Season 2 (2004)
Nancy O'Dell returned as host. Record label executive Tracy Gershon returned as a judge, joined by radio personality Billy Greenwood and country artists The Warren Brothers. The show was broadcast on USA Network.
The standings for 2004 were:
| Place | Name | Sex | Age | Hometown | Week Eliminated |
| 1 | Brad Cotter | M | 33 | Opelika, Alabama | Winner |
| 2 | George Canyon | M | 33 | Fox Brook, Nova Scotia, Canada | Finale (May 1, 2004) |
| 3 | Matt Lindahl | M | 28 | Snellville, Georgia | Finale (May 1, 2004) |
| 4 | Lance Miller | M | 33 | Fairfield, Illinois | Week 8 (April 24, 2004) |
| 5 | Jennifer Hicks | F | 35 | Nashville, Tennessee | Week 7 (April 17, 2004) |
| 6 | Brent Keith | M | 24 | Blanchester, Ohio | Week 6 (April 10, 2004) |
| 7 | Marty Slayton | F | 37 | Alamo, Tennessee | Week 5 (April 3, 2004) |
| 8 | Sheila Marshall | F | 31 | Nacogdoches, Texas | Week 5 (April 3, 2004) |
| 9 | Mal Rogers | M | 24 | Antrim, Northern Ireland | Week 3 (March 20, 2004) |
| 10 | Stacy Michelle | F | 33 | Memphis, Tennessee | Week 3 (March 20, 2004) |
| 11 | Gregory DeLang | F | 39 | San Angelo, Texas | Week 2 (March 13, 2004) |
Nashville Star began its second season on March 6, 2004. In 2004, the winner was 33-year-old Brad Cotter, who enjoyed very limited success after his win. Cotter was one of ten finalists eliminated by the judges on the first episode, but was allowed back into the competition after he was selected by viewers to be the one of those ten saved. The format was changed after the 2004 season and that element of the competition was scrapped.
Cotter won a recording contract with Sony Music on its Epic Records label. His first album, Patient Man, performed poorly, selling less than 140,000 copies. He was subsequently dropped from the roster. Cotter remains on tour opening for other country artists, such as Mark Chesnutt and Restless Heart.
However, runner-up George Canyon (also 33 years old) experienced a result similar to Miranda Lambert. He didn't win a record deal from the show and has not achieved success in the U.S., but he has become a country music star in his native Canada, where he was signed by Universal Music and has released three successful albums.
Following the season, third-place finisher Matt Lindahl began appearing in television, radio, billboard, and print advertisements for Purity Dairies, a regional dairy company based in Nashville. In the television and radio ads, Lindahl (along with his band) sings, acts, and plays the washboard - an instrument that he also played on Nashville Star.
In 2007, Lance Miller signed with Warner Bros. Records and appeared on Star to perform his first single.
Sixth-place finisher Brent Keith was a top 36 semi-finalist on the eighth season of American Idol, but was not voted through to the finals.
Read more about this topic: Angela Hacker
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