Budhill Singles Club

Kellie Pickler

Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country singer and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the FOX reality show American Idol, eventually finishing in sixth place. In 2006, she signed to BNA Records as a recording artist, releasing her debut album Small Town Girl late that year. The album, which was certified gold by the RIAA, produced three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts: "Red High Heels" at #15, "I Wonder" at #14, and "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind" at #16. A fourth single, "Don't You Know You're Beautiful", was released in mid-2008 as the first single from her self-titled second album.

Biography

Early years

Pickler was born at 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 beauty queen. 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 focused on paralegal studies.

American Idol 2006

Main article: American Idol (season 5)

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". Pickler has stated several times that she was not heavily exposed to modern pop culture.

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

See also: 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. A month later, at the ASCAP Awards in Nashville, Pickler received a songwriter award for co-writing her debut single "Red High Heels". She performed her second single, "I Wonder", at the 2007 CMA Awards. The performance received a standing ovation. She was also nominated for the Horizon Award.

"I thought Europe was a country" Remark

In November 2007, Pickler appeared on a Celebrity Edition of the quiz show Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, playing for the charities of her choice (American Red Cross and the AARP's Grandparenting Program). 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. However, the host also pronounced the name of the country wrong by explaining the name with saying "like I'm hungry" when in fact the name is pronounced "[hung-gary]".

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.)

During radio and newspaper interviews, Pickler commented that some people and media criticized her for her answers while ignoring her charitable effort. In The Arizona Republic, Pickler said "...no one even recognized that I won $50,000 for my charity."

While on her first USO concert tour in Iraq, Pickler met a few people from Budapest, Hungary who presented her with a flag of their country.

2008-Present: Kellie Pickler

Following the release of the third single ("Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind") from her debut album, Kellie returned to the studio to work on her sophomore album. On May 8, 2008, her official wesbite announced that she would sing the first single from the new album, "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" at the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 18, 2008. Kellie has since stated: "I’m so excited to be performing on the show and doubly so, to be debuting the new single. It’s such a great song, with a positive message and it’s different than any other song I’ve recorded before." Her new single debuted on country music radio stations in June,

Her second album, self-titled Kellie Pickler, was released on September 30, 2008.

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.

In 2007, Pickler was in a relationship with Nashville Predators player Jordin Tootoo and visited his family in Nunavut, Canada. Later that year, the two broke up.

Pickler is also close friends with Taylor Swift, who co-wrote Pickler's single "Best Days of Your Life."

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.

In late 2007-early 2008, she also participated in a USO tour through Iraq entertaining Coalition troops.

Discography

Main article: Kellie Pickler discography

Albums

• 2006: Small Town Girl
• 2008: Kellie Pickler

Singles

• 2006: "Red High Heels"
• 2007: "I Wonder"
• 2007: "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind"
• 2008: "Don't You Know You're Beautiful"

Awards/Nominations

Awards and nominations

Year	Presenter	Award	Result
2008	Country Music Television Awards	Breakthrough Video of The Year: "I Wonder"	Won
		Tearjerker Video of The Year: "I Wonder"	Won
		Performance of The Year: "I Wonder @ CMA Awards"	Won
		Director Of The Year - Deaton Flanigen: "I Wonder"	Nominated
	Academy of Country Music Awards	Top New Female Vocalist Of The Year	Nominated
	Country Music Association Awards	New Artist of the Year	Nominated (Winner TBD 11/12/08)
2007	Country Music Television Awards	Breakthrough Video of The Year: "Red High Heels"	Nominated
	Academy of Country Music Awards	Top New Female Vocalist Of The Year	Nominated
	Country Music Association Awards	Horizon Award	Nominated
	American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers	Songwriter award for "Red High Heels" (most performed country songs of the year)	Won

TV appearances, performances, & other events

List of Kellie Pickler's TV Appearances, performances, and other events

Date	Show or Event	Details
October 1, 2008	Live with Regis & Kelly	Pickler performed her single "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" from her sophomore album, Kellie Pickler. The album was released the day before.
September 30, 2008	The Today Show	Pickler performed her single "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" to debut the release of her new album, Kellie Pickler.
September 8, 2008	CMA Music Festival ("Country's Night to Rock")	Pickler co-hosted alongside Taylor Swift and Julianne Hough for the 2008 CMA Music Festival. Pickler's performance of "Don't You Know You're Beautiful", her current single, was included on the T.V. airing.
May 18, 2008	Academy of Country Music Awards	Pickler debuted the lead-off single to her upcoming sophomore release, "Dont You Know You're Beautiful".
November 15, 2007	Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?	Pickler was unsure whether or not a roadrunner was a bird, hoped that a foreign language might be English, stated she felt "really smart right now" after identifying that "watermelon" contains two E's, said that a piccolo was a percussion instrument, stated that she thought Europe was a country but France was not, and decided that Franklin Pierce was a US president because her ears were pierced. She ultimately walked away with $50,000 for charity.
June 12, 2007	Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois	Pickler was at the Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL for the Chicago Cubs game where she sang the Star-Spangled Banner. She also sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". She then sat down for a brief interview with Chicago Cubs radio broadcasters Pat Hughes and Ron Santo.
June 6, 2007	Nashville's Wildhorse Saloon	Pickler was among the performers of the Chely Wright's seventh annual Reading, Writing & Rhythm benefit concert, considered as the unofficial kickoff to the 2007 CMA Music Festival. She sang "Red High Heels" and "I Wonder". The event raised US$185,000 for charity.
May 14, 2007	Academy of Country Music New Artists' Party for a Cause	Pickler joined other new country music artist nominees in a pre-award benefit show on the run-up to the 42nd Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.
May 14, 2007	CBS Early Show	Pickler was on the CBS' Early Show where she talked about her second single "I Wonder." She later on performed the song live on the set of the upcoming 42nd Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. She will also take part on the CBS segment on May 15 helping a special mom make her dream come true to meet in person Rascal Flatts whose song "My Wish" inspired her. Pickler will take her on a shopping spree, watch the 42nd Academy of Country Music Awards, and meet backstage the popular country music group
April 21, 2007	Grand Ole Opry House	Pickler performed at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee for the third time since becoming a recording artist. The event was also broadcasted over the radio by 650 WSM. She performed "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton, "Red High Heels," "I Wonder," and "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind." The audience was thrilled with her performance and gave her a standing ovation for her rendition of "I Wonder," a very personal and emotional song which she co-wrote.
April 13, 2007	GACTv Top 20 Country Countdown	Nan Kelley host of GAC's "Top 20 Country Countdown" welcomed back Pickler to the show. Pickler talked about her experience co-hosting the view for two consecutive days, receiving her first Gold record, her new video and second single "I Wonder," her upcoming tour with Brad Paisley, and her first ever ACM nomination. She was also given the opportunity to set up her music video on the show.
April 9, 2007	07 CMT Music Awards - Video Of The Year Special	Pickler hosted the CMT show that takes a closer look at the 2007 CMT Music Awards - Video of the Year nominiees..
April 9, 2007	ACM & GAC Present Kellie Pickler	Pickler sat down for an interview with Lorianne Crook for her thirty minute special on GAC on the run up to the 42nd Academy of Country Music Awards. She is also nominated this year's ACM Awards for "Top New Female Vocalist.".
March 1, 2007	American Idol	Pickler performed "I Wonder" on Top 20 elimination night on American Idol Season 6..
February 1, 2007	Daytona 500,Florida	Pickler performed two songs on the Daytona 500 pre-race event, she sang Red High Heels and Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind. Then she sang the US National Anthem the Star-Spangled Banner to open the main event..
February 1, 2007	Larry King Live	Pickler was on the Larry King Live show's "American Idol" edition. She, along with fellow "Idol" alumni (Ruben Studdard, Ace Young, and LaToya London) and Season 6 rejects, talked about the show's audition process and how the show impacts their lives..
January 18-19, 2007	The View	Pickler came back to The View for two consecutive days as guest co-host. On her first day appearance (01/18/07), Rosie O'Donnell presented her her first Gold record for "Small Town Girl" Compact Disc, to her surprise. A very emotional Pickler performed live her second single from her debut album "Small Town Girl" the second day. Holding back tears and pausing midway in her performance as she tries to regain her composure .
December 16, 2006	NFL Youth Education Towns Boys & Girls Club of New Orleans Charity Event	Pickler took part in a charity event to benefit the NFL Youth Education Towns Boys & Girls Club of New Orleans. She performed live and spoke to the crowd. CMT and Cox Communications presented donations to help refurbish the club which was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The event was emceed by CMT Radio correspondent and Miss America 2004 Ericka Dunlap, Miss America 2006 Jennifer Berry also graced the event. This was Kellie's last appearance for 2006. .
December 15, 2006	The Ellen DeGeneres Show	Pickler was featured guest on the Ellen show along with former US Vice President Al Gore. She performed live "Red High Heels" after her interview.
December 14, 2006	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno	Pickler was guest correspondent on the Tonight Show in her segment titled "A Very Pickler Christmas." She was tasked with findind the perfect Christmas gift for Jay in New York City and to experience the diverse culture and sights of the city along the way.
December 2, 2006	Grand Ole Opry House	Pickler performed at the Grand Ole Opry House for the second time. She sang "Things That Never Cross A Man's Mind," "Stand By Your Man" by Tammy Wynette, and "Red High Heels." The event was broadcasted by WSM radio and GAC TV.
November 30, 2006	The Early Show	Pickler made a quick appearance for a fan and discussed her new album. Also Pickler brought with her a pair of Red high heels, to promote her single of the same name.
November 16, 2006	"the N.C. Children's PROMISE" fundraiser	Pickler was part of a fundraiser on November 16, 2006 to benefit a children's hospital, "the N.C. Children's PROMISE" in North Carolina. She performed live. This is her first significant involvement in philanthropy. The event was broadcasted by News 14 Carolina, Time Warner Cable, and 12 radio stations. The event was a huge success raising US$474,000.
November 3, 2006	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno	Pickler was guest performer on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on November 3, 2006. She sang live "Red High Heels" at the end of the show.
November 1, 2006	The Today Show The View	Pickler performed live in studio on the The Today Show November 1, 2006 at 7:00am ET. And later on she performed for the ladies on The View on November 1. She was also previously a guest co-host on the show.
October 27, 2006	The Grand Ole Opry House	Pickler performed live for the first time at the Grand Ole Opry House on October 27, 2006 at 8:00pm ET. where she sang live "My Angel" and "Red High Heels."
October 23, 2006	2006 ASCAP Awards	Pickler attended the ASCAP Awards on October 23, 2006 at the Ryman Auditorium in Tennessee.
October 20, 2006	GAC Nights	She was guest in GAC Nights together with The Randy Rogers Band.
Oct. 14, 2006	Celebration of Champions	Pickler sang the United States national anthem at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina to open the Bank of America 500 Race "Celebration of Champions" on October 14, 2006 at 7:00pm eastern.
October 13, 2006	GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown	Pickler was a guest on the Great American Country (GAC) Top 20 Country Countdown where she talked to show host Lance Smith about her recent move to Nashville, her shoe "addiction," and her debut album. Lance also mentioned her upcoming co-hosting gig for the 2006 CMA Red Carpet.
May 3, 2006	Live with Regis and Kelly	Pickler was guest on the show. She talked to Regis and Kelly and later performed "Walkin' After Midnight." She then joined models showcasing possible hairstyles for Pickler. Her hair was cut and styled on the show by Oscar Blandi.
May 2, 2006	Fox & Friends	Kellie was guest on the show.
May 1, 2006	Live with Regis and Kelly Total Request Live The Ellen DeGeneres Show	Pickler appeared on the following shows where she sang "Walkin' After Midnight" except at Total Request Live.
Apr. 28, 2006	Jimmy Kimmel Live	Pickler did a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live after her elimination in American Idol. Where she talked about her experience in the competition and her future plans post-Idol. Kellie didn't get to perform. Kimmel invited her to perform next time she's on the show.
Apr. 27, 2006	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno	Pickler appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on April 27, 2006 where she spun the "Wheel of Consolation."

List of Kellie Pickler's performances on American Idol

Semifinals

• February 21, 2006 - "How Far", Martina McBride
  • The judges agreed that her vocal performance wasn't the best, but cited her personality as a primary reason she would go far.
• February 28, 2006 - "Something to Talk About", Bonnie Raitt
  • The judges were complimentary and felt it was an improvement over the previous week.
• March 7, 2006 - "I'm the Only One", Melissa Etheridge
  • The judges were complimentary. Judge Simon Cowell called her a "naughty little minx," or sex kitten ("like a nice, bad girl.") Pickler misunderstood the comment as him calling her a mink. Simon also said she was "interesting" and stated, "I kind of prefer you to last year's winner actually."

Finals

• March 14, 2006 - "Blame It on the Sun" by Stevie Wonder
  • Pickler received poor reviews from judges. Cowell said it was boring and did not like how she looked. He said it looked like Dolly Parton.
• March 21, 2006 - "Walkin' After Midnight" by Patsy Cline
  • The judges enjoyed her performance and said it was her comeback performance from the week before.
• March 28, 2006 - "Suds in the Bucket" by Sara Evans
  • The judges were not so impressed with her song choice. Randy said "this song wasn't exciting enough for your voice... I think maybe you're better than that, it just didn't show enough for me for you. I didn't get the song choice, I don't know." Paula said "you're way better than that song choice. It didn't show your range, it didn't show your personality, you're so much better than that." Cowell said she chose a "gimmicky, rodeo, lassoing, whatever novelty song." However the song by Sara Evans was a top hit on the country charts and Simon didn't seem to be familiar with it or like country music in general.
• April 4, 2006 - "Fancy" by Bobbie Gentry and later remade by Reba McEntire
  • The judges thought she did very well in her home genre and was the best of the night.
• April 11, 2006 - "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
  • The judges thought she was brave choosing that song and did a good job. Cowell said that "on paper" it would seem like a disaster for her to do that song, but he thought she pulled it off and gave a good performance.
• April 18, 2006 - "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" by Ella Fitzgerald
  • The judges thought that it wasn't the best of the night and that she did well in the beginning but by the middle it got pitchy and ahead of the music. Pickler exclaimed "I butchered it!". Seacrest told her that she "nailed it" at rehearsal. Judge Paula Abdul liked her shoes and judge Randy Jackson said her dress was "awesome".
• April 25, 2006 - "Unchained Melody" by Al Hibbler, Les Baxter, The Righteous Brothers, and many other artists (Eliminated)
  • Jackson said there were pitch problems but liked the falsetto. Abdul said that she adores Pickler and said that America has fallen in love with her, although she failed to raise the bar as far as her singing was concerned. Cowell thought that it was a never-ending song that was bland, monotonous and said she was like a robot with no heart during the performance. Pickler was in the bottom two with fellow contestant Paris Bennett and was eliminated.

Other

• March 1, 2007 -
  • Special guest on American Idol.

External links

• Kellie Pickler Official Artist website
• BNA Records - Record Label website
• Kellie Pickler Official YouTube Channel
• Kellie Pickler at IMDb
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• Template:AI contestant