Season 1 (2003)
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Episodes 9
The Road to Nashville
The premiere episode of Nashville Star introduced us to the host and judges as well as the contestants who were picked to appear this season. The finalists were chosen from thousands, and only the lucky continued. No one was eliminated.
Read MoreNashville Classics
The twelve Nashville Star finalists each had the opportunity to shine as they performed country standards during the first round of competition.
Miranda Lambert:
"Honky Tonk Blues" - Hank Williama
Buddy Jewell:
"Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" - Eddy Arnold
Brandon Silveira:
"Act Naturally" - Buck Owens
Anne Louise Blythe:
"Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" - Terri Clark
Travis Howard:
"Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain" - Willie Nelson
Brandi Gibson:
"Walking After Midnight" - Patsy Cline
Prentiss Varnon:
"Hey Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams
Amy Chappell :
"Son of a Preacher Man" - Dusty Springfield
Kristen Kissling:
"Heartbreak Hotel" - Elvis Presley
John Arthur Martinez:
"When You Say Nothing At All" - Keith Whitley
Tasha Valentine:
"Your Cheating Heart" - Roy Acuff
Jamey Garner:
"Two More Bottles of Wine" - Emmylou Harris
Read MoreStyles of Country
This week on Nashville Star, we said goodbye to two more contestants and watched 11 amazing performances intended to show us which styles of country music influenced the performers.
Brandon Silveira:
"I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink" - Merle Haggard
Amy Chappell :
"Walk Softly On This Heart of Mine" - Bill Monroe
Brandi Gibson:
"Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye" - The Charlie Daniels Band
John Arthur Martinez:
"Roly Poly" - Bob Wills
Miranda Lambert:
"Texas (When I Die)" - Tanya Tucker
Travis Howard:
"Six Days on the Road" - Dave Dudley
Jamey Garner:
"Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms" - Tammy Wynette and George Jones
Prentiss Varnon:
"Milk Cow Blues" - Bob Wills
Tasha Valentine:
"Little Sister" - Elvis Presley
Buddy Jewell:
"Gimme Three Steps" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Read MorePop Goes Country
This Saturday on Nashville Star, we saw how our remaining contestants brought their country style to a pop standard. Since being a star is also about a look, an attitude, and how you carry yourself, we saw each of the finalists consulting with stylists, shopping for clothes that reflected their personalities, and occasionally opting for a different hairstyle.
Amy Chappell:
"We Belong" - Pat Benatar
John Arthur Martinez:
"Some Kind of Wonderful" - Grand Funk Railroad
Buddy Jewell:
"Please Come to Boston" - Dave Loggins
Jamey Garner:
"Faithfully" - Journey
Brandi Gibson:
"(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" - Bryan Adams
Brandon Silveira:
"Here I Go Again" - Whitesnake
Prentiss Varnon:
"I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" - England Dan/John Ford Coley
Miranda Lambert:
"Hurts So Good" - John Mellencamp
Read MoreOriginal Songs
This week on Nashville Star, our contestants proved their mettle and stepped the competition up a notch by performing their original songs.
Brandi Gibson:
"I'm Gonna Make It" - original
Buddy Jewell:
"Help Pour Out the Rain (Lacey's Song)" - original
Miranda Lambert:
"Greyhound Bound for Nowhere" - original
Brandon Silveira:
"Life Don't Get Much Better Than This" - original
John Arthur Martinez:
"Everything I Never Knew I Wanted" - original
Amy Chappell:
"No Turning Back" - original
Read MoreAmerican Songs
The American Spirit was alive and well on the Nashville Star stage this week, as each contestant performed a song that he or she felt reflected that spirit. Love of home and family, patriotism, rugged individualism, and hard work were all values expressed in the songs selected, values that together make up the fabric of American society.
Remaining finalists:
"Heartland" - George Strait
Brandon Silveira:
"A Country Boy Can Survive" - Hank Williams, Jr.
Miranda Lambert:
"Fightin' Side of Me" - Merle Haggard
Buddy Jewell:
"40 Hour Week" - Alabama
Brandi Gibson:
"Home" - Joe Diffie
John Arthur Martinez:
"The City of New Orleans" - Arlo Guthrie
Read MoreNumber Ones
This week, we narrowed the field of Nashville Star contestants from five to four, and our four remaining contestants each performed a #1 song (post-1999), as well as an original song they HOPED would be #1 someday.
Remaining finalists/Phil Vassar:
"Just Another Day in Paradise" - Phil Vassar
John Arthur Martinez:
"But for the Grace of God" - Keith Urban
"Home Made of Stone" - original
Brandi Gibson:
"How Do You Like Me Now" - Toby Keith
"Take Her Picture" - original
Buddy Jewell:
"It Must Be Love" - Don Williams/Alan Jackson
"Abeline" - original
Miranda Lambert:
"Somebody Like You" - Keith Urban
"Oh, California" - original
Read MoreDuets
This week on Nashville Star we narrowed the field of contestants from four to three. The show began with a "good luck" greeting from the group Rascal Flatts, live from the stage of their show in Moline, IL, as they kicked off the Brooks and Dunn Neon Circus Tour. Mixed in with the contestants' performances were highlights from their homecoming celebrations last week, along with reflections on how the show has changed their lives.
Miranda Lambert:
"Don't It Make You Wanna Dance" - Rusty Wier/Jerry Jeff Walker
"You and Your Memory" - original
John Arthur Martinez:
"River of Love" - original
"The Man Who Holds the Bow" - original
Buddy Jewell:
"Gentle On My Mind" - Glen Campbell
"One in A Row" - original
Read MoreGrand Finale
The Nashville Star finale had something for everyone - laughter, tears, drama, suspense, celebrity guests, red carpet arrivals, reunions... and of course, the revelation of the first "Nashville Star," based on the results of million of votes cast by you, the television audience!
Miranda Lambert/John Arthur Martinez/Buddy Jewell:
"Next Big Thing" - Vince Gill
Charlie Robison/Tracy Gershon/Robert Oermann
"Right Man For The Job" - Charlie Robison
Miranda Lambert:
"Bye, Bye" - duet with Jo Dee Messina
John Arthur Martinez:
"Nothin' But The Taillights" - duet with Clint Black
"The Armadillo Song" - original
Buddy Jewell:
"(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing" - duet with Trace Adkins
"Abilene" - original
"Help Pour Out the Rain (Lacey's Song)" - original
"I Want to Thank Everyone Who Ever Told Me No" - original
Read More