Martina Mariea McBride is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material.
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Underwood's single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the first country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the only solo country artist in the 2000s to have a number-one song on the Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), was bolstered by the successful crossover singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats", becoming the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history. She won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist. The next studio album, Carnival Ride (2007) had one of the biggest opening weeks of all time by a female artist and won two Grammy Awards. Her third studio album, Play On (2009), produced the single "Cowboy Casanova", which had one of the biggest single-week upward movements on the Hot 100.
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony features performances and award presentations by popular country music artists, with occasional appearances from pop and rock artists. The CMA Awards were first presented in 1967, and televised for the first time the following year.
Melissa Peterman is an American actress and comedian. She has played the role of Barbra Jean in the television comedy series Reba, appeared as Bonnie Wheeler in the ABC Family/Freeform series Baby Daddy, and was host of ABC Family's Dancing Fools, ABC's Bet on Your Baby, and CMT's The Singing Bee. Since 2017, she has played Brenda Sparks in The Big Bang Theory spinoff series Young Sheldon. Since August 2022, she is the host of the television game show Person, Place, or Thing.
Kellie Dawn Pickler is an American country music singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. Pickler gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of American Idol and finished in sixth place. In 2006, she signed to 19 Recordings and BNA Records as a recording artist. Her debut album, Small Town Girl, was released later that year and has sold over 900,000 copies. The album, which was certified gold by the RIAA, produced three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts: "Red High Heels" at No. 15, "I Wonder" at No. 14, and "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind" at No. 16.
Jennifer Odessa Nettles is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer.
Victoria Wenonah Banks is a Nashville-based Canadian singer and songwriter. Her self-produced debut CD When You Can Fly was released on the On Ramp/EMI Canada label in April 2009. The CD earned Banks a 2010 Canadian Indie Award nomination and six nominations at the 2009 Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMAs) including Album of the Year, Producer of the Year, Single of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Female Artist of the Year and Rising Star, making Banks the most nominated female artist of 2009. "The Wheel," the album's first single, reached the Top 20 on the Radio & Records Country Singles chart earning her a 2010 Canadian Radio Music Award nomination. Music videos for "The Wheel" and "When You Can Fly" received airplay on CMT Canada.
Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan is an American country singer, songwriter, and television personality. His first ten albums – I'll Stay Me (2007), Doin' My Thing (2009), Tailgates & Tanlines (2011), Crash My Party (2013), Spring Break...Here to Party (2013), Spring Break...Checkin' Out (2015), Kill the Lights (2015), Farm Tour... Here's to the Farmer (2016), What Makes You Country (2017), and Born Here Live Here Die Here (2020) – have included 30 number-one hits. Bryan often co-writes with Jeff Stevens. Since 2018, Bryan has been a judge on American Idol.
Lindsay Elizabeth Ell is a Canadian-American country pop singer, songwriter, guitarist and television personality from Calgary, Alberta. Her music incorporates elements of rock and blues. She was signed to the US record label Stoney Creek Records, an imprint of Broken Bow Records. Her debut extended play, Worth the Wait, was released in March 2017. Her first full-length country album, The Project, was released in August 2017 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Album Sales chart. Since 2022, she has been the host of the revived Canada's Got Talent reality television series.
Margaret Rose Durante is an American soul and country music singer. In 2009, Durante signed to Universal Republic and released a cover of Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody". A year later, she left Universal Republic and signed to independent Emrose Records, an imprint that used the services of James Stroud's Stroudavarious Records. She charted two singles for Emrose and released her digital EP, Maybe Tonight. Maggie also recorded two songs that were featured in episodes of the Disney Channel's Shake It Up and Good Luck Charlie television series, and were included on the Shake It Up: Break It Down soundtrack album that was released on July 12, 2011. Durante changed her recording name to Maggie Rose in 2012 after signing with Scott Siman's RPM Management. When Siman expanded RPM to include a mainstream country label, he launched the album with her as the flagship artist with the first single being "I Ain't Your Mama". In 2017, Rose signed to Startruck Records, where she released her 2018 album Change the Whole Thing.
Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich, both of whom are songwriters, vocalists, and guitarists. Before the duo's foundation, Rich was bass guitarist in the country band Lonestar, while Kenny was a solo artist for Hollywood Records.
Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth is an American singer and songwriter from Rossville, Georgia. She was the runner-up on the tenth season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Wildflower, was released on October 11, 2011. Her second album, Road Less Traveled, was released January 27, 2017. Alaina later achieved her first number one on the Country Airplay chart with the album's title track. Her second number one came later that year when she simultaneously topped five Billboard charts with her friend and former classmate Kane Brown on their duet "What Ifs". In addition to this song with Brown, Alaina became an in-demand duet vocalist throughout the next few years, appearing on number one collaborations with Hardy, Devin Dawson, and Dustin Lynch. Her third studio album, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, was released on September 3, 2021.
Nashville is an American musical drama television series. It was created by Callie Khouri and produced by R. J. Cutler, Khouri, Dee Johnson, and Steve Buchanan through season four, Connie Britton through season five, and Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick from season five on.
Kacey Lee Musgraves is an American country singer. She began her music career in the early 2000s, when she self-released three solo albums, and recorded another album as a member of the duo Texas Two Bits. In 2007, she appeared on the fifth season of the USA Network singing competition Nashville Star, where she finished in seventh place. In 2012, she signed with Mercury Nashville and released the hit single "Merry Go 'Round". Her major-label debut album Same Trailer Different Park (2013), won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.
Zuri Hall is an American entertainment reporter, television personality, actress and producer. Hall serves as a correspondent for Access Hollywood on NBC. She is also the sideline reporter for NBC's primetime summer competition show American Ninja Warrior. Hall has hosted the beauty pageants Miss USA 2021, Miss USA 2022, and Miss Universe 2022.
The 2008 Country Music Association Awards, 42nd Annual Ceremony, was held on November 12, 2008, at the Sommet Center (later the Bridgestone Arena) in Nashville, Tennessee and was hosted by CMA Award winners Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. Kenny Chesney and Sugarland led the night with 6 nomination each.
Kelsea Nicole Ballerini is an American country pop singer and songwriter. She began songwriting as a child and signed a contract with Black River Entertainment in 2014, releasing her debut studio album the following year, The First Time. Her second studio album, Unapologetically, followed in 2017.
Nick Hoffman is an American singer-songwriter, fiddle player, producer, and television personality. He is also the host of the Outdoor Channel television series “Nick’s Wild Ride”, which airs on Outdoor Channel. He is also co-founder of the Elektra Records/Warner Music Nashville Recording Artists The Farm.
