'Idol' finalist lives dream
Kellie Pickler brings country sound to Greece mall
Jeffrey Blackwell
Staff writer
(February 9, 2007) — GREECE — In the case of Kellie Pickler, humble beginnings are the makings of an American idol.
In just over a year, the 20-year-old from Albemarle, N.C., has rocketed from small town girl to the cusp of country music stardom with a gold record and an upcoming concert tour.
The meteoric rise was fueled by her performance on American Idol last year. Pickler was a finalist, not the winner. But the appearance was enough to launch her career.
"The journey's been amazing. This is exactly what I signed up for," said Pickler. "My life's definitely done a 180 and I have to adjust from being a roller-skating waitress at Sonic drive-in to singing on the American Idol stage, touring, recording an album. This is the life I've always wanted."
Pickler gave a free concert to promote her album Small Town Girl at The Mall at Greece Ridge on Wednesday. It was a chance for her to see snow and to get an idea how big her fan base is in the Rochester area. Hundreds of people filled the atrium at the mall. People took off work and took their children out of school for the lunch-hour concert.
Seeing the country singer was Briana Kaltenbach's birthday present. She turned 10 on Wednesday and it will be a birthday she will likely never forget. Before the concert Pickler signed her cowboy hat, and they posed for a picture together. Pickler sang "Happy Birthday" to Briana. "It was cool," Briana said. "She's pretty."
Jacey Palmgreen, 5, of Greece, brought Pickler flowers and a card she made.
"She actually cried for two hours straight when she (Pickler) got voted off (American Idol)," said Danielle Palmgreen of her daughter, Jacey. "And she had to bring yellow flowers because she did not want to bring her red ones because she saw in her video that she threw away the red ones."
Pickler draws her childhood into her singing and into the songs she has helped write. Her mother left the family when Pickler was 2, according to the biography on her Web site. Her father suffered with addiction and is in jail.
She was raised by her grandparents. The song "My Angel" is about her grandmother, who died 5 years ago.
"She was my grandmother, my mom and my best friend all wrapped into one," she said. "I like to look at her now as if she is my angel."
"I Wonder" is about her mother. "I guess it's just all the thoughts and feelings that you can fit into a three-minute song," she said, adding that she has had no contact with her mother and does not know where she is.
The future is looking bright for the small town girl. Her first album, released in October, went gold in January. She is scheduled to tour in April.
"You have to roll with the punches," Pickler said about her budding career and busy schedule.
"And if this is as bad as I got it, I feel like I got it good."
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