Carrie Underwood Stays Devoted to Faith, Small-Town Values

In spite of being one of the most recognizable artists of her generation, Carrie Underwood has largely managed to stay out of the tabloids, and she credits her small-town Oklahoma upbringing with helping to maintain her squeaky-clean track record.

"It was really great growing up in the Bible Belt because we had so many small churches," the 'Good Girl' singer shared during the recent 'VH1 Unplugged: Carrie Underwood' special (quote via CMT). "I love small churches because you are a community. It wasn't weird that everybody went to church. It was not strange that Wednesday night was youth group night. It wasn't strange that every Tuesday morning, we would all get together on the steps and have a morning devotional before school. It was so normal, and even if you didn't participate, you didn't pick on the kids that did because ... that's just the way it is."

The 'Blown Away' singer says those values helped keep her on the straight and narrow.

"I never snuck out," she insists. "I never went to a party where parents weren't at home. I never broke curfew. When we graduated, we got together and drank non-alcoholic champagne ... It might sound boring, but it was so much fun."

Clearly, the lessons the superstar entertainer learned growing up have stayed with her. Married to professional hockey player Mike Fisher in 2010, Underwood says they made sure to make their faith a top priority even before they tied the knot.

"After [he proposed], we prayed together," she recalls (quote via the San Francisco Chronicle). "We were both so excited, and we just wanted God to watch over us and our plans and our marriage and whatever might happen from that day forward."

Underwood is spending most of the remainder of the year on her Blown Away Tour, with Hunter Hayes serving as her opening act. She will head to Nevada and California this weekend. See a list of upcoming tour dates here.