1986-
by Emily Horton
NC Government & Heritage Library, 2013.
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Country music artist Kellie Pickler was born in Albemarle, North Carolina on June 28, 1986. Pickler’s mother, Cynthia Morton, left when she was only two years old, and her father, Clyde Raymond Pickler, was incarcerated during her childhood. Her grandparents, Clyde Raymond Pickler, Sr, and Faye Pickler, raised Kellie in Albemarle. During high school at North Stanly High in New London, NC, Pickler was a cheerleader and Miss North Carolina contestant.
Pickler first rose to national fame on the fifth season of the television series American Idol in 2005, coming in sixth place. She has since released four albums: Small Town Girl (2006), Kellie Picker (2008), 100 Proof (2011), The Woman I Am (2013).
Kellie Pickler is an active United Services Organization (U.S.O) entertainer, recently touring Germany, Iraq, Kosovo, England, and Afghanistan to boost the morale of service members.