Each year we see a new class of stars appear on the country music horizon. Sometimes an artist will have a huge hit right off the bat, and other times it may take an album or two. The stars listed as the "Class of 2005" are those that made their first impact on country music in that year.
Buckley, Washington native Blaine Larsen first appeared on the country
music landscape with an independently released
In My High School CD in the summer of 2004. BNA Records took notice and signed the 19 year old artist, with the much older sounding voice, to a contract and re-issued the same CD (with one more track) in January of 2005. The record sold well behind the touching single Top 20 single "How Do You Get That Lonely." Next single "The Best Man" peaked at No. 38.
Carrie Underwood arrived on the scene in early 2005 when she made her
debut on American Idol. With her girl-next-door charm and powerful voice,
Carrie became the first country singing winner of the show. “Jesus Take
The Wheel” is currently Top 5 at country radio and shows no signs of
slowing down. The album, which features the song, “Some Hearts” was
certified platinum in only 5 weeks on the charts.
Broken Bow Records proved with Craig Morgan that a small label doesn’t need to play by Nashville’s traditional big
money label politics. With a catchy, fun summertime debut single in “Hicktown,” (also a Top 10), Jason Aldean moved people to buy his Broken Bow Records debut. It was certified Gold (500,000 albums sold) and gave Nashville its first independent label Gold record in many years. The follow-up single “Why” is currently 34 and still rising on both major country charts.
In 2002, Keith Anderson wrote a little song called “Beer Run” and saw
Garth Brooks and George Jones take it to the top of the charts. Shortly thereafter he landed with Arista/RLG released “Three Chords Country And American Rock & Roll”. Suggestive lead single “Pickin’ Wildflowers” became Keith’s first Top 10 hit when the song, co-written with producer Jeffrey Steele, peaked at No. 8. Fun follow-up single “XXL” (Double X-L) peaked at No. 23.
Little Big Town released two singles from their first record contract with Sony Nashville in 2002 but both of those “glossy” singles failed to reach higher than 33 on the charts. Three years later, the picturesque foursome was back, on Equity Records Nashville, with the down-home single "Boondocks". The song quickly found a home at radio and is now a Top 10 hit for Little Big Town.
Miranda Lambert first found some notoriety on the first season of Nashville Star. While she came in 3rd place. Miranda received a Gold Records for her debut album. While Miranda’s first two singles (“Me And Charlie Talking” and “Bring Me Down”) failed to do much of anything at radio besides being Top 40 hits, current single and album title track
“Kerosene” is quickly finding a home at radio and sits at No 21 at Billboard’s Country Songs chart.
Sugarland released their platinum-selling debut album in 2005, but it wasn't until "Baby Girl" finally hit the Top 10, in February 2005, after 31 weeks on the chart that people began to really take notice of this great band. The song peaked at No. 2 in April, but Sugarland fever had begun. Their next single "Something More" also peaked at No. 2, but in only 17 weeks. Their third single "Just Might Make Me Believe" is currently in the Top 15 and rising.
Featuring the two lead singers of classic rock bands Lynyrd Skynyrd and 38 Special, Van Zant signed a record deal with Sony Nashville and made one of the better albums of the 2005 year. The duo proved, with first single “Help Somebody,” that southern rock works at country radio. After that song peaked at No. 8 on the charts, the duo’s second single
“Nobody Gonna Tell Me What To Do” found it’s way to No. 27.
