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Carrie Underwood: Snapshot

Name: Carrie Underwood
Date of Birth: March 10, 1983
Birth Place: Muskogee, Oklahoma

Before auditioning for American Idol in 2004, Carrie Underwood had never been on an airplane. She was just a small-town Checotah, Okla. gal who attended Wednesday night prayer meetings and competed in local talent shows.

But with her megawatt smile and powerful country vocals, Underwood beat rocker Bo Bice in the finale, and transformed into a Grammy-winning superstar in two short years. Her debut album Some Hearts even helped her beat country music's reigning queen Faith Hill in the awards race, with Hill controversially screaming 'What?' at a backstage camera.

Underwood, who married hockey player Mike Fisher, has solidified her place in country, becoming the first woman to be named the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year two years in a row.

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Carrie Underwood: Video

* Non Franchise

From small town girl to big country superstar, watch as this Idol winner grows into one of music's most glamorous stars

(2:10)

Carrie Underwood: Five Fun Facts

Carrie Underwood was first runner-up in the 2003 Miss Northeastern State University pageant. Although she didn't take the crown, she did win the talent competition.
During her American Idol audition, Carrie Underwood revealed that she had her third nipple removed. "It just looked like a mole," she told the judges.
Carrie Underwood's American Idol fan base calls themselves "Care Bears" and toss stuffed bears onstage while she's performing.
Carrie Underwood was voted the "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" in an online poll by PETA in 2005. She shared the honor with Gwyneth Paltrow's hubby and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
Carrie Underwood sang jingles in Hershey commercials but all of the chocolate on-set was too much temptation. "You know, I'm fighting a losing battle here: I'm trying to lose some weight," Underwood told the Chicago Tribune.

Carrie Underwood: Biography

1980s: An Oklahoma Gal
Underwood, the youngest of schoolteacher Carole and paper-mill operator Stephen's three daughters, grows up in Checotah, Okla., population 3,500. She started singing in church, school plays and local talent shows. "People look at me like I must be a country bumpkin," Underwood tells Parade in 2006. "I'll do interviews, and everybody's like, 'Oh, ha-ha, do you milk cows? Did you have chickens?' I've never milked a cow in my entire life."
2004: Summer
Simon's Favorite
While an undergrad at Oklahoma's Northeastern State University, Underwood auditions for the fourth season of American Idol in St. Louis, Mo. She impresses the judges (Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson) with her rendition of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me," earning a spot to compete in Hollywood. Mr. Nasty himself, Cowell, later predicts that the 21-year-old will win the contest and sell more records than anyone in Idol history.
2005: May 25
Becoming America's Fourth Idol
Underwood wins the fourth season of American Idol, beating Alabama rocker Bo Bice. Approximately 30 million viewers tune in and more than 500 million votes are cast throughout the season with Underwood winning by a slight margin. "I think it came down to all the people who live in towns like mine or who think it might be nice to," Underwood tells PEOPLE.