Miranda Lambert

Don't let her looks fool you - Miranda Lambert is one tough chick. Raised in the small town of Lindale, Texas, the buxom blonde songstress is just as comfortable around a shotgun as a microphone. Miranda's parents - private investigators during the week, avid shooters and hunters during the weekend - raised their girl to speak her mind and never back down. This attitude definitely shines through in Miranda's musical style, with her shrill, clear voice weaving equally engaging tales of courage, love, and kicking ex-boyfriends out of the house.

Miranda began singing locally while still in high school, but her big break didn't come until her 2003 appearance on Nashville Star, a country music-themed performance show in the vein of American Idol and Star Search. While she only won third place, the 21 year old singer's energy and stage presence grabbed the attention of the country music industry, and Miranda signed a recording contract with Epic in 2004, releasing her first single "Me and Charlie Talking" that same year.

She released her first major album, Kerosene, in 2005. Wildly successful, Kerosene sold over 1,000,000 copies and spawned four hit singles, including "Bring Me Down" and "Kerosene" - not bad for the girl who only won third place on Nashville Star. After the release of Kerosene, Miranda toured aggressively as the opening act for powerhouse country artists like Keith Urban and Toby Keith, bringing her no-holds-barred country act to the forefront of the country music scene.

In 2007, Miranda released her third album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Named one of Rolling Stone magazine's most anticipated albums of 2007, her sophomore effort certainly didn't disappoint - forceful tracks like "Gunpowder and Lead" and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" coexist perfectly with the introspective sound of single "Famous in a Small Town", demonstrating Miranda's diversity as a singer. Miranda has been touring in support of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend since its release, and will continue to do so until August 2008.

From Discogs:

Miranda Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music artist.

From Lastfm:

Miranda Lambert is a country singer-songwriter who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of USA Network's talent competition Nashville Star.

Biography

Miranda Lambert was born on November 10, 1983 in Lindale, Texas, about 80 miles east of Dallas. Both of her parents are private investigators, but father Rick is also a country guitarist and songwriter. Lambert became seriously interested in country music after attending a Garth Brooks concert as a young girl, and soon began singing in talent contests under the tutelage of her father.

At 16, Miranda began appearing on the Johnny High Country Music Review in Arlington, Texas, the same show that helped launch the career of LeAnn Rimes. Miranda quickly landed a recording session in Nashville, but left the studio in tears after she became frustrated with the "pop" sound of music that was not her own. Upon returning to Texas, Miranda began writing songs and taking guitar lessons from her father.

When Miranda's aptitude for music became apparent, her parents encouraged her to aggressively pursue singing and acting opportunities. While still a high school student, Miranda made her professional singing debut and fronted the house band at the Reo Palm Isle Ballroom in Longview, Texas, a long-running venue that has showcased Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson.

Foregoing college, Miranda performed throughout Texas in 2001 and 2002. She finished first in the Texas auditions for Nashville Star and eventually placed third on the national competition.

Discography

On September 15, 2003, she signed with Sony records. She has since released three studio albums, 2005's Kerosene, 2007's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, 2009's Revolution and 2011's Four The Record; all four of which debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Kerosene,Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Revolution have been certified Platinum by the RIAA.

Miranda Lambert has release a total of fourteen singles, which includes five Top 20 hits; of these, Kerosene and Gunpowder & Lead have been certified Gold singles by the RIAA.

Awards and Critical Acclaim

In 2005, at the 40th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Miranda won the Cover Girl Fresh Face of Country Music Award. In 2005, she was also nominated for the Country Music Association's Horizon Award and performed "Kerosene". Nashville Scene named Kerosene one of the best albums of 2005

Miranda was nominated for and won the "Album of the Year" award at the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards for her latest album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

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From Wikipedia:

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

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