An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans".

Term usage[link]

As of 2009, the term is used in U.S. team sports to refer to players who are selected by members of the national media.^{[citation needed]} The term is used primarily with regard to college and, occasionally, to high school players. Outstanding professional players usually are referred to as "All-Stars", or, in the case of professional American football, "All-Pros": (as opposed to Pro Bowlers, who are selected by players, coaches, and fans to compete in Pro Bowl games).^{[citation needed]}

Selection to an All-America team for high school and collegiate players, however, is honorary in nature, and All-America teams do not typically play any games as a unit, unlike many of the all-star teams.^{[citation needed]}

The original use of the term "All-America" seems to have been in reference to a list of college football players who were regarded as the best at their respective positions. The first "All-America" team was the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Caspar Whitney and published in This Week's Sports in association with Walter Camp.^[1]

The United States Army 82nd Airborne Division was given the nickname "All-American" because its members came from all 48 U.S. states which, at that time, constituted the United States (Hawaii and Alaska did not enter the union until 1959).^{[citation needed]}

Other uses[link]

The use of the term has been expanded to honor persons outside of the field of sports, especially informally; for example an individual may be popularly referred to as, an "All-America" level entertainer, educator, or other activity which does not have anything to do with athletics.^{[citation needed]}

The term has also been used in athletics in new ways to recognize the academic achievements of student-athletes as "Academic All-America" teams are named.^[2] The term "Academic All-America" is a registered trademark of the College Sports Information Directors of America, which began the program in 1952 to recognize college athletes at all levels of competition and in all collegiate sports.

The term "All-American" is also colloquially used to describe stereotypically clean-cut, mainstream or conventional American middle class people, particularly teenagers and young adults. This usage was popularized by the radio series Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy, which ran from 1933 to 1951. The "mainstream" culture was dominated by white Americans, but this connotation is changing along with demographics and acceptance of a multi-racial society.^[3]

Collegiate sports[link]

Each year different sets of All-American teams are recognized toward consensus and unanimous selection recognition. A "unanimous selection" is a player who is listed as a first team All-American by all recognized lists. A "consensus All-American" is a player who is listed as a first team All-American by at least half of the recognized lists. (See #Football (below).

All-America teams are selected annually in various collegiate sports.

Baseball[link]

In baseball, All-America teams are selected annually by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Collegiate Baseball.

Basketball[link]

Cross country running[link]

Selections are administered by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). In Division I, the top 40 overall finishers at the national meet are all named to the All-America team. In Division III, the top 35 finishers garner All-American distinction. The student-athlete's team must be a member of the USTFCCCA. ^[4][5]

Football[link]

The National Collegiate Athletic Association recognizes College Football All-America Teams selected by the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) to determine consensus All-Americans.^[6]

Ice hockey[link]

The American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) selects All-Americans at the Division I and Division III levels, for both men and women. For Division I men, they select a first- and a second-team for East and for West; for Division I women, they select national first- and second-teams. For Division III men, they select a first- and a second-team for East and for West; for Division III women, they select two East teams and a single West team.

Lacrosse[link]

The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) annually selects men's lacrosse All-Americans, distinguished by first team, second team, third team, and honorable mention.^[7]

The Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) annually selects women's lacrosse All-Americans, distinguished by first team, second team, third team, and honorable mention. [1].

US Lacrosse, the national governing body for men's and women's lacrosse, annually selects national boys' and girls' high school All-Americans. [2].

Soccer[link]

In soccer, the NCAA annually names an eleven-member All-America team following the season.^[8]

Swimming and diving[link]

In NCAA swimming and diving, athletes and relay teams who make the championship final (top eight) are considered First-Team All-Americans. Athletes and relay teams that qualify for the consolation final (determines places 9–16) are considered Honorable Mention All-Americans.^[9]

Tennis[link]

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association annually selects men's and women's D-1 players with the following criteria SINGLES (denoted by 'S') 1.) Top 16 seed in NCAA Singles Championships, or 2.) Reach round of 16 in NCAA Singles Championships, or 3.) Finish in the Top 20 of the final ITA Rankings. DOUBLES (denoted by 'D') 1.) Top eight seed in NCAA Doubles Championships, or 2.) Reach quarterfinals of NCAA Doubles Championship, or 3.) Finish in Top 10 of final ITA Rankings.^[10]

Track and field[link]

Also administered by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, the selection rules are that the top eight finishers in each individual event, as well as American competitors who finish outside of the top eight in their event but are among the top eight of the American finishers in an event, earn All-America designation. Relays are judged strictly on a top-eight basis. The cutoff of eight places is the same for both indoor and outdoor competition. The student-athlete's team must be a member of the USTFCCCA.^[11]

Wrestling[link]

See Collegiate wrestling

In all NCAA and NJCAA divisions the top 8 placers at the national championship tournament are considered All-Americans.^[12]

High school sports[link]

At the high school level, noted All-America teams are selected by Parade magazine in basketball and football,^[13] and the McDonald's restaurant chain in basketball.^[14] The McDonald's All-American Team is unlike other All-America awards because it stages an annual game involving these players. Since 2000, the United States Army has sponsored its own annual All-American high school football competition.

In 2005, Offense-Defense Sports began publishing a Top 100 ranking for nation's the top high school football athletes.^[15] The Offense-Defense All-American Bowl is held every January, featuring the 88 top-ranked high school seniors.^[16]

Athletes who place in the top 15 of each gender division at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, a series of annual cross country running races which are held in various regions of the US, are awarded All-American honors.^[17]

The National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association publishes All America lists for Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, and Academics for athletes in aquatic sports.

See also[link]

• All-Australian team
• Academic All-American
• Underclass All-American
• All-Japan (disambiguation)
• All-American American
• AAU Men's Basketball All-Americans

References[link]

Hoodie Allen
Background information
Birth name	Steven Markowitz
Born	(1988-08-19) August 19, 1988 (age 23) Plainview, New York, United States
Origin	Old Bethpage, New York, United States
Genres	Experimental hip hop, pop rap, hipster hop
Years active	2009–present
Website	hoodieallen.com

Steven Markowitz (born August 19, 1988), better known by his stage name Hoodie Allen, is an independent American hip-hop artist and rapper.

Early life[link]

Hoodie was born in New York City and raised in a Jewish household on Long Island^[1][2] He started writing lyrics as a child, and would perform raps for his friends at house parties.^[3][4] Growing up, his nickname was "Hoodie."^[5] He wanted a rapper name that "would stick in peoples' minds and be a little bit funny and representative of who I am," so he settled on "Hoodie Allen."^[5]

He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010, where he studied finance and marketing at The Wharton School, and was a brother in the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.^[4][6] While there, he met his producer, RJF.^[7][8] After graduating, he worked at Google as an AdWords associate in their START (Standardized AdWords Reseller Training) program.^[9] He would leave at 7 AM for a bus ride to the Google offices in Mountain View, work a full day at Google, return at 6 PM, and then write songs, answer fan emails, and schedule concerts until 2 or 3 AM.^[4] Reflecting on this, Hoodie said, "I was moving so fast, and even while I was at Google there was so much going on that I felt like I was doing two full-time jobs."^[9] His dream and passion was music, so when he got opportunities to do live shows, he decided to leave Google.^[9]

Career[link]

[edit] 2009–2012: From Bagels & Beats to Leap Year

Hoodie's first two album releases were "Bagels & Beats" and "Making Waves," which garnered him an MTVU Best Music on Campus Award in 2009.^[10] In June 2010, he released "You Are Not a Robot," which sampled 'I Am Not A Robot' by Marina & the Diamonds and which hit #1 on Hype Machine, an aggregator that collects the most-blogged about music in the world.^[4] After seeing the response, he spent the summer working, and finished his mixtape Pep Rally by September.^[7] The album was produced by RJ Ferguson, and sampled songs from Death Cab for Cutie, Flight Facilities, Marina & the Diamonds and Two Door Cinema Club. He picked the name “Pep Rally” because he said that it “captured the energy of the record. Something new and exciting.”^[11] When asked about the writing process, Hoodie said: “Throughout Pep Rally, the ideas for samples were very collaborative. We would camp out in [RJF]’s basement for a weekend and not leave till we had 3 songs done—that was the mentality.”^[7] The mixtape was downloaded over 200,000 times.^[4] He self-financed a video for “You Are Not A Robot,” which has over 3 million views.^[12][13]

In July 2011, Hoodie released his third mixtape, Leap Year, which was also produced by friend and producer RJ. It reached 250,000 SoundCloud plays in its first week of release.^[14] On the title for his mixtape, Hoodie explains: "It basically just talks to the leap of faith I took this year leaving everything else behind to be an artist."^[15] In support of the album, Hoodie headlined a 15 city tour across North America, including stops in San Francisco, New York City, and Montreal.^[16] Previously, he had toured with The Cataracs, Das Racist, Chiddy Bang, Mike Posner, and RJD2.^[17][18]

Hoodie collaborated with the cartoon band Your Favorite Martian to write the song "8-Bit World", which he raps in. He was also featured in CollegeHumor's "Jake and Amir" sketch series and in Zak Downtown's "Rock The Show."^[19]

[edit] 2012–present: All American

On March 4, 2012, Hoodie announced via Twitter that his upcoming EP would be titled All American.^[20] He decided on this title because he credits his success to America, because he felt the songs showcased his best music to date, and because of a hometown restaurant with the same title. Hoodie spent five months developing the album, building tracks from scratch with his producer, RJF, instead of using sampled beats.^[21] Regarding the writing process, Hoodie states that "I would describe it as liberating... It was like, 'Okay, I hear this idea in my head, I hear these original ideas, [and] I'm putting them and piecing them together.'"^[21] On March 29, 2012, Hoodie released the first single from All American entitled "No Interruption."^[22] The music video was posted to YouTube and was featured on the front page the same day. It currently has 2.7 million views.^[23]

The night before the album's release, Hoodie announced that he would personally call every fan that buys the album.^[24] All American was released on April 10, 2012 and debuted as the #1 album on iTunes.^[25] He is set to take a 22 stop US tour during April and May 2012 in support of All American featuring Wax^[26], Jared Evan, and others (varies from show to show)^[27]. On March 23, 2012, Hoodie hinted at an upcoming announcement of a "UK tour for June," and officially announced the four dates on April 19 via Facebook^[28]. The "I Work Better In The UK Tour" will be his first time performing overseas.

Reception[link]

In July 2011, he cracked the Top 10 of Billboard’s Uncharted Territory.^[29] For the week of August 5, 2011, Hoodie was #2 on Billboard’s Uncharted Territory, with Billboard noting that his "growing popularity is undeniable."^[14]

On April 10, 2012, his EP "All American" went to #1 on the iTunes charts within hours of its release. All American also debuted at #10 on Billboard's Top Albums.^[30]

Discography[link]

EPs[link]

Mixtapes[link]

• Making Waves (2009)
• Pep Rally (2010)
• Leap Year (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Hoodie Allen's channel on YouTube
• Hoodie Allen on Twitter

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]

On May 1, Underwood announced the North American arena tour leg of her Blown Away Tour. The tour will include an international run of shows this summer, including her a concert at Royal Albert Hall in London on June 21,^[98] which sold-out in 90 minutes.^[99]

Personal interests[link]

Underwood is an animal lover and a vegan.^[100] She stopped eating meat at the age of thirteen because she could not stand the thought of eating one of her own animals. She was voted "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" by PETA^[101] in 2007 for the second time, the first being in 2005 alongside Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who is also a vegan.^[101] 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."^[102] Underwood is a supporter of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and has done several public service announcements for the organization.^[103] Underwood has also done a "Protect Your Pets" public service announcement for Do Something.^[104]

To benefit cancer research, in August 2008 Underwood joined Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige and other female artists to record the 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.^[105] The song peaked at number eleven on Billboard's Hot 100 Songs. In August 2009, she 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 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.^[106] During the 2011 holiday season, her C.A.T.S. foudation donated $350,000 to schools in the singer's hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma.^[107] On January 10, 2012, it was reported, but had previously been blogged by Underwood herself on her official fan-site, that the singer rescued an abandoned dog along highway. According to Underwood, she spotted two dogs along the road while traveling with her own dogs, Ace and Penny, from her parents' home in her native Oklahoma. "My guess is that the dogs were thrown out of their car by their owners on the highway", said the singer. One of the dogs was already dead, but she put the other – bloody and limping – into her SUV. She named the puppy Stella, took her to the vet and got her groomed. Within a matter of days, she'd found a nearby home for the dog. "I cried when she walked out the door," she wrote.^[108]

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,^[109] and in 2006 at the NBA All-Star Game.^[110] She also performed the "Star-Spangled Banner" at the NFC Championship Game between the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers in 2006,^[111] as well as at the 2006 edition of NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600,^[112] 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.^[113] On February 7, 2010, Underwood performed the National Anthem for Super Bowl XLIV.^[114]

Personal life[link]

Underwood is a practicing Christian.^[115] She follows a vegan diet.^[100] She 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.^[116] 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.^[117] 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,^[118] though according to further reports, they ended their relationship in the spring of 2008.^[119]

She became engaged in December 2009 to then Ottawa Senators (now Nashville Predators) hockey player Mike Fisher, whom she began dating after they met at one of her concerts in 2008.^[120] 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.^[121] 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.^[122]

On July 10, 2010, Underwood and Fisher wed at The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia, with more than 250 people in attendance. The couple gave People 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.^[123][124] 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.^[125][126] She surprised her husband by having one of their favorite artists, Brandon Heath, sing his song "Love Never Fails" for their first dance.^[127]

On February 11, 2011, an Ottawa radio station, 105.3 CISS-FM, banned the playing of Underwood's music because her husband, Mike Fisher, was traded to the Nashville Predators the day before. Due to Underwood's fans' threats on Facebook to never tune into the radio station, the station later modified their statement. They apologized for their actions, saying that their statements were meant to be taken as a joke, as they do not play Underwood's country songs anyway and it was their tongue-in-cheek way of wishing Fisher the best of luck in Nashville.^[128][129] Fisher later criticized the station saying "obviously Carrie had nothing to do with the move or the trade or anything so to imply something like that was just wrong", and noting that both he and Underwood were disappointed in the negativity that was created by the radio station.^[130][131] Underwood was selected by The Hockey News on its annual list of the 100 People of Power and Influence in Ice Hockey. For the 2012 list, Underwood ranked at number 85.^[132]

Underwood was ranked #60 on Maxim's annual Hot 100 list in 2009.^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

• 2005: Some Hearts
• 2007: Carnival Ride
• 2009: Play On
• 2012: Blown Away

Filmography[link]

Tours[link]

• 2005: American Idols LIVE! Tour 2005
• 2006: Carrie Underwood: Live 2006
• 2008: Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour (w/ Keith Urban)
• 2008: Carnival Ride Tour
• 2010: Play On Tour
• 2012: Blown Away Tour

Awards[link]

See also[link]

• List of artists who reached number one in the United States
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. country chart
• List of best-selling music artists in the United States
• List of best-charting music artists in the U.S.

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

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

Footnotes[link]