Kellie Pickler :: New Country Music Lyrics

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. 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, where she received a rousing ovation for her performance of the country classic, “Stand By Your Man”. 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 in order to win a scholarship to Stanly Community College's School of Cosmetology to reach her full potential. She dropped out and later tried paralegal studies.

She is an American country music singer and songwriter who finished sixth on the fifth season of the Fox television series American Idol. After being eliminated from American Idol, Pickler signed a recording contract with the record company BNA Records, in conjunction with American Idol series creator Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings Limited. Pickler's debut single, "Red High Heels", was released on September 25, 2006, and her debut album Small Town Girl followed on October 31 of the same year, and has since been certified gold by the RIAA, selling more than 650,000 copies in the United States; to date, her album has produced three top 40 singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs and two of her singles have also reached the Billboard Hot 100.