CMA Stars Before the Fame

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Kacey Musgraves

Before Kacey Musgraves was winning New Artist of the Year at the 2013 CMA Awards, she was posing for her 2006 senior photo at Mineola High School in Mineola, Texas.

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Blake Shelton

Way before Blake Shelton hit the red carpet, he was a star in stripes in this photo from his 1994 senior yearbook in Ada, Oklahoma.

reba mcentire young college yearbook photo 1975

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Reba McEntire

Also representing the great state of Oklahoma is country legend Reba McEntire, seen here in her 1975 sophomore photo at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

alan jackson young high school yearbook photo

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Alan Jackson

Long before country superstar Alan Jackson won dozens of music awards, he was an enthusiastic student at Newnan High School in Newnan, Georgia.

brad paisley young high school yearbook photo

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Brad Paisley

Circa 1990, Brad Paisley was a John Marshall High School junior in Glen Dale, West Virginia, with an obvious affinity for sweaters that Bill Cosby might admire.

Carrie Underwood young high school yearbook photo Checotah School in Checotah, Oklahoma

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Carrie Underwood

In 1992, cute-as-a-button third grader Carrie Underwood brightened the halls of Checotah School in Checotah, Oklahoma before wowing the nation on American Idol.

Charles Kelley young high school yearbook photo

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Charles Kelley

Later in life he’d be a cofounding member of Lady Antebellum, but even in 2000 Charles Kelley was already deep into his music career as a senior at Lakeside High School in Evans, Georgia.

david haywood young high school yearbook photo

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David Haywood

Musical destiny struck for Dave Haywood when he met Charles Kelley in a Georgia middle school. They became friends and attended Lakeside High School in Evans, Georgia, together. After graduation, the two wrote songs together and eventually formed the band Lady Antebellum.

gary levox young high school yearbook photo

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Gary LeVox

His hairdo might be spikier today, but Rascal Flatts lead singer Gary LeVox doesn’t look that much different from his days as a senior at Olentangy High School in Delaware County, Ohio, back in 1988.

hillary scott young high school yearbook photo

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Hillary Scott

The third member of country superstar band Lady Antebellum, Hillary Scott is the youngest of the trio, having graduated in 2004 from Donelson Christian Academy in Nashville, Tennessee.

kelly clarkson young high school yearbook photo

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Kelly Clarkson

Former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson looks like the girl-next-door as a junior in this photo from Burleson High School in Burleson, Texas.

kenny chesney young high school yearbook photo

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Kenny Chesney

Back in 1986, Kenny Chesney was rockin’ the Izod as a senior at Gibbs High School in Corryton, Tennessee. Today he’s a bonafide country music superstar, selling out venues around the world.

kenny loggins young high school yearbook photo

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Kenny Loggins

It’s been a long time since singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins was a senior back in 1966 at Mission High School in San Gabriel, California. After an incredible pop/rock career, Loggins is back to his folk/country roots, performing in the trio Blue Sky Riders with Gary Burr and Georgia Middleman.

martina mcbride young high school yearbook photo

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Martina McBride

Quite the looker back in 1984 in her senior portrait at Sharon High School in Sharon, Kansas, McBride is just as gorgeous and talented today as one of the preeminent female country artists performing today.

miranda lambert young high school yearbook photo

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Miranda Lambert

A freshman at Lindale High School in Lindale, Texas, in 1999, Miranda Lambert would catch the eye of the country music community only four years later as a finalist on Nashville Star. Now she’s the new wife of ACM host Blake Shelton and an ever-rising star in the country music world.

sara evans young high school yearbook photo

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Sara Evans

As a senior at New Franklin High School in New Franklin, Missouri, in 1989, Sara Evans was all smiles. Today, as a country superstar, Evans has had her share of ups and downs, but she’s still on top of the country charts.

taylor swift young high school yearbook photo

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Taylor Swift

Back in 2006, Swift looked more like a punk chick as a sophomore at Hendersonville High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Today, Swift is the country-pop princess to beat at pretty much any music awards show.