Flashback to the 46th Annual ACM Awards in 2011 for that momentous duet of Carrie Underwood and Steven Tyler! Their remarkable performance on stage earned them a standing ovation from the audience.
Steven Tyler, known for his hard-rock musical style, had his share of exposure and appreciation of other genres during his short stint as a judge on American Idol. His duet partner and muse, Carrie Underwood, has cemented her legacy as a Country music star after her American Idol triumph in 2005.
The two artists have done collaborations before, but all those previous team-ups were nothing compared to the 2011 performance.
Dynamic Duo’s Stage Presence
Country music muse Carrie Underwood first graced the stage singing her hit song “Undo It.” Steven Tyler then emerged and the fans were ecstatic! But, the duo’s just getting started. They quickly transitioned into one of the best rendition of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”
Carrie Underwood has always been open about her love for Aerosmith’s songs. This performance could have been the realization of her dream to one day sing an Aerosmith song in front of an audience.
Tyler also impressed the crowd with his Country chops demonstration complemented by Underwood’s rock star pipes. Captivated by the duo’s versatility, fans enthusiastically sang along.
More Collaborations
Following that 2011 thrilling performance, Carrie Underwood went on winning more Grammys and multiple platinum records while Steven Tyler continued to explore other music genres.
If there’s one more thing that these two artists had in common, that would be their songwriter, Marti Frederiksen. Frederiksen is a regular songwriter for Tyler and he also co-wrote Underwood’s “Undo It.” Tyler partnered with Frederiksen to write the song “Can’t Stop Loving You” for their music session, “Music From Another Dimension.” As they went through with the raw recording, they noticed that Tyler’s singing had a Country flavor on it.
The recording was on its perfect timing because Carrie Underwood happens to be in Los Angeles at that time. Tyler called her up and it was a last-minute agreement because Underwood was set to depart the following day. The rest was history for the ballad.
In January 2013, “Can’t Stop Loving You” was released as a single. Aerosmith’s lead guitarist, Joe Perry said that he was reluctant at first with the collaboration with Carrie Underwood. But after hearing the end product, he was delighted! He added that Underwood and Tyler’s vocal styles were a perfect match. They sounded natural and the blending was not forced.
Today, Carrie Underwood continues her journey in the music industry, breaking new grounds as she releases more albums. She has not stopped growing as a singer after solidifying her career in the Country music scene. As for Tyler, he worked on his first solo country album in 2015. “Love Is Your Name,” his album’s lead single was released on May 13 of the same year. Tyler then reunited with his Aerosmith band for a tour in North America.
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