Miranda Lambert (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Miranda Lambert (born November 10, 1983 in Longview, Texas) is a Grammy-nominated country singer/songwriter who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of USA Network talent competition Nashville Star. Her first album, Kerosene, debuted at number one on the country charts in March 2005 and has since gone platinum. Her second album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, was released on May 1, 2007.

Biography

Miranda Lambert was born in Longview, Texas. She grew up in Lindale, Texas. Her mother was a private investigator. Miranda's father, Rick Lambert, was a country music guitarist and songwriter. Miranda became interested in country music after attending a Garth Brooks concert as a young girl. She soon began singing in talent contests under the tutelage of her father.

At 16, Lambert began appearing on the Johnny High Country Music Review in Arlington, Texas, the same show that helped launch the career of LeAnn Rimes. Lambert quickly landed a recording session in Nashville, but left the studio after she became frustrated with the "pop" sound of music. Upon returning to Texas, Lambert began writing songs and taking guitar lessons from her father.

When Lambert's aptitude for music became apparent, her parents encouraged her to pursue singing and acting opportunities. While still in high school, Lambert made her professional singing debut. She 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.

Forgoing college, Lambert performed throughout Texas in 2001 and 2002. She finished first in the Texas auditions for Nashville Star and eventually placed third in the national competition. She also finished second when auditioning to portray Tammy Wynette in the musical play of Wynette's life which debuted in 2001. On September 15, 2003, she signed with Sony Records. Her debut album, Kerosene, was released on March 5, 2005.

Music career

Lambert joined a select group of artists when her first album, Kerosene, debuted at number one on the country charts. Lambert wrote or co-wrote 11 of the 12 tracks on the album, which met with wide critical acclaim. Following the success of her platinum selling debut album, Lambert spent much of late 2005 and early 2006 as the opening act for artists such as Keith Urban and George Strait. Concert reviews noted her exceptional stage presence and helped her gain exposure in the country music industry.

Lambert's first single on the Billboard charts was "Me and Charlie Talkin'", which she co-wrote with her father. It was released in the spring of 2005. The second single to be released from her debut album was entitled "Bring Me Down". Lambert penned this hit with friend and fellow writer Travis Howard. The final single from "Kerosene" was a song she wrote by herself, called "New Strings", which was released in May of 2006.

Lambert's career took off following an electric performance of "Kerosene" at the 2005 Country Music Association Awards in New York City. In a show that was uncharacteristically dominated by slow country ballads. Lambert brought the crowd to its feet when columns of fire leapt from the stage at the end of the song. "Kerosene" subsequently became Lambert's first top-twenty hit.

Lambert's second album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was released on May 1, 2007. She wrote 8 of the 11 songs on the album. She tells Blender Magazine that there were ballads that she wrote from her heart. "It was scary, but I feel like my fans deserve that from me." While Miranda did not write three of the songs on her new album, she chose artists such as Carlene Carter, Patty Griffin, and Emmylou Harris, to write the other three songs.

The song "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" charted after Miranda performed the song at the CMA Awards. However, it has been confirmed that the song was not actually intended to be a single. In a newsletter, Miranda stated that "Famous In a Small Town" will actually be the first official single from her second album.

In early 2007, Lambert opened for Toby Keith on his Big Dog Daddy Tour. Following a few months with Keith, she will be re-joining Dierks Bentley on his Live and Loud Tour. Joining them on the road, she will alternate between Eric Church and Jason Aldean. Lambert and Aldean have been on several tours together, and also have a duet together on Aldean's album Relentless. Following its release, the album debuted at number six on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 53,000 copies in its first week.

Press and critical acclaim

Nashville Scene named Kerosene one of the best albums of 2005. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA, and as well as her label, Columbia Records.

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 the same year, USA Today ran an ongoing series documenting Miranda's emerging career.

Lambert was nominated for the Country Music Association's Horizon Award in 2005 and performed "Kerosene" at the CMA Awards in New York City. She was also nominated for the " award by the Academy of Country Music in 2006. Her recent accomplishments include another nomination for the Country Music Association's Horizon Award in 2006 and a nomination for Best Video for Miranda's biggest hit to date, "Kerosene".

She was nominated for "Best Female Country Vocal Performance" for "Kerosene" at the 2007 Grammy awards. Although she did not come away with the statue, Lambert recently stated that she is just honored to be recognized by people outside of the country music industry.

Lambert also won the Best New Female award at the 2007 ACM (Academy of Country Music) Awards.

Discography

Albums

Album
Kerosene Released: March 15, 2005 Peak Chart Positions: #18 US #1 US Country U.S. sales: 1,000,000+ RIAA Certification: Platinum Record Label: Columbia Records
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Released: May 1, 2007 Peak Chart Positions: #6 US #1 US Country U.S. sales: 193,027 RIAA Certification: TBA Record Label: Columbia Records

Singles

Year	Title	Album	US Country	US Hot 100	US Pop 100
2005	"Me and Charlie Talking"	Kerosene	27
	"Bring Me Down"		32
	"Kerosene"		15	61	82
2006	"New Strings"		25	125
2006	"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"^A	Crazy Ex-Girlfriend	50
2007	"Famous in a Small Town"^B	Crazy Ex-Girlfriend	20	120

^AAlbum cut.
^BCurrent single.

Awards

Year	Award	Category
2005	Country Music Association	Horizon Award - Female (Nominated)
2007	Grammy Awards	"Best Female Country Vocal Performance" - "Kerosene" (Nominated)
2007	Academy of Country Music	"Best New Female Artist (Won) "Female Vocalist of the Year" (Nominated)

Touring

Miranda's road band consists of the following:

Band

Aden Bubeck - bass guitar
Chris Kline - keyboard, jaw harp, harmonica, percussion
Alex Weeden - lead guitar
Scotty Wray - rhythm guitar, lap steel guitar, Dobro, resonator guitar, ganjo (Brother of Collin Raye)
Keith Zebroski - drums

Touring personnel

Jordan Powell - tour manager
Brian Jenkins - production manager, lighting director
Jason Macalick - front of house engineer
Chris Newsom - monitor engineer, stage manager
Tony Boykin - personal trainer, production assistant
Crysta Lee - merchandise manager
Delilah - bus dog, canine diva
Ballz - mascot

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Miranda Lambert". Reality TV World is not responsible for any errors or omissions this article may contain.