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♪

Before the world got their first historic glimpse

at the Queens of Nashville, the world of country

music was far different than it is today.

- You've got to bore a hole through the potato long way.

Now we use a 5/8-inch bit.

- We use a 3/4-inch bit at our house, to get more pig in your taters.

- Yeah, that's it.

And you hold the tater real, real, real tight now.

And then you kind of take it right there in the middle.

And then you start in.

- Today, country music isn't male dominated

nor is it just confined to the hills and small towns of America.

The music is a large part of contemporary society

and everyone seems to want a piece of it.

What sets these ladies apart from the rest of the pack

is their passion for music.

They have been singing since childhood

and now are the standard by which country music is judged.

- I think country music has the same appeal

that rock and roll music has.

I think it's feel-good

I-can-relate-to-this music.

Unlike rock and roll

country music focuses more on lyrics, more on emotion

as opposed to just creating pure adrenaline.

But I think there are a lot of artists in recent history

that have really channeled into that, upping the ante,

upping the energy level of country music, and it's really become noticeable.

I mean, you used to go to a country concert

and it was a band up there playing.

Now, it's like a rock and roll spectacle

but with lyrical stimulation, with songs that you can sing along to

and with that same country familiarity that

makes us feel really, really comfortable.

- In 1947, Bob McCoy and Ernest Tubbs performed

at Carnegie Hall to a cheering, overflowing crowd

that proved the doubters wrong.

In 1955, Marty Robbins took it a step further with his television performances.

- My name is Charlie Applewhite, and welcome

once again to Country Style, USA,

brought to you by your local United States Army

recruiter, and this television station.

Country Style USA features the best in country and western music

and your favorite stars will be here for your viewing and listening pleasure.

And now, here he is, the star of our show, Columbia Recording star, Marty Robbins!

♪ - I'd like to find somebody who could be just halfway true ♪

♪ But I can't quit I've gone too far ♪

♪ I'm deep in love with you ♪

♪ I'd like to pull up stakes and leave ♪

♪ That's what I'd like to do ♪

♪ But I can't quit I've gone too far ♪

♪ I'm deep in love with you ♪

♪ If I knew then what I know now I wouldn't be so blue ♪

♪ I'd quit seeing you long ago ♪

- In the 21st Century, Faith, Reba, Miranda

Carrie and Taylor are selling out stadiums world-wide to cheering fans

because they are indeed the Queens of Nashville.

- It's like being on a stage with the best role models I could ask for.

Just in terms of dignity and grace and longevity in their careers

and these people have written songs about their life

honestly and from an authentic place.

And I think that's the definition of country music.

♪

♪

- At an early age, Taylor Swift knew

she wanted to sing like Faith Hill, Shania Twain and the Dixie Chicks.

- Just this beautiful, shining, glittering thing to me.

I am so excited about the opportunity to possibly walk away with a Grammy.

I don't know what that feels like.

I've never gotten up there and accepted a Grammy before

and I don't know, someday I'd really like to know what that feels like.

- It didn't take long for the driven, young lady to make her way to Nashville

where she went on to win seven Grammy Awards, 11 American Music Awards

seven Country Association Awards, six Academy of Country Music Awards

and four Billboard Music Awards.

As a song writer, the Nashville Songwriter's Association

and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame have honored her.

- Only 18 and absolutely loving this.

This is the best senior year I could have imagined.

You know, having a blast with it.

Well, for this award, I guess I saw my name on the ballot

but didn't really think that I had a chance at winning.

And, you know, I was like, "Yes, it's good to be a nominee!"

But I honestly didn't think that I was gonna win this award

and I can't believe that I did.

I can't believe that the fans did that for me.

Everybody on MySpace, they're the reason why I am holding this award right now.

-Taylor Swift, America's sweetheart

was born December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania.

At nine years old, Taylor and her family moved to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.

There she spent her summer vacations at her parents'

beachfront home in Stone Harbor, New Jersey.

- I'd say they made a pretty big sacrifice.

When she was 14 her father up and moved the whole

family to Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Fortunate for him, he was able to transfer

to the Merrill Lynch office in Nashville.

- Well, I have family that I spend every Thanksgiving with.

They're all on my mom's side and they're all women

and they're really loud, they're obnoxiously loud

and they all have this genetic cackle.

And they stand in the kitchen and it's the loudest sound

it like breaks noise barriers, it's like out of a movie.

I mean, my cousins have like 49 cats and dogs

and it's really fun to go there and have somewhere I know

I'm gonna be every Thanksgiving.

- At the same time, Swift became interested

in singing and often went to New York for vocal lessons.

Before long, she had become consumed with country music.

To hone her skills, she used all of her free

time to perform at all kinds of events,

from Boy Scout meetings and sporting events

to local festivals and coffee houses.

- At the beginning of the year, I'm going to the UK again and doing a tour there.

I'm going to Australia and I'm going to Japan, so I'm real excited about that.

And then when I get back, I'm starting my headlining tour in May and I can't wait.

- After watching Faith Hill on Behind The Music

the young artist knew she was destined for Nashville.

She just had to figure out a way to be different

so she would stand out from the noisy, Nashville music crowd.

Taylor knew her strength would be writing her own songs.

- To me, Taylor Swift is sheer brilliance, you know?

She writes feelings from past life experiences.

And I think everybody, but young girls in general

you know, all over the world, can relate to that.

♪

- I think Taylor's just wise beyond her years, you know?

She knew exactly what she wanted and she had a clear

vision of what teenagers wanted to hear musically.

You know, she also was super dedicated in trying to capture

her own teenage years through her music.

- Songwriting, for me, is how I process how I feel.

You know, sometimes I don't even know how I feel until I write it in a song.

And I feel very lucky to have been able to write

all the songs that I've ever recorded.

Especially with this new album, writing them

all without any co-writers.

I am very excited for people to hear it.

- Like one time I gave her an award on one of the shows

and she was one of the...

Two of my children, I got eight, are real Taylor Swift fans.

They're just so excited that I'll be up here working with her.

But she's very nice.

- I think, for me, I just live on the hope that if I keep on writing about my life

and my life is constantly changing, my music will also be changing, as well.

- At 15, Taylor left RCA Records.

She was ready to start recording her album

but her parents wanted her to wait a few years

to split from her record label and manager.

- You know, before Swift the record industry had no idea

that there was a huge audience of young girls who love country music,

country music that talked about teenage problems and life in general.

And it's a success.

- In 2005, at an industry showcase at Nashville's

Bluebird Cafe, Swift caught the attention of

Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Records

who signed her to a record deal.

Swift immediately got work.

She wrote three of the album s songs, including two singles

and co-wrote the other eight with various artists.

The final product was released in 2006,

her self-titled debut album, 'Taylor Swift.'

- For me, performing "Innocent" on the VMAs was a

great way to put a lot of it behind me.

And I'm very happy about that.

I was very grateful that I was given the opportunity

to perform a song that nobody had heard before.

And really happy with the responses that I got back to the song, that was wonderful.

- With the success of her debut album

Swift promoted the LP extensively.

In addition to her own material, Swift played covers of songs by Beyonce,

Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eminem and Rihanna.

- Many people have influenced her including her

grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, who was an opera singer.

So, right there, it shows you a lot about range.

People think they're just keyed into one thing, but sometimes opera or choir

or classical, it could be a million things, genres

that fit into the genre that we know them as.

Also she said on many occasions that Shania Twain

who was sort of the queen bee,

but anyways, Shania Twain was, not only as a songwriter

but also as a performer, was her biggest musical influence.

- I am performing, it's just wonderful to be here

because there are so many people that I respect and I look up to and I admire,

doing something, coming together to raise

awareness for cancer detection and detecting it early.

These people that I've looked up to for so long,

getting to meet people like Tom Hanks.

And then, on the other hand, I get to play music

so, it's wonderful to be here tonight.

- In 2008, Swift released her second studio album, Fearless.

It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200

selling more than 8.6 million copies worldwide.

In 2010, Taylor Swift's 'Speak Now' album solidified her

as one of the best songwriters in country music.

That album sold more than six million copies

and the tour was attended by over 1.6 million fans

grossing over $123 million.

Despite all of her accomplishments, her most famous moment

was the infamous clash between herself and rapper-producer Kanye West.

- Kanye said something like

Beyonce's video should have won at that time.

I kind of felt bad for Taylor.

She looked like a deer in headlights.

I kind of wish he hadn't gone as far as he did, but what are you gonna do?

I thought it was hilarious, because I love Kanye.

At first, I was surprised and then I started laughing.

I was just like, oh, man, but I didn't think it was like...

I mean, I can see if it was me accepting an award

I would have been like...

But overall, I just kind of laughed

just, kind of, outside looking in type thing.

- I'm a huge fan of Beyonce, as well.

If it's jumping off-topic in that direction, I favor Beyonce more so.

So it's an honest opinion.

I definitely think that was out of hand.

Definitely, because you should be able to respect artists in any genre

especially when you've got Taylor Swift at, what is she 19, 20?

Something like that?

With the range of success that she's covered in a matter of four years.

It took Beyonce how long to get to that spot,

platinum records, millions and millions of copies

of every single that she's released.

I think that was definitely just stepping out of hand, and

part of me thinks that Kanye's side of that was a little bit of jealousy.

But either way, it was overstepping a huge line.

- At 23, Swift already has a lifetime of achievements.

Although she's known for her narrative songs about her personal experiences

she has also proven to be a great actress, as well.

Now that she's worth over $165 million, what's next for Taylor?

Looks like the sky is the limit.

- You see your hero and get inspiration from all your heroes

but try to be something completely different from your heroes.

You know, for me, I think that writing my own songs

was a way to create what I wanted to create in music about my life

and that way it kind of became just a diary put

to music every time I put out a new record.

And I guess I would say, learn an instrument,

because it just makes everything easier.

Like if you're gonna go play out, it just helps if you've got your own guitar

and you can go accompany yourself.

♪

- In Faith Hill's 19-year career

she has sold over 40 million records worldwide

had 13 number one singles and 20 number one videos.

- Has there ever been a more exciting female artist than Faith Hill?

I mean, the hits, this image of beautiful wife and loving mother.

Tim McGraw right by her side.

The fact that she clawed her way up through the music industry

never let go of her dreams.

That's exactly what you want in a country music superstar.

She's it! She's all of it!

And on top of it, she's one of the most beautiful women in the world.

Faith Hill is the first female artist to have not one, not two,

but three consecutive number one albums

on both the country and the pop charts.

Think about that!

And she did it at a time when country and pop were just starting to come together.

She's one of the ones that kind of blurred the line.

Kenny Chesney, Shania Twain,

all of them have pretty much erased the line by this point,

but Faith was the one that got pop listeners to say, "Hey, I like this.

She may be country, but I like this a lot."

- Hill is the only female artist in history

to have three consecutive albums debut at number one

on Billboard's Pop and Country charts.

- One of the biggest country stars of the 90's and the 2000's was Faith Hill.

She took full advantage of the inroads that

Shania Twain had made, crossing over into

the pop music side of things, and she actually capitalized

with some country songs that actually had crossed over and became pop sensations.

So, subsequently, she had some very huge tours

and she was one of the biggest stars that the country

music scene has seen in a long time.

- But this Queen of Nashville did not stop there.

The Grammy Awards, The Academy of Country Music,

The Country Music Association, The American Music Awards

and The People's Choice Awards have also honored Faith.

In 2001, Faith was named one of the 30 Most

Powerful Women in America by Ladies Home Journal.

In 2009, Billboard named her the number one

adult contemporary artist of the decade.

- I tell you what, there aren't

too many artists that would

have the confidence to go as

commercial as Faith Hill has.

I mean, think about it, there hasn't been a magazine cover

I don't think, that she hasn't appeared on.

She's been a Cover Girl for Revlon, she has fragrances.

You name it, and she's got her perfectly manicured hands in it.

- Audrey Faith Perry, a.k.a. Faith Hill

was born on September 21st, 1967, in Ridgeland, Mississippi.

She began performing at age seven.

She had a defining moment at age nine

when she had the fortune of attending an Elvis Presley concert

which inspired her to become a performer.

Not long after arriving in Nashville

Faith auditioned to be a back-up singer for Reba McEntire.

Unfortunately, she didn't get the gig.

Instead, she went to work at a music publishing firm as a receptionist.

- Well, if you want to be great

you have to immerse yourself

in the music and the culture

of the city, and it is an electrifying city

and it's like a magnet for great singers.

- For anybody that's been to Nashville, Tennessee

there is nothing like walking down Broadway, 10:00 at night

past one bar after another, each bar filled with people

and on the stage, and the stages are usually

right in the corner, right by the front door,

there's always a band playing.

And the bands in Nashville just seem to have heart.

They seem to have just a genuine love for the music they're playing

and a lot of the music they're playing is their own.

Their own lyrics, their own music, their own works of art

and you feel that in Nashville.

I think that's what makes the city so magical, so special

so legendary when it comes to music.

And another great thing I love about walking down Broadway

is that the people that you hear from the street

are the people that are gonna be just a few

blocks over at the Ryman Auditorium in ten years.

You know, that's just the way Nashville works.

Nashville takes care of its own.

Nashville makes dreams come true, it always has, it always will.

It's the heart of country music.

- Eventually, Faith did land a job with her idol, Reba McEntire.

But it wasn't to sing.

Instead, it was a gig packing fan club merchandise.

- No doubt about it, if you want to make it as a country singer

you have to go where all the action is, and that's Nashville.

- Music publishing executive Daniel Hill married

20-year-old Faith on July 23rd, 1988

after dating for more than a year.

Even though she was married, Faith still dreamed of a career in country music.

- Daniel Hill was a Nashville record executive and

I believe specifically he was in music publishing.

- Pretty clear that Danny felt Faith had her doubts.

Marriage is difficult for any

average couple, you know,

but throw into the mix Faith's

obviously climbing career and, fill in the blank.

- As fate would have it a co-worker heard her singing

one day and encouraged her to become a demo singer.

- You've got to, got to, got to

have singing lessons.

You know, train your voice.

Personally, I don't think it's all about having natural talent.

There are millions of people out there with natural talent that can sing.

But you gotta bring your own flavor to the mix.

You know, a new sound, a new look.

You can't just copy-cat your favorite artists, you won't make it.

- Hill decided to kick her career up a couple of notches

by singing back-up to various artists.

Faith was eventually discovered by an executive at Warner Brothers.

He was so impressed with her strong vocal abilities

that he immediately signed her to a record deal.

The good news was bittersweet.

Just shortly after the greatest achievement in her career

Faith's personal life took a hit, as she filed for divorce in 1994.

- You know, I have to give her ex-husband credit.

He says he's not bitter and he's really proud of her success.

- Faith rebounded from her divorce

and her music career began to soar.

Her first two albums each sold over three million copies.

In 1996, Faith began touring with fellow country singer, Tim McGraw.

Although Faith was engaged to Scott Hendricks at the time

McGraw and Hill had an immediate attraction to one and other

and began a steamy love affair.

- I think the phrase is there for a reason, opposites attract.

Tim's more of a guy, he'll roll out of bed, throw on a T-shirt and jeans

and goes about his day in front of thousands and thousands of people.

And Faith is over here.

You know, she's a little more outgoing,

a little more of the flashy fire side.

So, I think that's one of the many

reasons they keep their marriage healthy

and get along so well.

- Tim McGraw and Faith Hill married on October 6th, 1996.

Soon after, they started a family and had three children.

Despite their busy lives, both insist on spending

quality time together as a family.

- Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have been together since 1996.

And they've had to make it work.

It's difficult to do that

within the music industry, yeah.

There's many stories of

show biz couples that have gone separate directions, but they've made it work.

And one way they've done it, or at least they've admitted to doing this

is going on "date nights", to sort of remove

themselves from all the glitz and glamour,

and sometimes the troubles of being under the scrutiny of the show biz lights.

And even Tim McGraw, years ago, quit drinking

so he could focus on the family.

Those things, among others, allowed their relationship to get closer

and has allowed them to be a formidable duo.

They're a strong team and they're two of the

biggest country acts the world's ever seen.

- You have four girls in the house... - I know, that's a lot.

- so you have a tough job.

It's always Valentine's Day with you, babe.

- Oh, come on.

- (laughs)

Oh, gosh, I don't know, we've done pretty simple, to be honest with you.

Nothing real extravagant. - Nothing crazy.

Our best times are just hanging around the house with the kids.

And, that's what we try to do.

I mean, every now and then we'll go on a date

but our date nights are usually 12:00 in the afternoon,

having lunch on a Tuesday and going to a movie.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- One of the best rules they have, in my opinion

is that they have a rule where

they are adamant about not

being apart from each other for more than three days at a time.

Now that's a good rule, you know, because I think

it helps you from straying when you're on the road.

You know, you could be all alone and you could

have a lot of fans, adoring fans who love you.

So, if you make sure you're together a lot, it helps, you know?

- Yeah, we went to see Rod Stewart one year when he came through Nashville

and I remember he was going into his encore

and he was just about to sing "Hot Legs", and you pulled me out of the seat

and I was like, "What are you doing? I have to see Rod Stewart singing 'Hot Legs.'"

And then you blindfolded me and put me into the car.

We went to the airport, got on a plane...

- And we were gone. - And we're gone.

And I forgave you once we got to where we were going.

- Yeah. - (Laughs)

- In 1998, Hill released "Faith",

a pop country hit that sold more than six million copies.

She immediately followed that up with another CD titled, Breathe,

which sold ten million copies and garnered her three Grammy Awards.

- First of all, I heard that she changes diapers

right before she even goes on the stage, which is amazing.

But, you know, she's dedicated to that balance.

She's dedicated to making her family situation work

while enjoying her career at the same time.

And, it looks like she has hit her stride

and, you know, making it all work.

- In 2000, Faith found her career in high gear

being featured in television commercials, performing at award shows

becoming a cover girl and winning the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Award.

- Collectively, they've sold 70 million albums, won eight Grammy Awards

14 Country Music Awards, 14 American Music Awards,

seven People's Choice Awards and 26 Academy of Country Music Awards.

Please join me in welcoming Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

(applause and cheering)

- Hi!

Woo!

Hi!

Thank you, so much.

John, that was quite an introduction, thank you.

I'm so excited.

This is thrilling for us

to be a part of this extraordinary experience for this limited time.

The Venetian has opened the doors

here and welcomed us in such a gracious way.

And we're creating a show that is going to be remarkable for our fans

but as I'm here today and backstage and preparing to come out

I feel like it's gonna be one of the most remarkable experiences for us, as well.

We're truly excited and thank you, so much for being here.

- Faith Hill, along with her husband Tim McGraw

has been on a world-trotting whirlwind world-wide tour

and the Soul 2 Soul Tour has been one of the biggest in country music history.

- You can see us in arenas and stadiums and outdoor venues and all that stuff,

for us, we wanted to do something really cool in here

and it's been just as cool for us as hopefully it's been for the audience.

- Yeah, it really has. It's been fun.

- Over the next few years, Faith kept up her frantic pace

by releasing the CD Cry in 2002, which sold

more than four million albums world-wide.

In 2006, Faith and her husband Tim McGraw began the Soul 2 Soul Tour.

The tour became the highest grossing country music tour ever

with a gross of $90 million.

In 2007, Faith Hill took over as the voice of

the NFL on NBC's Sunday Night Football

by singing the theme song.

On February 1st, 2009, Hill performed "America the Beautiful"

at the Super Bowl 43 pre-game show.

- ABC TV has long had Monday Night Football

and Hank Williams Jr. Famously sang an intro song

for Monday Night Football.

But when NBC Television took on Sunday Night Football

they wanted to come with somebody just as formidable and just as recognizable

as Hank Williams Jr. and they did with Faith Hill.

- Does your missus let you watch football all day on a Sunday and Saturday?

She does, yeah, she does, and she'll even watch it with me on occasion.

She likes football, too.

- How do you find a woman like that?

- I'm very lucky.

- Any advice for men out there looking for a football-loving misses?

- Yeah, stay away from mine.

- On September 17th, 2012, Hill debuted the song "Illusion"

at the CMA Music Festival.

Despite her very busy life, Faith has still managed to have an acting career

release fragrances, as well as give her time and money to charity organizations.

- But Faith Hill clearly also has heart.

She's very active in several different charities, and she doesn't preach it.

She doesn't sell that.

She doesn't say, "look at all the good I do in the world", she just does it.

And that speaks volumes.

- I think because, you know, cancer has touched

everyone's life and us, in particular.

My father died of cancer and my mother had

cancer at an early age when I was very young

and survived, and I grew up with a house full of women.

My mom and my two sisters and I live in a house full of women now

with my wife and my three daughters.

And awareness, early detection, all those things are very important to us.

A lot of people do a lot more work than we do,

but we're lucky that we have a podium that we can just

put a face on it and bring attention to it.

And that's what we're here to do, and that's what it's all about,

for a celebrity, I guess, in the position we're in, to get these kind of awards.

- Is this your first joint awards?

- That's non-music related, yes. (laughs)

- And what does that mean to you, to share this with Tim?

- Well, because we've gone through this together as a family

and it was difficult to get the news of Tug

and it was difficult to watch him fight

for the last six months of his life.

So from that came a great deal of knowledge and dedication towards cancer,

cancer research, quality of life, and we do that together.

So, anything we can do together is good.

- Even though Faith has reached mega-stardom

she's still the girl next door, ambitious and driven as ever.

- One of the things I write about in my books is

finding that family-work balance.

It is so hard to do that.

Which is why it's so admirable and so rewarding

when we see people who have achieved that balance.

Because let's be honest, when you're chasing your dreams

regardless of how big or small they may seem

there are a lot of things that get pushed to the side.

And to make sure that your family is not one of those things

that gets pushed to the side, is a real accomplishment.

And a real medal of honor for people that can do that.

Faith has managed to achieve incredible success

doing what she always wanted to do,

but even more importantly, achieve success as a mother and a wife.

And when it all comes down to it, when the crowds have left the concert venue,

when people stop downloading your music,

when nobody's going to see the movies or the TV shows that you're in,

what matters is your kids, what matters is your family,

and what matters is love.

And to know that you've never abandoned that

that you've never put that second in your life

is the greatest success story a person could ask for.

- Aw, she better be there, yeah. - Oh, me?

Oh, he's gonna have to let me do something.

Maybe I'll bring out his microphone or...

- Yeah, right.

- Or you can give me your guitar.

I've never gotten one of your guitars, that would be fun.

- You kept my guitar all the time.

- (laughs)

♪

- Reba Nell McEntire was born on March 28th, 1955

in Kiowa, Oklahoma to the parents of Jacqueline and Clark McEntire.

Reba began her career while still a teenager

singing in her high school band and a local radio.

She was heavily influenced by the country music of Bob Willis, Merle Haggard,

Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell and Patsy Cline.

- The quintessential success story in country music

is Reba McEntire.

You can see and you can hear

and you can feel

the influences of some of the greats.

Of Loretta Lynn, of Barbara Mandrell, the grit of Merle Haggard,

the down home dirt-on-your-feet, banjo-on-the-front-porch

mama-with-the-fiddle country music.

That is still a thread in Reba's voice and in her music today.

She is classic country, and I think a lot of people forget that.

I think a lot of people forget that Reba's been around since the 70's.

I mean, we can't even begin to count on all of our toes and fingers

the number of hits she's had, the years she's been with us.

Same could be said for people like George Strait.

I had this conversation the other day about it.

They're like, "Well, George Strait put out a double CD with 50 number one hits."

That was ten years ago that that came out.

There have been more, same with Reba.

Everything she does goes right to the top

because people love the classics.

- I've seen Reba McEntire on the red carpet

and she is absolutely classy.

One of those women, when you walk up and you look at

you're just like, "oh, man I wish she was my mother."

She's just brilliant in so many ways.

She has a wonderful voice, but on the red carpet

she keeps it simple, and she makes it like you're her neighbor.

So, she's like, "Hi, y'all, what's up, hi?"

And that friendliness is really what makes it special.

- McEntire knew the music business inside and out.

While with Mercury Records, she released six albums before signing with MCA.

- Reba McEntire was the most successful country singer in the 80's and 90's.

So, she expanded on that popularity and went to different avenues.

She had her own television sitcom, and she proved through that diversification,

I mean, she's really gone past what is the country music world.

She's the biggest cross-over country star since Dolly Parton.

- All of the acts that are out there today, these extremely talented young women

who have obviously been very successful in music,

obviously know how to tour, know how to put on a show.

All of them look up to Reba McEntire, because Reba has done it all.

And more importantly, she's done it all well.

And I think that that is a quality that any young person should look up to.

I'm a big believer in modeling

and finding someone who is doing what you want to do

and doing it very well.

Reba McEntire defines that.

- This time, Reba decided to take creative control

and do things her way.

No more country pop, she was going to sing hardcore country.

- Well, Reba McEntire is hip, funny, cool.

Anyone who's watched her show,

you know, she's just adorable.

She already was just a huge

country singer, and she had nothing to prove.

She decided, you know, why not?

And she's just a talent and it's obvious.

- A lot of that style, some of the phrasing, the cadence

in some of those country songs,

and was able to sort of springboard her career from that.

A lot of country songs tell a story.

There's a first verse that sort of sets up what the initial story is.

A second verse that takes it one step further.

And the third verse is the big overall picture of what the song's all about.

It's sort of like the structure of a good story

and the structure of a good country song.

And Reba was more than familiar with that.

- Although Reba had been married before to Charlie Battles

and divorced in 1987, she decided to give love another chance

by tying the knot with Norville Blackstock on June 3rd, 1989.

On February 23rd, 1990, Reba gave birth to their son, Shelby McEntire Blackstock.

After 24 years of marriage, and still going strong

Reba said the secret to their wedded bliss

was having respect, faith, love, trust and lots of patience.

- Reba McEntire's fan base consists of the most loyal and devoted people

I have ever seen in person.

In 2005, I was performing in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Reba was giving a concert that night, an outdoor concert

and they asked me to introduce Reba on stage.

I walked on stage

and there were people lined up against the railing for her show

that had been there, now keep in mind, it's 9:00 at night,

these people had been there since 9:00 that morning, just to be close to Reba.

Now you say that's common.

Every concert has fans that have been there all day.

These were the people that were up front.

The wave of devoted fans who had waited 12 hours to see her

went back almost as far as the eye could see.

Over 7,000 people lined up in a parking lot in the middle of summer

in Shreveport, Louisiana, just to be close to Reba.

That says a lot.

- Reba was living a charmed life, until tragedy struck

on March 16th, 1991.

- Reba had just got finished performing at IBM

for a bunch of executives just outside of San Diego.

The very next day, members of her band and the pilot all died in a plane crash.

- Reba dedicated her 16th album, 'From My Broken Heart', to her tour manager

and her seven band members that passed away.

It must have been a real tough time for her.

- Reba McEntire's traveling band, her touring band

perished in a plane crash

and it greatly affected Reba after that.

She subsequently took a little break, did write significantly during that time

or, at least, soon thereafter and released an album

that very much delved into those personal relationships that she'd had.

The connection between an artist and their touring band is usually very close.

They're on the road a great deal, they spend a lot of time together.

They forge very strong relationships and Reba was very close

with a lot of good friends that had passed away in that plane crash.

- With her music career soaring

McEntire became interested in acting.

She co-hosted on Good Morning America

and in 1990, she landed her first film role

playing Heather Gummer in the horror comedy

Tremors, starring Kevin Bacon.

- Because the acting side of her career

by any definition in show business

is beyond successful.

She had a sitcom from 2001 to 2007

a six-year run, for a sitcom.

That puts her right up there with some of the greats, right?

And for many people, that's the only Reba they know,

the Reba from the Reba sitcom.

But let's go back to the very beginning

if you want to play a little Six Degrees here.

Her first major acting role was in a movie called, Tremors,

alongside Kevin Bacon.

If you're gonna start off with somebody,

might as well start off with one of the best.

So her career was destined to be great, from the very beginning.

- In 1996, director James Cameron cast Reba as Molly Brown

in his epic film, Titanic.

But when production extended beyond its original length

Reba had to turn down the part.

The role was re-cast with Kathy Bates.

- Reba McEntire's acting prowess was so highly regarded

she was actually cast in the movie, Titanic,

to portray the 'unsinkable' Molly Brown.

She had to ultimately turn down the part, because of scheduling conflicts

and the role was eventually given to Kathy Bates.

But I'm sure Reba, if she was in the movie,

would have knocked it out of the park.

- When you talk about Reba the actress,

we're not the only people that take note of her

on-screen talent, of her on-camera talent.

James Cameron actually tapped Reba McEntire for the film, Titanic.

She was to play the role of Molly Brown

who went on to be played by Kathy Bates in the film,

one of the highest grossing films of all time.

Needless to remind anyone of how popular Titanic was.

But she should and could have been there, a scheduling conflict kept her from it.

She's one of these businesswomen who sticks to her principles

of you stick to a commitment, you don't break a promise,

and that's obviously done very well for her

but you can't help but think, what that movie

would have been like with Reba in that role.

Something to ponder.

- In her storied career, Reba has sold over 70 million albums

had 64 Top Ten hits, and the number one TV sitcom.

Reba is the recipient of every country music award that exists.

One of her many proud moments was watching her son, Shelby Blackstock

a professional race car driver, compete at NASCAR.

- I'm very happy that he's racing, because that's his passion.

His father, Norville Blackstock and I have been

in the music business all our lives

and we just assumed that was where Shelby was going to follow.

And a couple of years ago, it didn't seem like that was gonna happen.

And this past Thanksgiving, I finally just said, "What is your passion?"

And he said, "Racing."

And I really had no idea.

And so it's been incredible.

We've just been having a wonderful time with it.

If he does, one day, follow in his father's footsteps

bein' in the management team, that's fine.

But I can understand the excitement of the race business.

- Reba McEntire is a music icon.

When asked, what is the secret of her success,

she replied, "To succeed in life, you need three things.

A wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone."

It looks like the Queen of Nashville's wishes came true.

♪

In country music, partying is normally associated

with male artists and their rowdy friends

but Miranda Lambert is changing all of that.

Strapped with a pink guitar and singing into a pink microphone

Lambert struts across the stage more like a

hardcore rapper than a country music star.

Miranda is country music's undisputed baddest bad girl.

- And in addition to this bad-girl image, she brought the goods.

She brought the American Dream.

She fought her way up through the music industry.

All she wanted to do was be a singer,

but she wanted to be a singer in her own way and she did it.

Her concerts were wild, the ruckus,

the girls are yelling and screaming and going crazy.

And I don't think the girls want to be Miranda Lambert,

I think they want to hang out with Miranda Lambert,

and that's the difference.

- Lambert's father was a part-time country performer and songwriter.

He taught his little girl how to play the guitar and write songs.

The family income, however, came from the

detective agency owned by both of her parents

which offered services to abused women.

- The fact that Miranda's father was a P.I.

or owned a detective agency,

I think there's a chance that going back into her childhood,

and I don't want to sound like a shrink here,

or really analyze who she is or where she came from,

but I think that she might have been exposed to some different things.

Things that a lot of these other country superstars weren't exposed to.

It wasn't all about home cooking and getting up and going to church

with Mom and Dad, then going out with the grandparents that evening.

I think for Miranda, the dinner conversation

probably centered around and focused on the darker side of life.

- Because of the dangers involved in investigative work

Miranda was taught to shoot a gun as a young girl.

As a result, she grew up fast, registering for a concealed weapons permit

after going out on the road as a performer.

- Rick Lambert, who also owned and operated a detective agency,

he had a gun.

Showed Miranda how to use it when she was young.

She's even a deer hunter today.

And it just sort of cements her reputation as a bad girl with a gun.

- At the tender age of 21

Lambert released her first major-label single,

"Me and Charlie Talking", off the high-intensity 'Kerosene' album.

That album went on to sell over a million copies

and Lambert became an instant phenomenon.

When asked about her hard-hitting persona, Miranda replied

"I don't write about angels, Jesus, happy days or kids.

I grew up drinking, cheating and love gone bad."

- Miranda's appeal really comes from the fact that she's the complete opposite

of what we see these country music female superstars to be.

I mean, think back to your Loretta Lynns and your Tammy Wynettes.

These were women that were the quintessential girl next door.

The perfect wife, the perfect mother,

that's what they knew, that's what they lived.

That's what they sang about.

When you fast forward to modern times, and you have the modern version of those.

You have Faith Hill and you have all of these women

who are just the picture perfect image

that we all want our daughters to grow up to be.

All of a sudden, here comes Miranda Lambert.

Beautiful, cute, bubbly, talented, but she's a bad girl.

And she's proud of being a bad girl

and it really made everybody sit up and take notice

and go, "Hey, wait a minute, this is something really different."

- Her next album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

was released on May 9th, 2007.

Lambert wrote or co-wrote ten of the albums 11 tracks.

The single "Gunpowder and Lead" became her highest charting single to date.

That album solidified Miranda as one of country's newest bad girls.

- In 2007, Miranda Lambert had great success with

an album called "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend".

That album actually cemented her reputation as one of country's bad girls.

And it's a designation of sort of that angry temperament that's in her lyrics.

It isn't necessarily part of her demeanor

but it is one of those things where she's now created a reputation for herself

and it certainly served her well.

- Well-known for obviously writing about heartbreak

and abusive relationships.

But people shouldn't feel bad for her.

It's pretty clear she comes out upper-hand every time.

- In 2005, Lambert won the Covergirl Fresh Face of Country Music Award.

In 2007, she received a Grammy nomination for

Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her single, "Kerosene".

In the same year, she also won the Top New Female Vocalist Award

at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

One year later, Miranda won Album of the Year

at the Academy of Country Music Awards for "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend".

- Miranda has really achieved great success in, not only country music

but the music scene, in general, and she's been rewarded for it, obviously.

I mean, she's racked up multiple awards.

I think the reason being, because she gives us everything we want.

We can safely sit back and really move to her music.

We can look at her and say, "You know what?

That's a pretty girl. That's an attractive girl."

Her concerts are parties, they're fun, they're interactive, they're loud.

It gives us a chance to really release and the videos are entertaining

so she brings it all, and she puts it right there for you

and she can be the bad girl without you having

to be the bad guy or the bad girl, too.

- In 2009, Lambert released her third album, Revolution,

which she co-wrote all but four of the album's 15 tracks.

Lambert and her band performed all the tracks

on the album at the Ryman Auditorium

five days before its release.

- When Miranda Lambert was younger, she attended a Garth Brooks concert

and that lit a fire under her.

She really realized she wanted to be a country singer.

She'd had the talent, but now she really wanted to take it a step further.

Ultimately, her career grew and she began opening for huge country acts,

George Strait, Keith Urban, and Toby Keith, among others.

She gained a reputation, and has since seen her country career flourish.

- That same year, Lambert's boyfriend, Blake Shelton

proposed to her after getting her father's blessing.

On May 14th, 2011, wearing her mother's wedding dress

Lambert walked down the aisle and exchanged vows with Shelton

in front of more than 500 guests.

- When two of their favorites come together, I mean, if you're a girl

between the ages of 15 and 20 right now

you've got one of your favorite country singers

marrying your favorite heartthrob

who's also a country singer, coming together

bringing forth this love story, but it's not your typical love story.

You know, it's the same appeal that we get and the same thrill we get

from watching soap operas or primetime dramas.

It's a nice romance, a hot, steamy romance, but it also has its darker side.

It also has its problems that we get just a little peek at

so we're intrigued, we're enthralled.

So they're like the couple next door that leaves the drapes open

you know, we can see in just enough to make us want to look.

- Miranda Lambert has a happy and highly publicized

relationship with Blake Shelton.

They're married, have a house out in Oklahoma

are very happy together, they watch television together,

they record together often, sometimes even perform together.

But they found a balance between their Oklahoma home

and the road, and being in Los Angeles recording television shows

and making a marriage work along the way.

- In 2011, to prove she really is country's baddest bad girl

Lambert brought out her side project, Pistol Annies.

- Miranda Lambert released an album, along with two other country artists,

Ashley Monroe and Angelina Presley.

Together they form a trio, The Pistol Annies,

and they released an album that debuted on the country charts at number one,

which goes to show that everything that Miranda Lambert touches turns to gold.

- On August 23rd, 2011, the trio debuted their album,

which debuted at number one on Billboard's Country chart.

This was one of the most exciting new groups to break out

on the country music genre in years.

- The trio, Pistol Annies, consists of Lambert,

Ashley Monroe and Angelina Presley.

Their album, Hell on Heels, released in 2011 and

debuted at number one on the Billboard Country charts.

- You know, I'm so thankful for everything that's happened to me solo

and now all I can think about is my girls and really developing my band

and you know, the new album will be just what you expect.

It's three country girls singing about three country girls' lives

and we write everything on our own, we did on the last record,

and our goal on this next record is to write everything just in our family,

just the three of us girls again, so I'm really looking forward to it.

I'm kind of gonna start focusing on that after the summer tour.

- In November, 2011, Lambert released her fourth album, 'For the Record'.

She also recorded a song for the Hunger Games soundtrack called "Run, Daddy, Run",

which featured, The Pistol Annies.

Miranda Lambert is a refreshing country music star.

Her sass and fire make her one of the most

innovative live acts in the music industry.

She is truly country music's most genuine bad girl.

- Miranda Lambert's fashion is sassy and wonderful.

You always see her in black.

She's always sparkling and she's always like a little firecracker.

She comes up and says, hello.

She's got just an abundance amount of energy

and she's just really friendly, too, which is wonderful to see.

Sometimes you see Miranda Lambert with her husband, Blake Shelton

and then other times, you don't.

So, on the red carpet you never know, but what you do see when she walks

down the red carpet is just how friendly she is and she always comes up.

Again, it's like she's your neighbor.

She's chatting with you like you've known her forever and it's a really

great experience when you get a chance to meet her on the red carpet.

- I think there's a bit of throwback to Miranda.

I think she takes the best of the throwback era

and mixes it with the best of today.

I think that's a big part of her appeal.

When you go see Miranda Lambert, you're not thinking

"Hey, this is classic country."

You're thinking, "This is contemporary country."

- We really are normal people in our everyday life.

We go home to a farm in a little, bitty town in Oklahoma

and all of this goes away.

And I could just tell, he felt the way that I did tonight,

looking in his eyes going, "Holy crap, what are we doing up here?"

We're really thankful, we're humbled,

we're excited to celebrate it together, but I think he feels the same way I do.

It's like, "Thank you so much for letting us win

Female and Male," but we are totally happy.

We look at our awards every day, don't get me wrong.

We have them all combined on one shelf,

which, I guess, now we gotta get a bigger shelf.

♪

- Carrie Marie Underwood was born March 10, 1983,

to parents Steve and Carol Underwood in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Carrie was raised in the small, rural town of Checotah

which inspired the song "I Ain't in Checotah Anymore".

It includes references to the local high school team, Wildcats,

Highway 69 and 40, and the Okra Fest.

- What can I say, I mean, the woman is gorgeous and smart.

She won American Idol, in the fourth season.

And, went on to mega-success.

She is clearly one of the biggest country singers of all-time.

She's huge.

- Ironically, after high school, Underwood decided to

go to college, instead of pursuing a singing career.

She worked as a page for Oklahoma State representative Bobby Frame,

competed in beauty pageants, and in 2004, was named Miss NSU runner-up.

- To make it big in country music,

you not only have to have the chops, but you have

to have some smarts and Carrie Underwood has that.

She graduated from Northeastern University.

She was a former page for a State representative in the state of Oklahoma.

And she was thrown into the deep end after having won American Idol

but she came out of it a stronger person

and she has some savvy, you can tell.

She's parlayed that experience and that success

and made, not only a huge career out of it

but now she is a huge brand and is going on worldwide tours.

I expect to see even bigger things from Carrie Underwood.

- In 2004, Underwood auditioned for American Idol,

singing Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me",

in front of judges Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell.

Her audition included a chicken impersonation

and the revelation of a third nipple.

However, her a Capella rendition of a classic song

impressed the panel enough to give the country girl a golden ticket to Hollywood.

Underwood would go on to become the American Idol season four winner.

- When I was on the show, I made it to the finale

and we were getting ready for it and all that stuff,

and somebody comes up to me to explain the pyro,

and they're like, "Okay, whatever you do, whoever wins

you have to get to the front of the stage immediately.

Tell the hair and make-up people not to put hairspray in your hair."

(audience laughter)

All right.

And they totally did, and I told them, I was like,

"No, no, you can't put hairspray in my hair. I'm gonna blow up!"

- It's not for the faint of heart, that's for sure.

You gotta get out there.

I mean, you gotta be seen.

You gotta be willing to talk to everybody, go to every audition.

Learn from your mistakes, move on.

- Carrie Underwood is the first country singer

to win American Idol, the television show.

When she hit, she was a huge sensation, her

career took off, everybody wanted a piece of her.

She's handled things really, really well.

You know, she was a recognizable face immediately.

And she sort of has that,

down-home, sweet-as-apple-pie persona,

and the masses eat it up.

She actually has a great deal of talent and it comes across.

And those are the people that actually make it in this industry.

It's not just having the wherewithal and having some talent.

She is very much the whole package.

- America and television executives wanted to create superstars.

The executives wanted to create an outlet in a

competition show that America would sink its teeth into.

They did it with American Idol.

They're doing it with The Voice, they're doing it with So You Think You Can Dance,

they're doing it with all of these shows.

And the reason being is because they wanted to

manufacture superstars, and they did it, Kelly Clarkson.

But Carrie Underwood is the one that really stands out.

She became a sensation because America had the opportunity to make her a sensation.

How? By voting.

And that makes us feel like we're a part of her success.

- Underwood's debut album, Some Hearts, was released in November, 2005.

It is equal part soft rock and country.

Her second album, Carnival Ride, was released in October, 2007.

- Carrie Underwood, well, she's won six Grammys,

16 Billboard Music Awards, seven All-American Music Awards,

and ten awards from the Academy of Country Music.

I think it's pretty fair to say that her success train is moving right along

and she doesn't plan on getting off it anytime soon.

- It's really tough to compare people like Carrie Underwood

to anyone else, especially when you're talking about artists who have jumped

over that country music fence and joined us over here

in the world of mainstream pop and Top-40 music.

But there's a lot about Carrie Underwood

that we saw not too long ago, in Faith Hill, or in Shania Twain.

You know, these women that young girls wanted to be,

they created anthems for this new generation

and Carrie Underwood kind of took that torch and really ran with it.

- At the 2009 CMA Awards,

Underwood was named Entertainer of the Year,

making her the only country female artist in history to win this award twice.

- And I think she puts a nice contemporary touch right on top of it.

She polished it up, and she said,

"Hey, look, I look like a pop star. I look like a cover girl."

She is a cover girl, but she's a country sensation.

Men love her, women love her, and she's an extremely talented young woman.

And I think what draws us to her

is the fact that she seems like she's got a great head on her shoulders.

She seems like a loving wife now and we've watched her growing up.

We have a lot invested in Carrie Underwood.

We've wanted her to succeed from the first time we saw her

and now we're celebrating in that success

each time she puts out a video, each time she puts out a new hit single

each time she comes to town on tour.

- In 2010, Carrie co-hosted the CMA Awards with Brad Paisley

for the third year in a row, and was the American Country Awards top winner.

- It's interesting how the entertainment industry has suddenly paired

Carrie Underwood with Brad Paisley.

I think Brad might be the male equivalent to Carrie.

I think he has the same kind of following.

I think he has the same kind of wholesome appeal

and they have this really nice rapport together,

which we don't see a lot.

You know, especially in the award shows, for example

which they've hosted, I think the CMAs three times together now,

you see hosts crammed together

and if that chemistry isn't there, you can't fake that on television.

I've been in situations myself where I've

worked with hosts where it was purely business,

and then I've worked with other hosts where there was a nice

friendship off-camera and you can really see the difference.

And these two share the same sense of humor,

they share the same respect for country music,

the same respect for their fans, and that really shows.

- She was also voted on the People Magazine's

100 Most Beautiful People list for the fourth year in a row.

In that same year, Victoria Secret named her legs

the sexiest legs in Hollywood.

- American Idol has been a solid vetting process.

You know, if you make it through all those auditions

and that whole competition and win the whole thing

it's a strong validation.

And once Carrie had won American Idol,

not only was she immediately recognizable everywhere,

it proved that she really has the talent to make it.

And, you know, she took that momentum and ran with it.

And so, you know, she had an immediate following

and she's just been able to capitalize on that ever since.

And so, we can see her career trajectory even going up from here.

- After taking the music industry by storm

Carrie decided to make her acting debut, playing pharmaceutical rep Tiffany

on How I Met Your Mother, in 2010.

- In 2010, Carrie Underwood branched out to a role on television.

She played a pharmaceutical rep on the television series, How I Met Your Mother.

And it was just a quick cameo appearance

but she proved that she has some acting talent, as well.

But it's one of those things, she's not only recognizable and popular

but she's wanted on even the most popular television shows.

They gave her a shot and she was good on the screen.

- And I think Carrie Underwood is one of those performers

and I use the word "performer" instead of singer

because she comes at us from so many different angles,

that it's just going to continue to branch out, you know?

And everything she does, we're really entertained by

and good entertainment is so hard to come by these days.

When she was on, How I Met Your Mother, for example, she was great!

Small part, but she fit it perfectly, you know?

And like I said, we want Carrie Underwood to succeed

in whatever she does.

- Since winning the fourth season

of the world's biggest talent show

Carrie Underwood, a shy singer with a goofy sense of humor

hasn't looked back since selling 11 million albums.

- When Carrie Underwood was on American Idol,

Simon Cowell was still one of the judges.

Simon is a tough critic, there's no question about that.

He's had that reputation, but he knows when someone has the talent to make it

and he saw that in Carrie Underwood

and now, obviously, the masses have seen that talent come through, too.

He's a strong critic, but he's got a good eye for talent

and Carrie is very much that, she's talented.

- Faith Hill, Reba McEntire,

Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift

all have talent and the will to succeed in common.

They've each overcame obstacles that got in the way of their country dreams.

They found their voice, wrote their songs

and entertained their fans around the world.

♪