Carrie Underwood: Life in Pictures

1983: A Star Is Born

Carrie Underwood jokes that she was the "oops." The youngest of Stephen and Carole Underwood's three kids has certainly proven otherwise, while staying true to her humble beginnings as the daughter of a teacher and a paper mill operator. Opportunities for superstardom weren't abundant in Checotah, Okla., but Underwood never missed an opportunity to sing at school plays and talent shows.

Church was an important part of life back then, and Underwood attended services and prayer meetings at the Free Will Baptist Church at least two or three times a week. That's actually where she first found her voice. By the time she was a teenager, it was clear her talents were meant for bigger stages.