Born on November 10, 1983 in Lindale, Texas, Miranda Lambert grew up under the influence of her father, a country guitarist and songwriter. At the age of ten, Miranda entered her first talent contest, with the encouragement of her father on guitar, singing Holly Dunn’s “Daddy’s Hands.” As she got older, she loved country music even more and began collecting autographs. Her father, Rick, bought her a guitar when she was 14, and to everyone’s surprise, she showed no interest in it.

Miranda entered another talent contest when she was 16 and placed high in the Texas competition. She went on to appear on the Johnny High Country Music Review and attend a music business seminar in Nashville. After the seminar, Miranda was offered a demo recording session, but when she hated the pop-country songs she was to sing, she went back home and asked her dad to teach her how to play her guitar so she could write her own songs. With her participation in several other talent shows, Miranda got a small part in a potato chip ad, a part in the 2001 movie, Slap Her She’s French, and almost got the part of Tammy Wynette in Stand By Your Man, the musical.

At 17, Miranda began singing professionally with her band, Texas Pride. They played at the Deep Ellum’s Gypsy Tea Room and were the house band at the Reo Palm Isle Ballroom. The whole family soon got involved in helping Miranda; her father funded a $2,000 CD of Miranda’s songs, her brother, Luke, created a website to sell the CD, and her mother went to radio stations to promote her and called clubs to book her. They bought a sound system, equipment trailer, and a motor home so she could tour when she graduated high school.

After touring throughout Texas in 2002, two songs from the CD were on the Texas music charts by the time she appeared on the show, Nashville Star. Although she placed third, she was signed with one of the show’s sponsors, Sony Music. In 2005, her debut album, Kerosene, including “Bring Me Down,” and “New Strings,” jumped to No.1 on the Billboard country albums chart. That year and the following one Miranda toured with Keith Urban and George Strait as the opening act. Currently, she is working on her next album which will be released in 2007.