Kellie Pickler's dream took root in Albemarle, North Carolina where she took part in a handful of talent contests, worked as a Sonic waitress and studied to become a paralegal. Then, in the fall of 2005, she auditioned in Greensboro for FOX TV’s AMERICAN IDOL. Her raw talent and her attractive and unfiltered personality won her a legion of fans, among them the sometimes unpredictable Simon Cowell.
Pickler reached the show's final six, signed with BNA Records and recorded her first album in whirlwind sessions sandwiched between dates on the AMERICAN IDOL LIVE! Tour. Its release established her firmly in the country marketplace and her breath-of-fresh-air personality did the rest.
She established herself quickly as both a singer and a songwriter to be reckoned with, co-writing her first hit, "Red High Heels," her first gold single. Her debut album, “Small Town Girl”, produced two follow-up hits - the poignant "I Wonder," which she also co-wrote, and the light-hearted "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind." Together, they propelled the release to near-platinum status.
Her second album, “Kellie Pickler”, for which she co-wrote half the songs, spawned the uplifting "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" and "Best Days of Your Life." The latter, co-written with Taylor Swift, quickly became the biggest hit of her career, rising to the Top Ten and earning Platinum in digital sales.
In her brief but sparkling career, Pickler won three 2008 CMT Music Awards--Breakthrough Video, Tearjerker Video and Performance of the Year -- all for "I Wonder," and has earned many other award nominations. She has received two ASCAP awards citing "Red High Heels" and "I Wonder" as among the most performed country songs of the year. Both her albums debuted #1 country and Top Ten overall in Billboard, a feat equaled by only six other females in country music.
She has hosted The View, graced the cover of USA Weekend, and served as correspondent in Times Square for Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest to usher in 2009.
