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Kellie Pickler was
born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her mother abandoned her at age two,
and her father, Clyde "Bo" Pickler, Jr., described by Kellie as
having had a lifetime problem with drugs and alcohol, is currently
serving a 3 year 9 month prison sentence at Florida State Prison for
aggravated assault and battery, stemming from a 2003 stabbing
incident.. Pickler moved to the Charlotte, North Carolina, suburb of Albemarle with her grandfather. There she has worked at Wal-Mart as a singing greeter and as a waitress at a Sonic Drive In franchise. As an active participant in the Miss America circuit, Pickler won the "Miss Stanly County" pageant at age 17 and subsequently competed for Miss North Carolina 2004. In 2005, she made an appearance on WSOC-TV's Gimme the Mike! contest and took second place. Pickler also has a younger brother. 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". Pickler advanced through the girl's semi-finalist rounds in February and March, reaching the Top 12 On March 9. On March 14 she performed a Stevie Wonder song, "Blame It On the Sun", without acclaim by the judges. On March 21st, she performed "Walkin After Midnight" by Patsy Cline to praise from the judges. Pickler has gained attention on the show by saying (for example) that she had never performed before real audiences, mispronouncing "salmon" as "sal-mon", and confusing "minx" with "mink ". 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." Various internet websites and blogs allege that Pickler is merely putting on an act in order to win votes. Host Ryan Seacrest asked Pickler about the allegations during the April 4 broadcast, and she denied the claims. On April 19, Kellie Pickler and contestant, Taylor Hicks became the only contestants among the rest of the Top 6 to never be in the bottom 3. |
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