeleFutura affiliate WLLC-LP channel 42 as its only Spanish-language outlet.

Analog-to-digital conversion[link]

In 2009, WSMV-TV turned off its analog transmitter and remained on its pre-transition channel 10.^[8][9] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display WSMV-TV's virtual channel as 4.

News operation[link]

Beginning in the mid-1970s, WSM-TV developed a strong news division that, in the 1980s, won numerous regional and national awards (Peabody Awards among them) for in-depth and investigative reporting. Mike Kettenring was the news director for much of that period.

In recent times, WSMV has alternated with WTVF for first place in the Nashville ratings. Generally speaking, the station takes a softer approach to news than WTVF. The reverse was true in the 1980s, as WSMV earned awards for hard-hitting investigative stories, while WTVF took a more cautious approach. While WTVF usually leads the way in the city of Nashville itself, WSMV generally leads in Nashville's more conservative suburbs, as well as outlying rural parts of the market, many of whose residents recall readily the station's past association with WSM-AM.

In September 1973, WSM/WSMV decided to fill the 6:30-7 p.m. time slot opened up by the Prime Time Access Rule in 1971 by expanding its 6 p.m. newscast. This has proven so successful that to this day WSMV programs a newscast from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. (although it is now broken up into two 30-minute segments). Upon the success of the WSM/WSMV expanded 6 p.m. newscast (and after years of low-rated syndicated offerings in the 6:30 slot), WTVF followed suit in 1989 by expanding its 6 p.m. newscast to one hour length. WSMV and WTVF are among the very few stations in the Central Time Zone to run news at 6:30 presently (stations elsewhere have attempted it since the 1970s with varying degrees of success). WKRN is the only traditional network affiliate in the Nashville market to run only a half hour of news at 6 p.m., with Wheel of Fortune (hosted by former WSM personality Pat Sajak) airing at 6:30.

During the May sweeps period that began on April 26, 2007, WSMV debuted its own live news helicopter known as Air 4, becoming the second station in Nashville to do so (WTVF's news helicopter Sky 5 debuted a year earlier, in 2006). On September 15, 2008, beginning with the 5:00 p.m. newscast, WSMV became the second Nashville station (behind WTVF) to broadcast local news in High Definition.

On May 26, 2011, WSMV debuted an hour-long 4 p.m. newscast, serving as a replacement for The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ended its 25-year run the day before; this came on the heels of the expansion of other non-news local programming such as More at Midday and Better Nashville, indicating a decreased reliance on syndicated programming.^[10]

On March 5, 1973, the Vanderbilt Television News Archive recorded off the air of WSM-TV a special broadcast of The Today Show aimed toward veterans of the Vietnam War returning home to the U.S.^[11] Two months later, on May 1, another broadcast of Today was recorded concerning the Watergate scandal.^[12] On both of these broadcasts, Pat Sajak, who had recently joined the WSM radio and TV staff, anchored the five-minute cut-in local newscasts. As it was not the general policy of the Archive to record special programs such as these or local Nashville programming, these probably represent the only known broadcasts of WSM-TV news before 1980 or so available for public viewing, prior to the widespread popularity of video cassette recorders in the late 1970s. The only other ones were local cut-ins to NBC coverage of national elections. Because of the equipment at the time, though, the broadcasts were recorded in black and white.

The Archive, prior to the advent of satellite technology in the 1980s, taped all NBC News broadcasts from the airwaves of WSM/WSMV.

News/station presentation[link]

Newscast titles[link]

• Views of The News (1950s)
• Dateline Nashville (late 1950s)
• Dateline Today (6 p.m. newscast)/The Ten O'Clock News (10 p.m. newscast; 1960s–1970)
• Channel 4 News (1970–present)^[13]
• The Scene at 6 (6 p.m. newscast)/The Scene at 10 (10 p.m. newscast; 1970–2001)^[14][15]
• The Channel 4 News (1993–2001)^[16]

Station slogans[link]

This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

News team[link]

[edit] Current on-air staff^[18] (as of October 8, 2011)

Anchors

• Alan Frio - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.
• Jennifer Johnson - weekdays at 4 and 4:30 p.m., and weeknights at 6:30 p.m.
• Demetria Kalodimos - weekdays at 4, and weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
• Jonathan Martin - weekend mornings Channel 4 News Today
• Tom Randles - weeknights at 5, 6, 6:30 and 10 p.m.
• Ian Reitz - weekday mornings Channel 4 News Today (4-7 a.m.)
• Holly Thompson - weekday mornings Channel 4 News Today (4-7 a.m.) and weekdays at noon

Channel 4 4Warn Weather Team

• Lisa Spencer (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and NWA Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weekdays at noon, and weeknights at 5 and 6 p.m.
• Paul Heggen (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings Channel 4 News Today (4-7 a.m.)
• Dan Thomas (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weeknights at 4, 6:30 and 10 p.m.
• Nancy Van Camp (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekend mornings, Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.

Sports team

• Rudy Kalis - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
• Chris Harris - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m., also sports reporter

Reporters

• Nancy Amons - general assignment, investigative ("I-Team") and technology reporter
• Terry Bulger - Breakfast with Bulger and Bulger's Beat
• Kimberly Curth - general assignment reporter
• Josh DeVine - general assignment reporter
• Dennis Ferrier - general assignment reporter
• Jeremy Finley - investigative reporter ("I-Team")
• Larry Flowers - Rutherford County reporter; also photographer
• Carley Gordon - Clarksville reporter; also photographer
• Jennifer Herron - weekday morning and afternoon traffic reporter
• Cara Kumari - State Capitol reporter
• Deanna Lambert - general assignment reporter
• Caroline Moses - investigative reporter ("I-Team")
• Regina Raccuglia - general assignment reporter
• Forrest Sanders - Clarksville reporter; also photographer
• Cynthia Williams - general assignment reporter

Notable former on-air staff[link]

• Charlie Chase (1970s; currently host for the Crook and Chase TV show and countdown)
• Carol Marin - investigative reporter/anchor (1976–1978; now at WMAQ-TV in Chicago as the station's political editor)
• Katie McCall - reporter (1998 to 2000; now returned to Houston for KTRK-TV)
• Dan Miller - anchor (died at age 67 on April 8, 2009)
• Pat Sajak - meteorologist (1970s; currently host of the syndicated game show Wheel of Fortune)
• John Tesh - musician; former anchor of Entertainment Tonight

This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

References[link]

External links[link]

• WSMV official website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WSMV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WSMV-TV
• Huntsville Rewound-Huntsville AL TV Memories

Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood at the 2010 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards.
Background information
Birth name	Carrie Marie Underwood
Born	(1983-03-10) March 10, 1983 (age 29) Muskogee, Oklahoma
Origin	Checotah, Oklahoma, United States
Genres	Country, country pop
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, actress
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	2005–present
Labels	19, Arista Nashville, Arista
Associated acts	Brad Paisley, Randy Travis, Tony Bennett
Website	www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com

Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American country singer, songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005. Underwood has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist, a winner of several Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards and American Music Awards, a Golden Globe Award nominee, a three-time Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Female Vocalist winner, and a two-time 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 (2009/10). Underwood was inducted into and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2008. She was also inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2009.^[1] Billboard named Underwood Country Music's reigning Queen in 2012.^[2]

Her debut album, Some Hearts, was certified seven times platinum and, since February 2006, is the fastest selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history.^[3] It is also the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, since February 2008,^[4] and, since March 2011, the best-selling country album of the last 10 years.^[5] Some Hearts yielded three number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and a number one 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,^[6] being certified 3 times Platinum,^[7] and produced four consecutive number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Underwood released her third album, Play On, on November 3, 2009. It has been certified 2 times Platinum by the RIAA^[7] and has produced three consecutive number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. As of March 2012, Underwood has sold over 22 million singles^[8] and more than 14 million albums worldwide.^[9] As of May 16, 2011, Underwood became the "American Idol" US Top Earner, selling so far 12.4 million album copies and 19 million digital tracks,^[10] along with amassing $66 million in tour revenues, since winning Season 4.^[11] Underwood's fourth album, Blown Away, was released on May 1, 2012.

With eleven number one hits on Billboard Hot Country Songs, Underwood is listed in the 2012 Guinness Book of World Records as the Female Country Artist with Most number one Hits on such chart from 1991 to present, tied with Reba McEntire.^[12] Underwood is also the only solo Country Artist to have a number one hit on Billboard Hot 100 Songs in the 2000 decade, as "Inside Your Heaven" reached the top of the chart in July 2005. Her album Some Hearts was named the Best Country Album of the 2000 Decade by Billboard,^[13] 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 number ten.^[14] She was also ranked number 50 on the Artists of the Decade list by Billboard.^[15] In June 2011, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Underwood as the number eleven Queen of Pop, based on a lot of criteria from 2009 until 2011.^[16] In July 2011, Forbes reported that Underwood earned over $20 million between May 2010 and May 2011.^[17]

Early life[link]

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.^[18] Her father worked in a sawmill, while her mother taught elementary school.^[19] She has two older sisters, Shanna and Stephanie.^[20] During her childhood, Underwood performed at Robbins Memorial Talent Show, and sang at her local church, First Free Will Baptist Church.^[21] She later sang for local events in Checotah, including Old Settler's Day and the Lion's Club.^[22]

A local admirer arranged for her to go to Nashville when she was 14 to audition for Capitol Records.^[21] In 1996, Capitol Records was preparing a contract for Underwood but cancelled it when company management changed. Underwood said of the event, "I honestly think it's a lot better that nothing came out of it now, because I wouldn't have been ready then. Everything has a way of working out."^[23] While at Checotah High School, she was an Honor Society member, a cheerleader, and played basketball and softball.^[24] Underwood graduated from Checotah High School in 2001 as salutatorian.^[22] She chose not to pursue singing after graduation. She said, "After high school, I pretty much gave up on the dream of singing. I had reached a point in my life where I had to be practical and prepare for my future in the 'real world'".^[24] She attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, graduating magna cum laude in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in mass communication and an emphasis in journalism.^[25] She spent part of one of her summers as a page for Oklahoma State Representative Bobby Frame.^[26] She also waited tables at a pizzeria, worked at a zoo, and at a veterinary clinic.^[24] Underwood is an alumna of the Alpha Iota chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority.^[27] 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.^[28]

[edit] 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.^[29] One of the show's producers later said she dominated the voting, winning each week handily.^[30] She gained a fan base known as "Carrie's Care Bears" during the course of the show. During the final, she sang with Rascal Flatts their song "Bless the Broken Road". On May 5, 2005, Underwood became the season four winner. Her winnings included a recording contract worth at least a million dollars, use of a private jet for a year, and a Ford Mustang convertible.^[31]

Performances and results[link]

Career[link]

[edit] 2005–07: Some Hearts

Underwood performing at the World Arena in 2006.

Underwood's debut album, Some Hearts, was released in November 2005, entering the Billboard charts with 315,000 copies sold, debuting at number one on the Hot Country Albums and at number two on the Hot 200 Albums. The large first week sales of Some Hearts made it the biggest debut of any country artist since the advent of the SoundScan system in 1991. The album was the best-selling album in the United States in 2006 and the best-selling country album in the United States of 2006 and 2007. 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,^[32] the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, as of February 2008,^[4] and the best-selling album by an American Idol alumni in the U.S..^[33] "Inside Your Heaven", Underwood's first single, was released in June, debuting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian Singles Chart. It was the longest running single of 2005 in Canada. "Inside Your Heaven" is the only single by a solo country artist in the 2000 decade to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It sold nearly one million copies and was certified gold by the RIAA and two times platinum by the CRIA. The album's second single,^[34] "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was released to radio in October and later peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, topping it for six consecutive weeks, and at twenty on the Hot 100. The song sold over two million copies and was certified 2-time Platinum by the RIAA.^[6] Underwood's third single, "Some Hearts", was also released in October, but just to the pop radios. "Don't Forget to Remember Me", her fourth single, also proved successful, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Later that autumn, Underwood's third country single,^[34] "Before He Cheats", hit number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs, staying there for 5 consecutive weeks. The song peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, achieving the slowest climb ever to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record that was previously held by Creed from July 2000. It sold over three million copies, being certified 3-time Platinum, and is the fourth best-selling country digital song of all time.^[35] On April 11, 2007, Underwood continued her streak of top Country singles with the release of "Wasted", which peaked at number one on the Hot Country Songs Chart, sold nearly one million copies and was certified Gold by the RIAA.^[36] On August 2008, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was reported to have been certified Platinum, making Underwood the first country artist ever to have two songs hit Platinum Mastertone status together with "Before He Cheats", which has been certified earlier in 2007.^[37] Underwood started her first headlined tour, Carrie Underwood: Live 2006, with dates across North America.

At the 2005 Billboard Music Awards, her hit song "Inside Your Heaven" won the coveted Top-Selling Hot 100 Song of the Year award and also Top-Selling Country Single of the Year award, and she won Country Single Sales Artist of the Year. At the 2006 Academy of Country Music Awards, she won Top New Female Vocalist and Single of the Year, for "Jesus, Take the Wheel". At the 40th Annual Country Music Association Awards she won both the Horizon Award (now Best New Artist) and Female Vocalist of the Year. At the 2006 CMT Awards, Underwood won both the Breakthrough Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year for "Jesus, Take The Wheel". She later won the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award at the American Music Awards, and was also nominated for Favorite Female Country Artist. She won 5 awards at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards, including the coveted Album of the Year, Top 200 Female Artist of the Year, Female Country Artist, New Country Artist, and Country Album of the Year. Also that year, Underwood won a Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Award for Country Recorded Song of the Year, for "Jesus, Take The Wheel". At the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2007, Underwood won Album of the Year, Video of the Year, and Female Vocalist of the Year. She was nominated for "World's Best Selling New Artist" at the 2006 World Music Awards. At the 2007 CMT Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 16, Underwood's "Before He Cheats" won three awards, including Video of the Year, Female Video of the Year, and Video Director of the Year. Underwood won two awards at the 2007 CMA Awards: Female Vocalist of the Year, for the second consecutive time, and Single Record of the Year, for "Before He Cheats". In 2007, at the 49th Grammy Awards, Some Hearts received four Grammy nominations and Underwood won her first two Grammy Awards: Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Jesus, Take the Wheel. 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". At the 50th Grammy Awards, in 2008, Underwood was nominated for two more 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 performed the song at the ceremony.

In December 2005, Underwood was named Oklahoman of the Year by Oklahoma Today.^[38] In December 2006, Underwood joined Tony Bennett, Michael Bublé and Josh Groban to sing "For Once In My Life" on The Oprah Winfrey Show.^[39] Also that month, she paid tribute to Dolly Parton, by singing "Islands in the Stream" with Kenny Rogers (originally by Parton and Rogers) at the Kennedy Center Honors, which honored Parton that year. Underwood performed with the USO Christmas Tour in Iraq during the 2006 Holiday season.^[40] Underwood also performed at the 2007 Idol Gives Back concert singing "I'll Stand By You", a cover of The Pretenders hit. Her version of the song debuted at number six on Billboard's Hot 100 Songs. Also in 2007, Victoria's Secret named Underwood the Sexiest Female Musician.^[41]

[edit] 2007–09: Carnival Ride

Underwood performing in a concert, 2007.

Underwood's second album, Carnival Ride,^[42] was released in October 2007.^[43] On Carnival Ride, Underwood was more involved in the songwriting process; 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.^[44] Carnival Ride moved over 527,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number one on both the Billboard 200 and Hot Country Albums, as well as number one on the Canadian Albums Chart. Carnival Ride was certified double platinum in just two months after its release, in December.^[45] The album is certified 3-time Platinum by the RIAA, for sales of over three million. "So Small", the first single from the album, was released in July 2007 and reached number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs, topping it for three consecutive weeks.^[46] "All-American Girl", the second single, also reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. The next single, "Last Name", reached number one on the Hot Country Song chart as well. 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. "Just a Dream", the album's next single, was released on July 2008 and later peaked at number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, staying there for 2 consecutive weeks. 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. The album's fifth single, "I Told You So", a duet with the original singer of the song, Randy Travis, was released in February 2009. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Country charts and number nine on the Hot 100. Carnival Ride has produced four Platinum-selling singles, "So Small", "All American Girl", "Last Name" and "Just a Dream", and a Gold-selling single, "I Told You So", which sold nearly one million copies.^[6] 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.^[47] She then started her headlined tour, the Carnival Ride Tour, in February 2008, with dates across all North America, and ended it on December 14, 2008, playing to 1.2 million fans throughout the tour and being named the top-selling country female touring artist of 2008.^[48]

By the end of 2007, Underwood won 5 awards at the Billboard Music Awards, including the coveted Billboard 200 Artist of the Year and also Country Artist of the Year.^[49] Also in late 2007, she won three American Music Awards: Artist of the Year, Favorite Female Country Artist and Favorite Country Album, for her debut album, Some Hearts. At the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards, she won Female Vocalist of the Year, for the 2nd consecutive time. She received two nominations for the 2008 Country Music Association Awards. Underwood and Brad Paisley co-hosted the awards show^[50] and she walked away with the Female Vocalist of the Year award for the third consecutive time, but lost the Album of the Year award to George Strait. At the 2008 American Music Awards, Carnival Ride won the Favorite Country Album award, thus making that her 2nd consecutive win in such category. In 2008, Underwood also won her first international award, which was "Female Vocalist of the Year" at the European Country Music Association Awards.^[51] For the 44th Academy of Country Music Awards, in 2009, Underwood was nominated for four major awards. Underwood won for Female Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of The Year, thus making her the first woman to win the award in ten years and the 7th female to take it 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". In 2009, at the 51st Grammy Awards, she won, for the third year in a row, the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for "Last Name", and performed the song at the ceremony. At the 52nd Grammy Awards, in 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 and was also nominated again for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for "Just A Dream". At the ceremony, she performed with Celine Dion, Usher, Smokey Robinson and Jennifer Hudson during the 3-D Michael Jackson tribute.^[52] Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich stated that Michael Jackson greatly admired Underwood, which is why she was hand-picked to perform during his tribute.^[53]

On May 13, 2008, Underwood was invited by Randy Travis to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, later that month she was officially inducted by Garth Brooks into the Grand Ole Opry.^[54] A few months earlier, she sang Julie Andrews' classic, the title song from The Sound of Music, at the 2007 Movies Rock: A Celebration Of Music In Film.^[55] On October 22, 2008, Underwood unveiled her wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York. In 2009, Forbes reported that Underwood was 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.^[56] She appeared on the holiday CD Hear Something Country Christmas 2007 with a rendition of "Do You Hear What I Hear?". The song reached number two on the AC Chart, and remained there for 3 consecutive weeks.^[57] She recorded the song "Ever Ever After" for the soundtrack of the 2007 Walt Disney film Enchanted. Underwood co-wrote a song for Idol alum Kristy Lee Cook's major-label debut album Why Wait. At the 2008 Idol Gives Back, she sang George Michael's classic "Praying For Time" and later recorded it. In November 2008, Underwood recorded a virtual and posthumous duet with Elvis Presley, on his classic "I'll Be Home For Christmas", for his 2008 album Christmas Duets. Elvis' ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, herself asked Underwood to do the duet: "Priscilla wanted me to do 'I'll Be Home For Christmas'", she says. "I couldn't say 'no'."^[58] In March 2009, she tracked a cover of Mötley Crüe's ballad "Home Sweet Home" for the American Idol season 8 farewell theme.^[59] Her version debuted at number 21 on the Hot 100 Songs.

[edit] 2009–12: Play On

Underwood on the red carpet of the 2009 American Music Awards in November 2009

Underwood released her third studio album, Play On, in November 2009. The album debuted atop both the Billboard 200 and Hot Country Albums, selling nearly 318,000 copies, giving Underwood the second-highest female artist first week sales for 2009. Underwood wrote a song with pop/R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo for the album, the song however did not make the album.^[60] The first single from the album, "Cowboy Casanova", co-written by Underwood, Brett James and hip hop producer Mike Elizondo, was released in September, peaked at number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs and at eleven on the Hot 100 Songs, sold 1.6 million and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Second single, "Temporary Home"^[61] hit number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and the RIAA certified it Gold.^[62] "Undo It", Underwood's third single from "Play On", was released to radio in May. It was later certified Platinum by the RIAA and hit number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, giving Underwood her tenth number one single on the Hot Country Songs. The 4th single from Play On, "Mama's Song", was released to country radio in September and peaked at two on the Hot Country Songs. The album is certified Double Platinum by the RIAA.^[7]

Underwood's Play On Tour started its first leg on March 11, 2010 in Reading, Pennsylvania.^[63] The second leg of the tour started on September 25, 2010 in Portland, Oregon, and ended January 1, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan.^[64] Underwood sold out the prestigious Hollywood Bowl on October 2, 2010.^[65] In December 2010, Pollstar.com ranked the Play On Tour one of the Top 50 tours of 2010, at number 18 on the North American raking, and number 31 worldwide. Billboard also ranked Underwood's tour at number 24 for all worldwide tours of 2010. On January 4, 2011, official statistics revealed that Underwood played to over 1 million fans throughout the tour,^[66]

At the 2009 CMA Awards she received two nominations and co-hosted the ceremony with Brad Paisley.^[67] Underwood was nominated for 6 Academy of Country Music Awards. At the show, Underwood was named Entertainer of the Year, making her the only country female artist in history to win this award twice. 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 second Female to win the coveted "Triple Crown Award", the first being Barbara Mandrell. At the CMT Music Awards Underwood walked away with 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.^[68] Underwood won two international awards at the 8th French Country Music Awards, which were Best Female Vocalist and Video of the Year, for "Cowboy Casanova". At the 2010 American Music Awards, she won "Favorite Country Album", for "Play On", making her the only artist in the American Music Award history to have all albums awarded in such a category.^[69] She co-hosted the 2010 CMA Awards with Brad Paisley for the third year in a row. Underwood was the 2010 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.^[70] At the 2011 Grammy Awards, Underwood was nominated for 'Best Female Country Vocal Performance' for "Temporary Home."^[71] 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.^[72] The event aired on CMT on December 3, 2010. At the 2011 Academy of Country Music Awards, Underwood sang with Steven Tyler both her song "Undo It" and Aerosmith's "Walk This Way". In May 2011, Underwood was one of the seven women to be honored by the Academy of Country Music at the Girls' Night Out: Superstar Women of Country special. She was recognized for being the first and only female artist in the Academy's history to ever win Entertainer of the Year twice.^[73] At the ceremony, Vince Gill introduced Underwood and presented her with the special award. He sang one of her hits, "Jesus, Take The Wheel", and joined Underwood on a rendition performance of "How Great Thou Art". The video of the performance turned into a viral sensation, reaching 3 million views on YouTube within two days.^[74] On December 5, 2011, Underwood won three awards at the 2011 American Country Awards, including Female Artist of the Year for the second consecutive time.^[75]

In late 2009, Underwood had her very own CMT Invitation Only^[76] and also hosted a Christmas special, Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special, a two-hour variety show on Fox that featured Dolly Parton, with whom she sang a rendition duet of "I Will Always Love You", seventh-season American Idol champion David Cook, Kristin Chenoweth, Brad Paisley and others.^[77] 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 the list. Also in May, Victoria's Secret named her legs the Sexiest Legs in Hollywood.^[78] Underwood appeared on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Her character, Tiffany, is a pharmaceutical sales representative who becomes the love interest for another main character on the show.^[79] A few months earlier, she performed a voice-over as 'Carrie Underworm', a parodied "worm" character, in an episode of the PBS children's television series, Sesame Street,^[80] Underwood co-wrote and recorded a song entitled "There's a Place for Us," the lead single from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.^[81] Underwood and songwriters, David Hodges and Hillary Lindsey, received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.^[82] In March 2011, Underwood sang John Lennon's "Instant Karma!" at the NBC's special All Together Now – A Celebration of Service, which honored former President George H. W. Bush.^[83] She made her big screen debut in Soul Surfer, in April 2011. At the season ten finale of American Idol Underwood selected a song for contestant Lauren Alaina to sing.^[84]

Underwood is featured on "Remind Me", a duet with Brad Paisley that reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, giving Underwood her eleventh number one single on such chart and fourteenth overall. She has also a duet with Tony Bennett on his 2011 album Duets II^[85] and another duet with Randy Travis on his 2011 Anniversary Celebration album. Underwood was one of the headliners of the iHeartRadio Music Festival. The event took place on September 23 and 24, 2011.^[86] On September 19, Underwood performed "You Really Got a Hold on Me" in order to honor Smokey Robinson, as he was presented with the Ella Award at the Society of Singers annual dinner. Robinson returned the favor to Underwood by singing "My Girl" to her. At the same event, they sang together with Stevie Wonder, Natalie Cole and other artists a medley of multiple songs.^[87]

On February 4, 2012, Underwood joined Steven Tyler to record CMT's Crossroads at the Pepsi Coliseum during the Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam of Super Bowl XLVI.^[88] It was the highest-rated episode in seven years.^[89] On February 12, 2012, Underwood and Tony Bennett performed their duet "It Had to Be You" at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards show.^[90]

[edit] 2012: Blown Away

Blown Away,^[91] Underwood's fourth album, was released on May 1, 2012.^[92] Underwood has said that this album features songs with a "darker storyline."^[93] Blown Away debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, the Country Albums Chart and the Digital Albums chart in the United States, selling more than 267,000 in its first week.^[94] The first single, "Good Girl", was released to the iTunes store on February 23, 2012. It was officially released to Country radio on February 27, 2012.^[95][96] The music video for "Good Girl" premiered on Entertainment Tonight and on VEVO on March 12, 2012.^[97] The song has already been certified Gold by the RIAA, for sales of half a million.^[6]