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Queen of All Media

9/15/2018 12AM


Singer, songwriter, actress, talk-show host,
entrepreneur, volunteer – Kellie Pickler does it all

 

By Scott Hall

 

Kellie Pickler does so much stuff, you could call her the queen of all media.

 

And she would respond with humble, folksy gratitude.

 

“God bless ya,” is what she said to us, in a phone chat from her Nashville home. “I try to do different things, and if I feel passionate about it, I’m all in, sure.”

 

Since her American Idol debut at age 19, Pickler has:

  • Released four acclaimed albums of radio-friendly but tradition-inspired country music, with hit singles including “Red High Heels,” “I Wonder” and “Best Days of Your Life”
  • Performed on 11 USO tours, including trips to Iraq and Afghanistan
  • Starred for three seasons of CMT’s I Love Kellie Pickler with her husband, songwriter-producer Kyle Jacobs
  • Won the 18th season of Dancing with the Stars
  • Voiced the lead character in a Veggie Tales video
  • Launched a line of housewares.

 

That’s just a partial list, all the more impressive for a North Carolina girl who, as told in her songs and interviews, was essentially abandoned by her parents and raised by her grandparents. It was her grandmother who instilled Pickler’s love of country legends like Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, and presumably her plucky attitude, too.

 

“I work hard, and I just try to surround myself with good people, and I’ve been blessed to have different opportunities come along,” says Pickler, now 32. “I’m all about jumping, and I hope my parachute opens. If it doesn’t, it’s a rocky landing, but I get back up and jump again.”

 

Still jumping, Pickler spent the month of July at the most famous residence in Memphis to shoot a Hallmark Channel holiday romance, Christmas at Graceland. She portrays a Chicago finance executive who reconsiders her values after returning to her hometown.

 

“It’s a sweet Hallmark movie – you know, they all have happy endings,” says Pickler, who performs Nov. 3 at the Palladium. “It was nice to have a Hallmark Christmas for once.”

 

While living at a guest house on the grounds, Pickler was able to roam the legendary former home of Elvis Presley, whom she enjoyed learning more about.


“I got to kind of be Alice in Wonderland and walk around the mansion and just kind of explore on my own,” she says. “My favorite part was getting to know about him and just learning about the person behind the icon, the human being, and learning about his military service.”


Pickler has undertaken her own service through her work with the USO. Honoring military personnel and veterans is a cause close to her heart.


“We can’t all hop on a plane and fly to Afghanistan to entertain the troops, but you can give in other ways,” she says. “If you see someone in the airport or at the grocery store and they’re in a uniform, or a gentleman wearing a Vietnam hat, just go up and say, ‘Thank you for your service.’ … just those simple words of kindness and gratitude, letting people know that you don’t take what they do for granted.”


That same spirit of goodwill is reflected in Pickler’s current focus, Pickler & Ben, a nationally syndicated lifestyle-talk show that just began its second season. (It airs locally weekdays on WRTV-Channel 6.) Nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards, the show often profiles everyday people serving their communities, along with the usual parade of celebrities and award-winning chefs.


“There is a lot of bad in the world, but there’s a whole lot of good too, and we get to show all that good stuff on the show,” she says.
Amid the rigorous shooting schedule, Pickler carves out little windows of time to work on her music. She has been writing songs, often with her husband, and she hopes to return to the studio soon to “make another Kellie country record.”


As for the Palladium show, she and her band promise a broad survey of her career to date, along with a few special treats.


“We do songs from all of the records that I’ve recorded, and I grew up on very traditional country music, so don’t be surprised if I throw in some cover songs and some of my favorite classics,” she says. “We hope everybody will come out and enjoy and have fun with us.”