10 Country Artists Whose Journeys to Success Included Time on ‘American Idol’

This week, American Idol announced that season four winner — and now eight-time Grammy winner and three-time Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year winner — Carrie Underwood will be returning to the televised music competition as a judge for season eight on ABC and Hulu, where she will join fellow country artist Luke Bryan and pop luminary Lionel Richie on the judges panel. Underwood marks the first American Idol alum to ever join Idol’s judging panel, and knows well the journey that American Idol contestants are embarking on.

There have been many country artists who made a try for Idol fame early in their careers, including Bucky Covington, Casey James, Kristy Lee Cook, Trent Harmon and others such as Danny Gokey and Bo Bice, who took the country route before making strides in other musical formats.

Idol has had a consequential, career-boosting impact on numerous artists since the show premiered in 2002 — leading many aspiring country singers to earn their first record deals, first radio hits — and for some, their first big boost into an enduring global spotlight, while also offering exposure before a significant audience for established country artists who have performed with contestants on the show. Earlier this year, when the show wrapped its most recent season, that season finale episode drew in 5.64 million viewers. Still other artists experienced early rejection on Idol, but were undeterred and went on to become headlining, award-winning hitmakers.

Here, we look at 10 country artists whose careers have included pursuits on Idol as they forged their unique paths in chasing country music prominence.