Kellie Pickler & Lee Ann Womack go with CMA Songwriters Series to L.A., Chicago

August 7, 10:26 PMCountry Music ExaminerLisa L. Rollins

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Former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler will take
her country sound to L.A. (Photo credit: David G. Mills,
FrontRowNews.com. Used with permission.)

The popular CMA Songwriters Series, which has played to sell-out crowds in New York City for the past five years, will hit the road this fall, with stops in Los Angeles and Chicago, respectively.

Per organizers, each show--in addition to featuring some of Music City's top songwriters/artists--will be overseen by host Bob DiPiero, who's penned hits such as "Take Me As I Am" by Faith Hill, "You Can't Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl" by Brooks & Dunn, "Blue Clear Sky" by George Strait and "Gone" by Montgomery Gentry.

BNA recording artist Kellie Pickler will be the featured artist/songwriter for the Tuesday, Sept 15, series in L.A. beginning at 9:30 p.m. (Pacific) at the House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd.

A two-time CMA Award nominee, Pickler currently is enjoying a top-10 single with "Best Days of Your Life," which she wrote with friend and tourmate Taylor Swift. The single's already been certified gold, but it's not the blond singer's only hit. She also co-penned a pair of top-15 tunes; namely, "Red High Heels" and "I Wonder," both of which are contained on her debut album, Small Town Girl, that's 500,000-plus copies to date.

Joining Pickler at the L.A. event will be songwriters Chris Lindsey ("Amazed" recorded by Lonestar and "Let's Make Love" recorded by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill) and Aimee Mayo ("This One's For the Girls" recorded by Martina McBride and "Red High Heels" recorded by Pickler).

Lee Ann Womack will join the CMA series for two shows
in Chicago on Oct. 2-3. (Photo credit: Danny Clinch)

Meanwhile, Texas native Lee Ann Womack, a recording artist for Universal Nashville, will serve as the featured artist/songwriter for both Chicago shows

A six-time CMA Award winner, Womack has sold more than 5 million albums, thanks to hits such as "I Hope You Dance," "A Little Past Little Rock," "The Fool" and "I May Hate Myself in the Morning." Her current release, Call Me Crazy, contains the top-20 "Last Call" single, as well as her current single, "Solitary Thinkin'."

Aside from being a hit singer, Womack also is an accomplished songwriter, having penned her own single titled "Twenty Years and Two Husbands Ago." She also wrote "Good News, Bad News," a duet with fellow Texan Strait that won the CMA Musical Event of the Year Award in 2005.

Joining Womack for the 8:30 p.m. (Central) Chicago show at Joe's Bar on Friday, Oct 2, and the 4 p.m. (Central) show at the Chicago Country Music Festival on Saturday, Oct. 3, will be Dean Dillon ("The Chair," "Unwound," "Ocean Front Property" and "Marina Del Rey" recorded by George Strait and "A Lot of Things Different" recorded by Kenny Chesney) and Scotty Emerick ("I Love This Bar," and "Good As I Once Was" recorded by Toby Keith and "Beer For My Horses" recorded by Keith and Willie Nelson).

Ticket info: Tickets for the Sept. 15 show in Los Angeles, $12.50 each, go on sale Aug 7 via Ticketmaster and at House of Blues Sunset Strip office, which may be reached by calling 323-848-5100.

Tickets to the ages 21-and-up event Oct. 2 at Joe's Bar are $20 each. Beginning Aug. 7, tickets for this show are available through Ticketmaster outlets or at Joe's (cash only-no service charge) each weekday beginning at 10:30 a.m. All tickets for this show are general admission/standing room only unless otherwise noted.

The Chicago Country Music Festival will take place Oct. 3-4 in Grant Park. The event is free and open to the public.

Related viewing: To view a slideshow of Kellie Pickler from a taping at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, please click here.