Surfacing

Turning the spotlight on musicians making a commercial breakthrough.

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-- CASEY DOLAN

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“Small Town Girl”

Kellie Pickler

BNA Records

Artist info: From the televised laboratory of song, “American Idol,” springs yet another incubee. Kellie Pickler, 20, finished in sixth place, but that didn’t stop a record company from recognizing her popularity with fans, who liked her malapropisms, disingenuous comic personality and, most important, powerful country voice. “Red High Heels,” the first single, is a chiming country rocker that showcases her North Carolina soprano drawl.

Back story: Pickler was born in New Orleans but raised in Albemarle, N.C., by her grandparents after age 11. Both her mother and father had legal problems, with her father serving a prison sentence for aggravated assault and battery. He was released from prison one week after his daughter was eliminated from “American Idol,” and he reunited with her in Albemarle on May 6, 2006, proclaimed Kellie Pickler Day by the mayor. Pickler had competed in various local contests in North Carolina, including Miss North Carolina 2004, but her big break came when she auditioned for “American Idol” in the fall of 2005. Despite her elimination, she got the attention of 19 Recordings/BNA Records, and the company signed her in July 2006. The album was quickly recorded with Dixie Chicks producer Blake Chancey between dates on the “American Idols Live! Tour 2006.” Some sources are projecting sales of 70,000 during the first week, which should put Pickler into the Top 20 of the national sales chart next week, and possibly into the Top 10.

Influences: Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire

Trivia: At one point in “American Idol,” Pickler told judges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell that she was sweating so badly that she had to wipe her armpits.