Miranda Lambert Career Milestones

Happy Birthday to Miranda Lambert! The reigning CMA Female Vocalist turned 29 years old on Saturday (Nov. 10), so to celebrate, we're counting down some of the most memorable moments throughout the singer's amazing life and career. The Lindale, Texas native's fiery tunes and feisty personality first caught our attention during the 2003 premiere episode of "Nashville Star" and we were in the audience at Stubb's BBQ in Austin, Texas to witness the explosive nature of her live show in front of a very packed house! Those were just the first of many "this is a major country star in the making" events early on, and watching her on the rise -- while still a relative newcomer -- has been an exhilarating experience. We're also inspired to salute Miranda with her very own creation, the Randarita! So, mix one (or three) up and join us for this very special countdown.

10. Miranda finishes in third place on "Nashville Star": Back when there were just a couple of TV talent competitions, Miranda quickly grabbed the spotlight, if not the crown on this series in its first of six seasons (then airing on the USA Network). Buddy Jewell would be the Season 1 winner, scoring a record deal with Sony Music. Miranda would earn the same recording contract, even without the win. In 2007, by the way, during the show's fifth season, one of the judges was Miranda's future husband -- and future coach on "The Voice" -- Blake Shelton.

9. Miranda releases Kerosene: Although it debuted at No. 1, upon release in March 2005, it took a full two years before Miranda's debut disc would earn platinum certification. But it didn't take a million copies sold for country fans to realize they were hearing something a little new and different. Thanks to the explosive title track, Miranda quickly gained a gun-totin', take no prisoners reputation that surely pleased revenge-seeking women and probably scared the hell out of more than a few men.

8. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend wins ACM Album of the Year: Putting abusive boyfriends on notice with the manic title track of her sophomore release in 2008, Miranda nevertheless managed to delight both sexes with this critically-acclaimed album. She also tore through her tunes on stage, opening shows early on for Keith Urban, George Strait, Toby Keith and Dierks Bentley. Her post-Crazy tourmates would include Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney before Miranda would begin headlining her own shows.

7. Paws for the Cause helps animals in need: In April 2008, Miranda, Blake Shelton and Kacey Musgraves appeared at Miranda's first Paws for the Cause event, raising $113,000 to benefit abused and abandoned animals in East Texas. Since that time, Miranda has formed her MuttNation Foundation, successfully raising funds to build animal shelters, increase pet adoption, encourage responsible pet guardianship, rehabilitate sick or unsocialized animals, fund spay/neuter programs, train shelter dogs for purposes of therapy programs, and provide assistance for wounded military personnel and dogs-in-prisons programs.

6. Revolution starts a revolution: Released in September 2009 and featuring the singles "Dead Flowers," "White Liar" and "Only Prettier," the album also gave 'Ran her first two chart-topping hits, "Heart Like Mine" and "The House That Built Me." Performing the emotional tune on the ACM Awards earned the singer a standing ovation. She also earned a Grammy and a platinum certification for it and Revolution helped Miranda snag a record nine CMA nominations in 2010.



5. Miranda and Blake Shelton hear wedding bells: The couple who first met at a CMT taping (which appropriately was celebrating country music's greatest duets), began dating in 2006, by which time Blake had already weathered divorce from his first wife. Both Miranda and Blake acknowledged that their dating life was turbulent but on May 14, 2011, Miranda tied the knot with "my best friend" at the Don Strange Ranch just north of San Antonio, joined by 550 of their closest family and friends, including Reba McEntire, Cee Lo Green, Martina McBride, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley, Josh Kelley, Katherine Heigl, Neal McCoy and Kelly Clarkson.

4. Pistol Annies take a shot at stardom: Blake Shelton wasn't Miranda's only friend to grab headlines with her in 2011. Just one month before her wedding, Miranda debuted her trio, with gal pals and fellow singer-songwriters Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe, during the ACM's "Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country" telecast on CBS. In August, their album Hell on hells was released to widespread acclaim (including being named The Boot's top album of the year). Lone Star Annie, Holler Annie and Hippie Annie have been a regular feature on Miranda's tour and are working on a follow-up album.

3. Miranda takes on Eric Church: After rebellious country-rocker Eric Church seemingly said in a Rolling Stone interview in April 2012 that "you're not an artist" if you come up through the ranks of a TV singing competition such as "The Voice" or "American Idol," his comments, not surprisingly, didn't sit well with Blake or Miranda, who both lashed out at him via Twitter. The "feud" was short-lived, however, and Eric clarified his statement with regard to Miranda and others, saying, "I have a lot of respect for what artists like Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and my friend Miranda Lambert have gone on to accomplish."

2. Four the Record sets a record: Her cleverly-titled fourth album not only stormed the Billboard 200, landing at No. 3 and marking her highest-ever debut on that chart, the disc featuring "Baggage Claim," "Over You" and "Fastest Girl in Town" also topped the country album chart, making it her fourth to do so. That's something no other country artist has ever done with their first four albums. The disc also features a duet with hubby Blake on "Better in the Long Run."

1. "Over You" wins CMA Song of the Year: Country music's reigning CMA Female and Male Vocalist, Miranda and Blake co-wrote this heartbreakingly beautiful tune about Blake's brother who died in a car accident in 1991, when Blake was 14. The award marked the first shared CMA win for the couple, but they also took home their respective awards in the vocalist categories and Miranda got to go home that night with the guy who was crowned CMA Entertainer of the Year. (Luckily, it was Blake).