Published: July 09, 2008 08:59 am            

Pickler coming to Paramount

Rick Huckaby to open show

ASHLAND — Former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler has heard it all — about herself.

The Albemarle, N.C., girl has mistakenly been called a New Orleans native on Web sites time and time again.

“I asked them to change that,” she said, admitting she encounters people who believe she’s a Louisianan all the time.

Another thing she’s been hearing lately is that she’s lost her Southern accent.

“A couple of people have said that and, I don’t know, I just talk,” she said, adding that when she talks to friends from home, they agree she sounds “so proper,” but she still sounds country to people who live in the city.

“I’ve lived in L.A. and lately have been living in Nashville,” she explained. “I dated a Canadian for almost a year so I was back and forth between Nashville and Canada. Now I’m dating a guy from Minnesota. I’m not around any country people.”

Pickler, a finalist in“Idol’s” fifth season, said the last time she was in Kentucky was to perform at a Kentucky Derby activity.

“It was my first time at the Derby,” she said. “It was a lot of fun.”

When she returns to the commonwealth to perform at the Paramount Arts Center Friday night, she said she plans to perform a mixture of music.

“I’ll be doing songs from my current (debut) record, “Small Town Girl,” as well as songs from the new album coming out late this summer or in the fall,” she said. “Also, I’m a huge Dolly Parton fan. I love Tammy Wynette and Patsy Cline, so I’ll probably do a couple of cover songs, but the show will be up tempo.”

Baton Rouge, La., native Rick Huckaby will open the show for Pickler. At 7, the Huckaby family moved from Baton Rouge to Huntington, where his father coached basketball at Marshall University.

In 1996, Huckaby made the move to Nashville and played acoustic guitar for Tracy Lawrence from 1998 to 2002. Huckaby co-wrote several songs for Lawrence's albums including “Steps,” “Breaking from the Inside Out” and “Long Wet Kiss.”

In 2002, Huckaby signed with Warner Brothers — Nashville. In 2006, Huckaby was forced to cut ties with the major label and create his own record label to get his music to his fans.

His debut single “I Got You Covered,” has been steadily moving up the charts.

Pickler’s “Small Town Girl” was certified Gold just three months after its release and the album has yielded three top 15 singles. The first song, the sassy, “Red High Heels,” made it into the top 15 and as a co-writer, earned Pickler an ASCAP song as one of the most played songs of 2006-07. “I Wonder,” the song she wrote about her mother, was her next top 15 hit. That was followed by another hit “Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind,” which peaked at Number 3.

The first single from Pickler’s second album will be "Don't You Know I'm Beautiful,” which she debuted at the Academy of Country Music Awards in May.

Pickler, who toured with Brad Paisley in 2007 and performed for a record setting crowd at last year’s Lawrence County Fair, won three video awards for “I Wonder” at this year’s CMT awards show.

She said her time on American Idol was wonderful.

“The took great care of me,” she said. “I don’t think anyone can go on the show and say anything bad about it because they give you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. ... But it’s what you do afterwards.”



American Idol Season Five finalist Kellie Pickler will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland. Tickets are $45 and $0 and may be purchased at the box office by calling (606) 324-3175.

LEE WARD can be reached at lward@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2661.

        

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