
Carrie Underwood: Life in Pictures
1998: First Trip to Nashville
In the mid-90s, another blonde teenager with a big voice was becoming a country music superstar, and there's little doubt other Nashville labels wanted to replicate what Curb Records did with LeAnn Rimes. Underwood almost bit. A local Checotah businessman underwrote a trip to Nashville, where she recorded a number of demos and was offered a contract with Capitol Records. However, things didn't work out. "I honestly think it's a lot better that nothing came out of it now, because I wouldn't have been ready then," she says. "Everything has a way of working out."
More From Taste of Country

![CMA Fest 2025: Jelly Roll’s Surprise Appearances Dominate Annual Festival [Pictures]](http://townsquare.media/site/204/files/2025/06/attachment-gettyimages-2218990723.jpg?w=980&q=75)

![‘Duck Dynasty’ Update: Where Are the Kids Today? [Pictures]](http://townsquare.media/site/204/files/2024/09/attachment-Duck-Dynasty-Kids.jpg?w=980&q=75)


![Steven Curtis Chapman Tributes Moms With Powerful New Song, ‘Speed of Love’ [Exclusive Interview]](http://townsquare.media/site/204/files/2025/05/attachment-steven-curtis-chapman-interview-2025.jpg?w=980&q=75)

![Ray Stevens Finally Sells Spectacular Nashville Estate — See Inside! [Pictures]](http://townsquare.media/site/204/files/2024/06/attachment-ray-stevens-house-new-price.jpg?w=980&q=75)