Sure she's been around for awhile. She even won a singing contest in Ireland and made an album (It failed.).

Like Michael John, there was a great deal controversy over her amateur status and music history. This whole thing reminds me of the old Olympics Games and how good athletes were denied entry because they accepted money for participating in their sport. 

Carly, of course, didn't sound like an American. She spoke with an Irish accent and had a biker tatoo on her right shoulder. Added to the above, she sang "Jesus Christ Superstar" in a land full of fundamentalist Christians.

No doubt,  many of these factors took away from the fan base that she needed to stay in the competition.

However, rock and roll has always thrived on a bad boy or bad girl image, and what may not go over with middle of the road Idol fans will probably be just fine with hard rock fanatics.

Rock on Carly just like Gene Vincent in the 1950s: