Kellie Pickler Write-up

Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American pop country music singer-songwriter who finished sixth on the fifth season of the Fox television series American Idol. She has since been signed to BNA Records as a recording artist, with her debut album Small Town Girl being released in late 2006. The album has been certified gold in the United States and has so far sold 710,000 copies, producing three singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and two on the Billboard Hot 100.

Biography

Early years

Pickler was born at the Stanly Memorial Hospital in Albemarle, North Carolina, to Cynthia Morton and Clyde "Bo" Pickler, Jr. Her mother was 18 years old when she gave birth to her, and relinquished custodial rights to Pickler when she was two years old.

The major influences in her life are her grandfather, Clyde Pickler, Sr., who worked as an electrician and grandmother, Faye Pickler. She was raised in Palestine, a small town near Albemarle. After her grandmother's death, she continued to reside with her grandfather and her younger sibling Eric until she became a contestant on Idol. Kellie graduated in 2004 from North Stanly High School in New London, North Carolina. She used to be a cheerleader and dancer. At her graduation commencement, she sang "On the Side of Angels" by LeAnn Rimes.

She has worked as a waitress at a Sonic Drive In franchise, and in 2005, she made an appearance on WSOC-TV's Gimme the Mike! Charlotte contest. She finished in second place. She participated in the Miss America circuit, and won the "Miss Stanly County" pageant at age 17 and subsequently competed for Miss North Carolina 2004. She dropped out and later tried paralegal studies.

American Idol 2006

The 19-year-old Pickler auditioned for American Idol in the fall of 2005 in Greensboro, North Carolina. She sang both Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" and Martina McBride's "A Broken Wing". The judges sent her to Hollywood. Pickler advanced through the semi-finalist rounds in February. On March 9, she reached the Top 12.

Pickler was among one of judge Simon Cowell's favorites. He once predicted Pickler would be in the final three, and said he preferred her over the previous season's winner, Carrie Underwood. Recognized for her "quirky" personality and Southern charm, Pickler gained attention on the show by saying (for example) that she had hardly ever performed before real audiences, and mispronounced words. She was compared to Jessica Simpson in a March 27 story in US Weekly magazine entitled "Kellie: The Next Jessica Simpson", due to her "sweet Southern style and ditzy demeanor".

Post-Idol Career

After her elimination, she appeared in numerous shows promoting the TV show and performed the song "Walkin' After Midnight" in some of her appearances.

On May 6, 2006, she returned to Albemarle, North Carolina for a parade and a reunion with her father. She received a key to the city from the mayor of Albemarle. The mayor also proclaimed the day as "Kellie Pickler Day." Pickler also received numerous awards from local and statewide government officials praising her accomplishments as a contestant on the American Idol television show.

Pickler pursued her recording aspirations in Nashville, Tennessee shortly thereafter. On July 17, 2006 she signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/BNA Records. She later announced it herself on The View. She was part of the American Idol Pop Tarts tour ensemble, performing for three months in various cities. During that period, Pickler worked on her album in collaboration with top industry experts in different cities wherever the tour took her.

2006-2007: Small Town Girl

Her first single, "Red High Heels", debuted on September 13, 2006 and its music video was officially released on October 20, 2006. It reached #1 on the GAC Top 20 Countdown on February 9th and received a nomination for the CMT Video Awards for "Best Breakthrough Artist Video". Her debut album, Small Town Girl, released on October 31, 2006 topped Billboard's Top Country Albums and landed at #9 on Billboard Top 200 selling over 79,000 copies in its first week. Its sales made her the best selling new country solo artist of 2006. The album includes five songs that Pickler co-wrote with songwriters Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo and Karyn Rochelle.

On January 18th, 2007, Pickler co-hosted The View and was presented with a gold record by Rosie O'Donnell, certifying that her album has gone gold. She also performed her second single "I Wonder", which is a personal song about her absent relationship with her mother, Cynthia Morton. It was the first performance of the song on national TV.

Pickler was nominated for "Top New Female Vocalist" for the 42nd Academy of Country Music Awards.

She was also part of Brad Paisley's "Bonfires & Amplifiers" concert tour from April 2007 through October as one of the opening acts. The tour was booked in at least 37 cities in the U.S. including a couple of stops in Canada.

On September 2007, Pickler released a version of "Santa Baby" for a Christmas country compilation. It reached #6 on iTunes Holiday Songs and #49 on Billboard Hot Country Songs

On October 15, at the ASCAP Awards in Nashville, Pickler received a songwriter award for "Red High Heels".

On November 7, she performed her second single "I Wonder" at the 2007 CMA Awards. The performance received an standing ovation. She was also nominated for the Horizon Award.

Pickler appeared on Jeff Foxworthy’s show, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?. She was asked, "Budapest is the capital of what European country?" She replied, "This might be a stupid question, but I thought Europe was a country". She thought it might be France, and then was confused if France really was a country or not. When told the answer was Hungary, she did not believe the host. She said, "Hungry [sic]? That's a country? I've heard of Turkey, but Hungry? I've never heard of it." The video has become an instant YouTube hit. Pickler was also perplexed when asked whether the piccolo belongs to the woodwind, strings, or percussion musical family. In trying to reason out the answer to the question, she noted that "percussion starts with a p" and accordingly decided, "I'm just going to keep the p's together, and I'm just going to say percussion." ("Woodwind" was the correct answer.)

Personal life

Pickler's father, whom she describes as an alcoholic and drug addict, recently served a three-year, nine-month prison sentence at Florida State Prison for aggravated assault and battery stemming from a 2003 stabbing incident. He was released on May 6, 2006, a week after her elimination from Idol.

On February 26, 2007, she met her personal 'idol' and strongest influence, the country music star Dolly Parton. The surprise was arranged by Sony BMG Nashville chairman Joe Galante.

Pickler was in a relationship with Nashville Predators player Jordin Tootoo.

Philanthropy

Pickler actively supports St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where she helps raise funds and gives kids special visits. She also participates in charitable events to help raise funds for various organizations. She performed live to help raise funds for the "N.C. Children's PROMISE" to benefit the Children's Hospital in Nov. 12, 2006, performed live to help refurbish the Hurricane Katrina damaged NFL Youth Education Towns Boys & Girls Club of New Orleans on December 16, 2006, visited St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on January 12, 2007, and visited Pennington Elementary School in February 1, 2007. “When you’re able to give back to your communities and organizations like St. Jude, it’s a great thing,” Pickler said. “It’s been a great experience, and I encourage anyone and everyone to help.”

Pickler was part of a Country and Western artist studded online auction for charity by Mario Magro: Kiss for a Cause Foundation Celebrity Auction held June 15-25, 2007 in support of orphaned and abandoned children. The event auctioned off celebrity lip prints and signature pressed on the inside of Mario Magro Crystal Le Coop handbags at the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

TV appearances, performances, & other events