Carrie Underwood Went Back To The Mother Church
Carrie Underwood went back to the Mother Church and played a couple of shows at the Grand Ole Opry over the weekend (4/13). The proud Opry member since 2008 posted…
Carrie Underwood went back to the Mother Church and played a couple of shows at the Grand Ole Opry over the weekend (4/13). The proud Opry member since 2008 posted about the moment to her 13 million Instagram fans.
The Post
Carrie captioned the post of photos of herself on the Opry stage in a blue dress, "Always a wonderful night when it's a night at the @opry! I consider myself so incredibly blessed to be a part of this family! Thanks for the (heart emoji) #GrandOleOpry #Nashville @chrishollo."
Many of her fans reacted to the post, including one who said, "A real-life princess." Another fan commented, "Seriously, an angel." One more fan wrote, "Carrie, you're forever my favorite Idol."
"Going To Church"
A few years ago, Underwood told us of the Grand Ole Opry: "I love the Opry. I love the family. I love that it signifies being a part of country music. We call it the Mother Church, and we do so for [a] very good reason. It is like going to church, and you can pay your respects to those who came before, those who are playing now, and whoever's going to come later on."
Carrie added at the time, "It's just a really cool thing just being able to be a part of that family. I always love going to the shows, and you never know who's going to be on stage, and you hear a lot of people doing what they love. It's like singing in your living room. It's very comfortable and relaxed and very sweet."
Terry Wyatt/Getty ImagesCarrie performing on the Grand Ole Opry in 2014.
Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
RELATED: Carrie Underwood Is Pressure Canning Her Food
Underwood loves Beyonce, who is making a splash in country music with her new album, Cowboy Carter. Carrie talked with Yahoo recently and said the genre has been broadening its fanbase.
"Every Genre Has Broadened Itself"
Carrie told Yahoo!, "There really is something for everybody now. One of the great things about country music, and this is true for music in general, is that every genre has really just broadened itself. If you like things that are more traditional, you can find those." She added, "If you like things that seem more pop, you can find that. If you like things that can cross over into other genres, you can find something that you love." She said that it's "all part of the same family," and she will "always welcome that."
Loves People Like Post Malone
Underwood also said that she loves people like Post Malone, Beyoncé, and Jelly Roll, who are "artists first and foremost." She noted that they kind of "weave in and out of different genres of music," and she thinks that's "really cool." In fact, she recently played concerts opening for a non-country act -- Guns' N Roses -- and covered a few rock songs at those shows.
GALLERY: Country Star Authors: Carrie, Miranda, and More
Country stars in recent years have expanded their world from music to books as many of them have become authors in various subjects. They have written about their own life stories, cooking, exercising, and more.
Today is National Book Lover's Day. It is an unofficial holiday observed to encourage people to celebrate reading. And since many of your favorite shows may not be returning to the air in the fall due to the writers and actors strikes, it's a great time to pick up a few new books!
For decades, country stars have written their stories, some in song lyrics, others in books. Loretta Lynn penned her life story Coal Miner's Daughter in the 1970s, and the book was adapted into an Oscar-winning movie starring Sissy Spacek as Lynn. Other country legends like Johnny Cash, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Randy Travis, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and many more have put pen to paper to write books. Even more country legends have had books written about them, including Hank Williams and Merle Haggard.
Countless books have been written about country music, the Grand Ole Opry, and the stars that have made country music internationally known. There was even a book written in 2016 about country stars' hairstyles over the years.
You can also find The Encyclopedia of Country Music (1998), with nearly 1,300 complete and alphabetical entries putting eight decades of country music at readers' fingertips. It extends from the earliest '20s recordings of the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers to the '90s chart-topping albums of LeAnn Rimes and Garth Brooks. And as of last year (2022), readers can now read the story of Black Country Music which is the first book on Black country music by a Black writer Francesca Royster. She uncovers the Black performers and fans, including herself, who are exploring the pleasures and possibilities of the genre.
As we celebrate books today, we gathered nine books by country superstars that they have written in the last couple of years.
RELATED: Reba Announces New Book: 'Not That Fancy'
Y'all Eat Yet?: Welcome to the Pretty B*tchin' Kitchen (2023) - Miranda Lambert
Photo - Emily DurioIn May, Miranda Lambert released her first book, a cooking book called 'Y'ALL EAT YET? Welcome to the Pretty B*tchin' Kitchen.' Miranda quickly became a New York Times best-selling author, landing at No. 3. Not long after, she returned to her hometown of Lindale, Texas, to sign copies of her first book. She said at the time, "All those faces, all the smiles, and some of the young women who I see myself in when I was their age… After a week of being in New York City and L.A., coming back to Lindale was the perfect way to wrap up this amazing run. We brought this book back to the very place its stories came from, and I got to share the celebration with the people who were so much a part of it."
Run, Rose, Run (2022) - Dolly Parton
Michael Loccisano/Getty ImagesDolly teamed with bestselling author James Patterson on the fiction thriller. Set in Nashville, 'Run Rose Run' tells the story of a country singer who discovers the music industry can be just as heartbreaking as the secret she's carrying. Dolly told CBS when the book came out in March of 2022 that she hopes to get to play the lead character in a movie version of the book, which is being produced by Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine. She noted that the story is similar to her own, "It shows a lot of the dark side of that – people that have been in it, like me, you know, because you've lived it."
Find Your Path (2020) - Carrie Underwood
Jason Kempin/Getty ImagesJust as the pandemic was getting started in March of 2020, Carrie Underwood was promoting her first book, 'Find Your Path: Honor Your Body, Fuel Your Soul, and Get Strong with the Fit52 Life.' The book became an instant New York Times bestseller, entering the Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous list at #2. Additionally, the book hit #1 on Amazon during its first week of publication and is currently #3 on Amazon's "most sold" nonfiction chart.
Feel Your Way Through (2021) - Kelsea Ballerini
Jason Kempin/Getty ImagesIn November of 2021, Kelsea Ballerini released her first book, a book of poetry called 'Feel Your Way Through.' She then posted to Instagram, "I've used up all my words writing it so, for now, to keep it simple… I have spilled twenty-seven years of heart, perspectives, and guts into my debut book of poetry, 'Feel Your Way Through.'" In the book, Kelsea addresses themes of family, relationships, body image, self-love, sexuality, and youth lessons. Amazon reviewed the text, writing in part, "Her poems speak to the often harsh, and sometimes beautiful, onset of womanhood. Honest, humble, and ultimately hopeful, this collection reveals a new dimension of Ballerini's artistry and talent."
Getting Good At Being You (2021) - Lauren Alaina
Justin Ford/Getty ImagesLauren released her first book in December of 2021. Amazon writes of the book, "After years in the spotlight on 'American Idol' and 'Dancing with the Stars,' Alaina has learned a thing or two about fighting self-doubt and feeling at home in her own skin. In 'Getting Good at Being You,' Lauren shares stories about everything from lost loves to getting a nose ring, battling an eating disorder, and grieving a loved one's death."
Trisha's Kitchen: Easy Comfort Food for Friends and Family (2021) - Trisha Yearwood
Jason Kempin/Getty ImagesTrisha said of the best-selling book when it came out, "I wrote this last year when we were all home. I would get up in the morning, have my coffee, and I would sit down and either work on a recipe that I was going to cook that day, test that day, or tweak that day," Her husband, Garth Brooks, wrote the book's forward.
Reba: My Story (1995) - Reba McEntire
Frederick M. Brown/Getty ImagesReba wrote this autobiography in 1995. The book covers her childhood in Oklahoma, working cattle with her ranching family, her days on the rodeo competition circuit, as well as from her early days as a performer in honky-tonks. It also covers her many awards and a sold-out appearance at Carnegie Hall. Reba is getting ready to release another book in October (2023). It's a "ranch-inspired" book titled, 'Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating and Dusting Off Your Boots.' The book will include over 50 recipes for complete meals, desserts, cocktails, and more from Reba's family traditions.
From This Moment On (2011) - Shania Twain
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty ImagesShania's book takes the readers back to pivotal moments in her childhood, revealing the difficulties she and her family faced. Twain writes of being discovered, time spent performing in Nashville, and her sudden, dramatic rise to stardom. She also spares no details about her recent personal struggles and heartbreaks - struggles she's never discussed publicly.
A Dolly for Christmas (2020) - Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town
Jason Kempin/Getty ImagesKimberly wrote a children's book of the "true story" of how her daughter Daisy (as well as Kimberly and her husband) prayed for a sibling for Daisy. Inspired by Schlapman's struggle to conceive her second child and how she and her family decided to adopt, the book delves into how Schlapman's first daughter wrote letters to Santa Claus about her desire for a sibling until the family was actually surprised by their new baby girl, Dolly, days before Christmas. And yes, Doly was named after country icon Dolly Parton.
