Carrie Underwood is the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry. The singer was inducted Saturday during a star-studded show.

"This really seems like a great family to be part of," Underwood tearfully told the Opry audience. "I promise I'll do everything I possibly can to not make you regret it."

Garth Brooks did the honors of the formal induction. The fellow Oklahoma native complimented Underwood, calling her "sharp as a wit," and reminded her of the night's significance.

"Nothing will last as long or be as important as this award right here," said Brooks.

Underwood followed her induction with a duet with Vince Gill. At age 25, she is now the Opry's youngest member.

If you think today's country stars haven't paid their dues, you haven't met these performers. The Boot counts down 25 musicians who gave their blood, sweat and tears -- and the occasional body part -- to some pretty bad jobs on their way to the top.

Faith Hill: T-Shirt Seller

Hill -- then Faith Perry -- spent four months in Nashville before landing her first gig: a one-week stint selling T-shirts at Reba McEntire's booth at the 1987 Fan Fair. Hill's buddy Martina McBride paid her dues the same way. She was the lady behind the T-shirt table at Garth Brooks concerts in the early '90s.

Marie Osmond is the latest person to weigh in on the controversy surrounding Miley Cyrus on the cover of Vanity Fair. The 15-year-old Cyrus has been widely criticized for posing for the magazine wearing just a sheet, exposing her bare back. Osmond, a former child star herself, says the person to blame is Miley's dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, for leaving his daughter alone during the photo shoot.

"My parents never, never left us alone," Osmond tells AOL Television. "We always had some form of a guardian or something with us, a guardian that would represent what they would have done. Her dad stepped out, and that's when it happened. How do you say no to somebody like Annie Leibovitz [the photographer] when you're a little girl?"

Rod Stewart, who at 63 shows no plans of slowing down, recently confessed that he would like to do a country album. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer tells Reuters, "There's a Country-Western album I'd love to do, although the record company doesn't want it . . .We are still in the throes of talking about it."

Stewart's career aspirations don't stop at a country project. The singer known for such hits as 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?' and 'Maggie May' would also like to do an R&B album, as well as segue into a film career. Those plans may have to wait a few months, though. He is currently gearing up for an 18-city tour, which is still his passion.

"I do love it," he said, explaining that he'd like to keep performing live until he's 70. "I actually enjoy this job that I do. I probably would miss it."

Dierks Bentley is a genius, at least according to the maker of his favorite beer, Bud Light. Bentley is the latest addition to Anheuser Bush's 'Real Men of Genius' advertising campaign. The television ad will begin airing later this month. It starts with the statement, "Today we salute you, Dierks Bentley, Mr. Sad Country Song Songwriter." Bentley says he worked hard to gain that title.

"I've had to nurse a lot of hangovers over the years to reach this status," he jokes. "It is pretty funny to be on the same list as 'Mr. Restroom Toilet Paper Refiller' and 'Mr. Push Up Bra Inventor,' not to mention 'Mr. Tiny Thong Bikini Wearer' and 'Mr. Bass Plaque Maker.'"

Bentley's tour is sponsored by Anheuser Busch's Bud Light. He says the partnership is "the pinnacle for a dude that likes to drink beer."

Carrie Underwood is looking to kick some major butt! Well, not really . . . The buff beauty was just gearing up to shoot a Vitamin Water commercial. Underwood starred in the television ad with rap superstar 50 Cent.

Garth Brooks will be the Academy of Country Music's first-ever recipient of the Crystal Milestone Award. Brooks will be honored during the live ACM broadcast next Sunday in Las Vegas. The living legend says he is "flattered and humbled" by the award.

"The ACM has always taken care of me and my music," said Brooks. "The fact that they have never awarded it before makes me feel the respect and the faith they have in me as an artist, and I will continue to work my butt off to make sure they are happy with their choice."

Brooks also plans to perform a medley of some of his greatest hits on the live broadcast. He has won a whopping 18 ACM Awards throughout his career, including Artist of the Decade in 1998.

Alan Jackson is joining an elite list of singer-songwriters on an upcoming tribute album for Hank Williams, Sr. The project, according to Ace Showbiz, is the brainchild of music icon Bob Dylan. It features the finished products of songs started by Williams but never completed before he passed away in 1953 at only 29 years of age.

Other contributors on the project include Lucinda Williams, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson and Jack White, who praises Dylan's efforts.

"He came upon, somehow, 20 - 25 unfinished songs by Hank Williams: just the lyrics, no music, and he started to ask people if they would finish these songs," the White Stripes frontman explains.

A rep for Jackson confirmed that the country star contributed to the project but declined to share any details, saying only, "We are not talking until the album is finished." There's no word yet on a release date.

Eddy Arnold, one of the pioneers of 'The Nashville Sound,' died Thursday morning, just days before his 90th birthday. The legendary country singer was second only to George Jones in the number of songs that made the country charts, with 145 radio hits -- 28 of those making it all the way to No. 1. Some of his many classics include 'Make the World Go Away,' 'Bouquet of Roses,' 'Lonely Again' and 'Cattle Call,' just to name a few. Many of those hits also made it onto the pop charts, as Arnold became one of the first crossover successes to come out of Nashville, paving the way for future country-pop acts like Kenny Rogers and Charlie Rich.

Big & Rich's John Rich has a bone to pick with 'American Idol.' During a press event in Pasadena, Calif., Rich ranted about a recent flub by 'Idol' judge Paula Abdul.

"'American Idol' infuriates me as an artist," he told reporters. "They're being fake about it. When you can't make a cognizant comment about someone's performance and you're commenting on something that happened the day before, why don't you just walk up on stage and slap them right across the face while you're at it? As an artist, I would just flip them the bird and walk off the stage. She wasn't even paying attention to what was going on."

Artist: Carrie Underwood
Song: 'Last Name'
Why We Love It: Recognize the guy in this video? Yes, you might even call this the prequel to 'Before He Cheats,' as the same hot actor in that video sweeps Carrie off her feet in this video, set on a wild night out in Vegas.

Chris Cagle is one grateful guy. Having recently celebrated his latest album, 'My Life's Been a Country Song,' debuting at No. 1, as well as its first single, 'What Kinda Gone,' making it into the Top Five, this country star has a lot to smile about. He's back on top after both personal and professional struggles over the past few years had left him feeling at near rock bottom.

Personally, Cagle went through a very public breakup after his then-girlfriend gave birth to another man's baby -- a baby he had believed to be his own. Professionally, he was forced to take time off to recover from growths on his vocal cords, and he saw disappointing sales of his 2005 release, 'Anywhere But Here.' Now that his life and career have turned around for the better, Cagle couldn't be more thankful. But he isn't quite sure about categorizing it all as a "comeback," as he never really went away.

"I was still doing it . . . I just didn't have much success. I didn't have much of a career to talk about," Cagle told The Boot in our exclusive interview. "They can call this what they want, but they have got to call it successful. They can call it a comeback, they can call it a resurgence. It doesn't matter. The fact is we just had an album debut at No.1."

A former boy-bander, an 'American Idol,' a Jackson brother and a soap star are just a few of the diverse cast members on Season Two of CMT's 'Gone Country.' The reality-talent show announced its new lineup on Tuesday. The seven celebrities who will be competing for a chance to break out as a country star are Jermaine Jackson (pictured left; TV personality and member of the Jackson 5), Sean Young (pictured center; actress whose credits include 'Blade Runner' and 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'), Lorenzo Lamas (pictured right; actor best known for his roles in 'Renegade' and 'Falcon Crest'), Sebastian Bach (Broadway actor and former lead singer of Skid Row), Irene Cara (singer and actress best known for her role in 'Fame'), Mikalah Gordon (2005 'American Idol' finalist), and Chris Kirkpatrick (former member of *NSYNC). Big & Rich's John Rich has signed on to host the show for a second season.

The opening act on Rascal Flatts' highly-anticipated summer tour will be Taylor Swift, the band announced this week. The 'Bob That Head' tour launches June 13 in St. Louis and hits more than 30 cities before wrapping up September 26 in Louisiana.

"We hope our fans look forward to our shows as much as we do," says lead singer Gary LeVox. "We want to give them an evening of entertainment that can take their minds off of life's pressures and lift their spirits, if just for a few hours."

Also on the 'Bob That Head' bill are Neil Thrasher and Wendell Mobley, two celebrated singer-songwriters who co-wrote the Rascal Flatts' hits 'Take Me There, 'Melt' and 'Fast Cars and Freedom.' For a full list of tour dates, click here.

'73' is my story. It really kind of wrote itself. I was home a few summers back, and I was looking at an old photo album of pictures me when I was little. My parents got divorced when I was six years old, but I found this picture of me, my mom and my dad when I was just a couple months old, and it was amazing to me how happy and in love they looked, because I don't remember them that way. And as I was looking through this photo album, I was kind of looking at my life unfolding before me: Once they got divorced, then it's me with my mom at Christmas time, and Christmas with my dad, and then my brother came along. My dad went on to remarry and have two more children, and there were no pictures of the three of us together until I graduated from high school. And it just really put everything in perspective. Like that one decision -- them not staying together -- changed the whole course of my life. But what I realized is I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm so grateful of I'm where I'm at. That's the path I was supposed to be on. And there are people that wouldn't be in my life had they stayed together, like my brother and my sister. I've been amazed how many people have responded to that song. They come up to me and say, "That's my story," even though it's my story. They relate to it, because they've lived that, too. That's all you can hope to do as an artist and a writer is touch people.

See Jennifer Hanson's '73' music video after the jump.