Miranda Lambert's Playlist: Top 5 Songs That Inspire the Country Music Star

Nov. 8, 2011— -- If there is one thing for sure about country music star Miranda Lambert, it's that she is fearless.

The Grammy award-winning singer, who only launched her career a few years ago, has won numerous major country music awards and had several hit singles top the country charts, including "Kerosene," "Gunpowder and Lead," "White Liar" and most recently, "Heart Like Mine." Known for her honest lyrics about family, small town living and love gone sour, Lambert's feelings in her songs range from wild to vulnerable.

On Nov. 9, Lambert will be heading to this year's Country Music Awards, where she is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year.

In an interview with "Nightline" the country music singer talked about the top five songs on her playlist that have inspired her music and career over the years.

1. "Desperados Waiting for a Train," Guy Clark

Born Miranda Leigh Lambert in Longview, Texas, on Nov. 10, 1983, the singer grew up in the small town of Lindale, where her parents worked as private investigators. Her father, Rick Lambert, was a songwriter and guitarist, who introduced his daughter to country music greats such as Merle Haggard and Guy Clark.

"My first musical memory is probably of my dad playing guitar in my house," Lambert said. "Favorite song of all time, the one he would sing a lot to me as a little girl. That meant a lot to me. He was a singer songwriter so it just seems like I've always been hearing him downstairs or sitting around with him at a fire at a party or something with him playing guitar since I was born."

2. "Standing Outside the Fire," Garth Brooks

At age 10, Lambert saw her first country music concert -- a Garth Brooks show -- and immediately fell in love with the art of performing. That same year, she entered into her first country music talent show.

"I went and saw a Garth Brooks concert when I was 10, it was the first concert I ever saw, and something sparked inside me that night," Lambert said. "Just being a little girl, we were close to the back, I had braces and I just remember smiling the whole time, just in awe of this concert, and I kind of thought, something sparked in my mind at that moment. Whenever he sang that song the whole edge of the stage caught on fire and maybe that's why I still have a fascination with fire to this day."

3. "Bad Moon Rising," Creedence Clearwater Revival

Lambert started her own band called Texas Pride at age 17 and, with the help and financial support of her family, made her first recording -- an independent self-titled album -- in 2001. In 2003, Lambert placed third in the nationally-televised talent show, "Nashville Star," and signed her first major-label record deal with Epic Nashville.

"I was recording with [John Fogerty] last week in the studio," Lambert said. "Obviously I'm a huge CCR fan and have been doing a Fogerty song since I started a band in every set I've ever done so getting to work with him just totally revamped my creativity."

She continued, "I'm just totally inspired by someone who for so long had such a huge influence on the music business and on music in general and getting the opportunity to be in the studio and hang out with him was a really cool moment."