Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Here’s Why Kellie Pickler Gets Emotional Every Time She Sings “The Letter to Daddy”

by
  • Riley is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, known for her engaging storytelling and insightful coverage of the genre.
  • Before joining Country Thang Daily, Riley developed her expertise at Billboard and People magazine, focusing on feature stories and music reviews.
  • Riley has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Belmont University, with a minor in Cultural Studies.

Country music superstar and former American Idol standout, Kellie Pickler, proves she is still a daddy’s girl in her song “The Letter to Daddy” despite the troubled life her father has lived. 

It was released in 2012 as a single off her third studio album, 100 Proof, where most of the songs were drawn from her harsh childhood and the storms she’s weathered from being a small-town girl to where she is today.

The singer has always been an open book when it comes to the skeletons in her family’s closet, especially about her father’s struggle with alcoholism and drug addiction. Her father has also been in and out of trouble with the law for much of his life, including aggravated battery and assault related to a stabbing.

The Letter Kellie Pickler Has Always Wanted To Say

Kellie Pickler wrote “The Letter to Daddy” with Nashville songwriters Dale Dodson and Dean Dillon as she looks back at the time when her father was in prison. Her grandparents raised the blonde beauty throughout her life after her mother left her when she was only two, but she would live with her father every time he was not incarcerated.

“People have a perception and opinion of him and his past, but my dad inspired me in so many ways. I’ve always been a daddy’s girl. He was never not a part of my life,” she said. “He loved me and took care of me the best as he could.”

And when he was in prison, they would write letters to each other. “Every time the mail came, my daddy had written me a letter. I have them all — every single letter he’s ever written me since I was a kid,” Pickler said.

Luckily, her father completely turned his life and around. “He’s clean and sober. And he went back to school. It’s inspired me. I watched this man, that I call Dad, transform into a completely different person,” Pickler said to Rolling Stone.

This led Pickler to write to her father another letter in the form of a song.

“This letter is something I’ve always wanted to be able to say. He’s struggled his whole life with alcoholism and drug addiction, and that’s something you never stop struggling with. When you’re an alcoholic, you’re always an alcoholic — even if you’re sober. You’re going to have those days where you feel like giving up,” the singer has explained to The Boot during the release of the song. 

“My dad is sober today, but is he going to be tomorrow? I don’t know. But I do know that I love and support him, and this song is the most special song on my record. I think it’s a sweet way of saying, “We did it! We’re still together, regardless.”

She also admitted that there are moments in the song where she’d get really emotional that her voice would crack. 

Sadly, Pickler’s father, Clyde “Bo” Pickler Jr., died unexpectedly on September 16, 2019, at 54. Though the details of her father’s death have not been revealed, it was believed to be from a massive heart attack.

You can listen to “The Letter to Daddy” in the video below.

Latest Stories

Travis Tritt smiles in a black cowboy hat and shirt while performing "Good Ol' Boys" with a microphone in front of an American flag backdrop.

Travis Tritt Honors Waylon Jennings With Cover of “Good Ol’ Boys” Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard

Sometimes a song is so tied to a legend that when someone else picks it up, you’re half ready to wince, but then Travis Tritt walks up, tugs his hat ...

Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton perform together in a bar setting for their duet “A Song to Sing.

Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton’s “A Song to Sing” Duet Feels Like an Instant Classic

Sometimes country music gives you a line so pure it feels like it’s been here forever, and that’s exactly what Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton just pulled off with “A ...

Blake Shelton and Noah Cyrus standing side by side with microphones, performing their new country duet together.

Noah Cyrus Teams Up With Blake Shelton for New Country Duet and Fans Are Loving It

Sometimes country music needs a little shot of something wild, and Noah Cyrus just poured it straight into Blake Shelton’s glass. It’s not every day you see the Voice coach ...

George Strait performing on stage with his guitar and cowboy hat, pictured at a previous event not related to the upcoming Strait From the Heart benefit concert.

George Strait Will Play “Strait to the Heart” Benefit Concert to Raise Money for Flood Victims

Some kings wear crowns, some kings wear boots, and show up when the water’s rising. George Strait, the King of Country himself, is stepping up once again for the people ...

Blake Shelton smiles on stage with guitar and mic during Vegas show, putting his own spin on George Strait’s classic.

Blake Shelton Nails George Strait Classic With His Own Spin on “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”

Sometimes you don’t mess with a George Strait classic, unless you’re Blake Shelton standing under the Vegas lights with a grin that says you’re about to pay tribute and stir ...

Dolly Parton smiles during Khloé podcast interview, sitting by mic and lamp as she shares why she won't stop sharing faith.

Dolly Parton Says People Tell Her To Stop Talking About Her Faith But She Won’t Listen

If there’s one thing you can count on Dolly Parton for, it’s that she’ll say exactly what’s on her heart and not give a single rhinestone what anyone thinks. In ...

Little Mississippi boy in plaid shirt smiles at mic during preschool graduation where he recited New Testament books and sang a George Strait classic.

4-Year-Old Boy Recites New Testament Books Then Belts Out ‘All My Ex’s Live in Texas’

If there’s ever been a preschool graduation that screams “God bless the South,” this is it. Somewhere in Mississippi, a four-year-old kid just made the entire congregation beam with pride ...

Young George Strait smiling on stage playing guitar in 1987 when “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” hit No. 1 and proved he ran country.

On This Day in 1987, George Strait Hit No. 1 with ‘All My Ex’s Live in Texas’ and Proved He Ran Country

Sometimes a song just cements your throne forever, and for George Strait, it was a little tongue-in-cheek love letter that made every Texan proud to claim him as their king. ...

Scotty McCreery with his wife and both grandmothers, who he revealed passed away hours apart in a heartbreaking double loss.

Scotty McCreery Reveals Both His Grandmothers Died Hours Apart in Heartbreaking Double Loss

You just don’t see some country heartbreaks coming, and this one hit Scotty McCreery straight in the soul. This week, the North Carolina native and Opry favorite shared the gut-wrenching ...

Brooks & Dunn performing on stage together, fitting their story about admitting they struggled to get along for years.

Brooks and Dunn Admit They Struggled to Get Along for Years and Tried to Blow It Real Hard

Country music’s greatest duo was basically a bar fight waiting to happen. When Brooks & Dunn stormed out of the gate with “Brand New Man” in 1991, it looked like ...