Carrie Underwood
Bio
What makes Carrie Underwood such a fast-rising country music star? Her roots don't hurt.
The fourth ever American Idol winner was born at Muskogee Regional Medical Center in Muskogee, Oklahoma on March 10, 1983. She grew up on her parents' farm in rural Checotah as the third and youngest daughter of Stephen (retired from an industrial plant) and Carole (retired schoolteacher of Checotah Public Schools). She has two older sisters, Shanna Underwood Means and Stephanie Underwood Shelton, born in 1973 and 1970 and both elementary school teachers in Oklahoma.
Growing up, Underwood performed at the Robbins Memorial Talent Show and sung as a member of Free Will Baptist Church. At the age of 13, Carrie's manager at the time tried to get her a recording contract at Capitol Records. However, due to management changes at the company, no contract was ever signed.
Underwood graduated from Checotah High School in 2001 as salutatorian and moved on to Northeastern State University (NSU) in Tahlequah, where she graduated magna cum laude in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in mass communication with an emphasis on journalism. For two years during the summer, she performed in Northeastern's Downtown Country Show in Tahlequah. Also, Carrie competed in numerous beauty pageants at the university and was selected as Miss NSU runner-up in 2004.
She ended that show by falling down the stairs. But she's been climbing country charts basically ever since.
