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."

4. "Coal Miner's Daughter," Loretta Lynn

After moving to Nashville to pursue her career in country music, Lambert released her single, "Me and Charlie Talking," in 2004, which made modest waves on the country charts and got her noticed. That was followed by the release of her 2005 album, "Kerosene," which was certified platinum in 2007.

Since then, Lambert has performed with other contemporary country music megastars, including George Strait, Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney. Lambert got to spend some time with one of her country music idols, the legendary Loretta Lynn, to do a recording and music video with her and Sheryl Crow for one of Lynn's hits, "Coal Miner's Daughter," in 2010.

"It was just so crazy to be sitting in [Lynn's] kitchen and talking about family and road stories," Lambert said. "You're sitting there and talking like, to a friend, and then you all of a sudden go, 'oh my gosh, that's Loretta Lynn,' so definitely it was kind of a life-changing moment for me because I just realized how blessed I was and how I thought I was looking at the big picture of my career and hanging out with Loretta just made me widen my spectrum even more. You know I definitely want to be, not doing this for 20 years, but doing it for 50."

5. "The Way I Am," Merle Haggard

In 2005, Lambert met fellow country star Blake Shelton, who shared her love for deer hunting. The two started dating and were married earlier this year. They now live in Oklahoma.

The past year has been explosive for Lambert, who took home all top prizes at the 2010 Country Music Awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year, after receiving a record nine nominations. She also won a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her song, "The House That Built Me," and had three number one singles.

Many of Lambert's songs are written out of real life experiences, something the singer has admired in other country music legends.

"He's just a living legend," Lambert said of Merle Haggard. "Just in general as an artist and as a writer, he's real honest, he's always talked openly about his troubles and being in prison and he really lived the songs he wrote, and I loved the honesty in his music. I think that's where I get my love of just honest country music, is from Merle Haggard."