Carrie Underwood
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Carrie Underwood was the winner of the fourth season of the American Idol. After bagging the title, she then became a multi-platinum selling recording artist. She's also the fastest selling female country artist since the introduction of the Nielsen SoundScan in 1991. Her debut album Some Hearts debuted at triple platinum.
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About
Carrie Underwood was born on March 10, 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma and grew up on her parents' farm in rural Checotah. She's the third and youngest daughter of Stephen and Carole Underwood, and has two sisters named Shanna Underwood Means and Stephanie Underwood Shelton.
During her childhood, she performed at Robbins Memorial Talent Show. She's also a member of Free Will Baptist Church. At age 13, her manager at that time tried to get her a recording contract at Capitol Records but it never materialized because there're management changes at Capitol.
In 2001 she graduated high school from Checotah High School as salutatorian and moved on to Northwestern State University where she graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in mass communication and an emphasis on journalism. In her stint in college, she became part of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority and for 2 years during the summer, she performed in the Northeastern Downtown Country Show. In 2004, she joined and competed at the beauty pageant of the university and was selected as Miss NSU runner-up. She finished with a smile on her face as she ended the pageant by falling down the stairs.
Her musical influences inclue pop but are predominantly country. So during an audition for American Idol, she stated that her favorite singer is Martina McBride. On April 20, during the elimination show, she demonstrated her ability to play the guitar. But she not only knows how to play the guitar but also piano and yodel which was demonstrated on the Tonight Show the night after she won.
On May 25, 2005, she became the fourth winner of American Idol, beating Southern rocker Bo Bice, and joining Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken as the only contestants who had never been one of the "bottom three" singers during any week's results.
On May 26 2005, US senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, presented a resolution congratulating Underwood for winning American Idol and for being a positive role model. The resolution thanked her for representing the state of Oklahoma as "an intelligent, kind, considerate young woman" to millions of television viewers around the world. The resolution was submitted to the United States Senate, and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. May 25, 2005 was declared Carrie Underwood Day in Oklahoma by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry.
Awards
| Year | Category | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Choice Reality Star - Female | Teen Choice Awards |
| Top-Selling Hot 100 Song Of The Year: Inside Your Heaven | Billboard Music Awards | |
| Top-Selling Country Single: Inside Your Heaven | Billboard Music Awards | |
| Country Single Sales Artist Of The Year | Billboard Music Awards | |
| 2006 | Country Recorded Song Of The Year: Jesus, Take the Wheel | Gospel Music Association Awards |
| Female Video Of The Year: Jesus, Take the Wheel | Country Music Television Awards | |
| Breakthrough Video Of The Year: Jesus, Take the Wheel | Country Music Television Awards | |
| Top New Female Vocalist Of The Year | Academy of Country Music | |
| Single Record Of The Year: Jesus, Take the Wheel | Academy of Country Music | |
| Breakthrough Country Artist | NARP organization of record retail merchants | |
| Critics Pick | Music Row |
Nominations
| Year | Category | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Most Inspiring Video Of The Year: Jesus, Take the Wheel | Country Music Television Awards |
| Top Female Vocalist Of The Year | Academy of Country Music | |
| Song of the Year: Jesus, Take the Wheel | Academy of Country Music | |
| Best Female Artist | Teen Choice Awards | |
| Breakout Female Artist | Teen Choice Awards | |
| Female Vocalist Of The Year | Country Music Association Awards | |
| Horizon Award | Country Music Association Awards | |
| Music Video Of The Year: Jesus, Take the Wheel | Country Music Association Awards | |
| Single Of The Year: Jesus, Take the Wheel | Country Music Association Awards | |
| Favourite Country Female Artist | American Music Awards | |
| Favourite New Breakthrough Artist | American Music Awards |
Certifications
- RIAA Certification: 3x Platinum
- CRIA Certification: Platinum
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | US | US Country | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Inside You Heart | #1 | #52 | Some Hearts |
| Jesus, Take the Wheel | #20 | #1 | Some Hearts | |
| 2006 | Don't Forget to Remember Me | #49 | #2 | Some Hearts |
| Before He Cheats | #8 | #1 | Some Hearts |
News
Tours & Concerts
- Sep 06, 2007 Radio City Music Hall New York New York United States
Announcements
Discography
Albums
 November 15, 2005 Arista |
 October 23, 2007 Arista |
 November 3, 2009 (2009-11-03) Arista |
Singles
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Inside You Heart | Arista Records |
| 2005 | Jesus, Take the Wheel | Arista Records |
| 2006 | Don't Forget to Remember Me | Arista Records |
| 2006 | Before He Cheats | Arista Records |
Unofficial Compilations & Live Releases
 1994 |
1996 |
Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
- On her 2006 tour, she is playing 2 songs of Guns N' Roses entitled Patience and Sweet Child O'Mine
- Don't Forget To Remember Me video made history on GACTV 9/15/06 for being the #1 video for 10 weeks on the top 20 count down.
