Kimberley Locke

Kimberley Dawn Locke (born January 3 1978 in Hartsville, Tennessee) is an American Adult Contemporary Pop/R&B singer and plus-size fashion model. She gained fame with her participation in the 2003 American Idol television series.

Biography

Early life

Locke was born to parents Donald and Christine Locke, respectively a truck driver and a clothing warehouse worker for the Gap/Old Navy distribution center in Gallatin, Tennessee. She is the second of two children, with an older brother named Ashley. Her brother and her spent most of their life in Gallatin. At age five, Locke began singing in church. Her parents divorced when she was eight years old.

Locke grew up admiring such singers as Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and Diana Ross. In 1987, she and childhood friends Chandra Boone, Selina Robb, and NaCole Rice formed a quartet named Shadz of U, which performed at many local churches.

Locke went to Gallatin High School, where she was one of sixteen members to participate in its performing group. She remained in the group throughout her high-school years. She was also selected twice as a member of the All-Middle State Chorus. After graduating, she began to work for a company in Nashville as an administrative assistant.

Locke is biracial. Her father is African-American and her mother is European.

Television career

In August 2004, Locke was invited to be a guest host on Good Day Live, and was invited back to co-host twice more. In 2005, she hosted Word Slam!, a GSN live game show; an accompanying documentary with Locke aired on that cable channel that September. Throughout the summer of 2005, a proposed reality TV series, Aren't You That Girl?, taped Locke's progress on her second album and preparations for her upcoming wedding. The engagement was later called off and the project was cancelled..

During MTV's early fall 2006 lineup, Kimberley was a judge and co-host on the short lived reality-show competition "The Little Talent Show". In November 2006, VH1 issued a press release confirming that Kimberley would be a participant on the fifth season of Celebrity Fit Club, which begins airing in April 15, 2007.

Kimberley sat in as a guest co-host of the View in March 2007.

Celebrity Fit Club controversy

During filming for the fifth season of Celebrity Fit Club, Kimberley and 80's pop singer Tiffany stormed off the set after being on the receiving end of degrading comments by Dustin Diamond. Production was halted for the day. Fed up with Diamond's offensive outbursts, Kimberley gave producers a "him or me" ultimatum. With only 3 filming days remaining over the following 30 days of the season, Diamond was exiled from the rest of the participants. Kimberley remained part of the cast..

During an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Celebrity Fit Club host, Ant, commented on the altercation... "Dustin Diamond was a total dick. He acts like he is an A list celebrity. If Kimberley Locke had mob connections, she would have had a hit put out on him."

Television appearances (partial list)

• Celebrity Fit Club: Season 5 (Participant) (2007)
• CNN Showbiz Tonight (Guest) (2007 - aired March 12, 2007)
• The View (Guest co-host) (2007 - aired March 8, 2007)
• Maury (Guest) (2007 - "Who Will Be The Next Maury Mini Idol" - aired January 18, 2007)
• The Megan Mullally Show (Guest) (2006 - Episode #1.69 - aired December 22, 2006)
• The Megan Mullally Show (Guest) (2006 - Episode #1.44 - aired November 16, 2006)
• The Tyra Banks Show (Guest) (2006 - "Panty Party" - aired November 15, 2006)
• The Tyra Banks Show (Footage) (2006 - "Tyra's Favorite Model Search Moments" - aired August 28, 2006)
• Idol Tonight (Guest) (2006 - aired May 22, 2006)
• The Tyra Banks Show (Guest) (2006 - "Full Figured Top Model" - aired April 10, 2006)
• The Little Talent Show (Host) (2006)
• The Isaac Show (Guest) (2005 - aired December 27, 2005)
• The Tyra Banks Show (Guest) (2005 - "Strategic Shopping" - aired September 30, 2005)
• Miss Teen USA 2005 (Guest Performer) (2005 - aired August 6, 2005)
• BSTV (Participant) (2005 - "American Superhero" - aired May 20, 2005)
• Family Feud (Contestant) (2005 - "American Idols" - aired May 2 to 6, 2005)
• Good Day Live (Guest Co-Host) (2005 - aired March 2, 2005)
• Knock First (2005 - "Celebrity Edition: Kimberley Locke" - aired February 25, 2005)
• The Ellen Degeneres Show (Guest) (2005 - aired January 6, 2005)
• Kristi Yamaguchi's Salute To American Music (Performer) (2004 - aired November 28, 2004)
• E Talk Daily (Guest) (2005 - aired October 12, 2004)
• Good Day Live (Guest Co-Host) (2004 - aired August 25, 2004)
• The Saturday Show (Guest) (2004 - aired July 17, 2004)
• E! True Hollywood Story (Interview) (2004 - "American Idol" - aired May 23, 2004)
• The View (Guest) (2004 - aired May 12, 2004)
• On Air With Ryan Seacrest (Guest) (2004 - aired April 28, 2004)
• American Idol: Season 3 (Guest Performer) (2004 - "Episode #3.22" - aired March 24, 2004)
• The Wayne Brady Show (Guest) (2004 - aired March 10, 2004)
• 20 Most Awesomely Bad Songs of 2004 (Footage) (2004)
• Motown 45 (Performer) (2004)
• E! 101 Most Starlicious Makeovers (Guest) (2004)
• American Idol: Life On The Road (Performer) (2004)
• CMT 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music (Performer) (2003)
• An American Idol Christmas (Performer) (2003 - aired December 2003)
• American Idol: Season 2 (Contestant) (2003)

Modeling career

From 2005 through September 2006, Locke was signed with Ford Models. She appears on the July 2005 cover of Figure magazine. She is a plus-size model for Lane Bryant and national spokesperson for Seven7 Jeans. She also has a lingerie line with Lane Bryant's sister company, Cacique. In December 2006, Kimberley signed a deal with Jenny Craig.

Business career

In 1999, Kimberley enrolled at Belmont University and graduated in August 2001 with a Bachelor's degree of Business Administration in Marketing. In December 2006, Locke, with partners Eric Kupferberg, Liam Harvey and Jim Stake, opened the Croton Creek Steakhouse & Wine Bar. It is located in Croton Falls, New York.

Singing career

On October 30, 2002, the reality-TV singing competition American Idol held auditions in Nashville, Tennessee for the show's second season. Locke successfully passed through to the next round, and in December was chosen to perform on the show. She finished third, behind runner up Clay Aiken and eventual champion Ruben Studdard. Locke went on to sign a record deal with Curb Records on September 6, 2003. Her debut album, One Love, was released May 4, 2004. Debut single "8th World Wonder" reached the top half of the Billboard Hot 100 and was successful on other charts, and even entered the UK chart with little promotion. "Wrong" and "I Could" followed as singles and were hits on the Pop and Adult Contemporary charts respectively. "Coulda Been" was the album's only single not to chart.

Locke released her version of "Up On The Housetop" in Fall 2005 and by the end of year it had reached the top spot of the AC charts and broke many records, due to its quick rise to the top. The following year, Kimberley's version of "Jingle Bells" was released and topped the same charts. A full Christmas album is scheduled for release in the fall of 2007.

Locke's second album, Based On A True Story, is set for a May 1st release date. The album's original lead single, "Supawoman", co-written with her producers Damon Sharpe and Mark J. Feist, was released to radio August 7, 2006, however after underwhelming radio support, Curb Records decided to refocus. "Change", was released to radio on January 15, 2007 to positive support.

Songs performed on American Idol

• Original Audition - "Over The Rainbow" by Judy Garland.
• Hollywood Round - "Band Of Gold" by Freda Payne (duet with Frenchie Davis).
• Top 32 - "Over The Rainbow" by Judy Garland, February 11, 2003.
• Top 12 - "Heat Wave" by Martha And The Vandellas, March 11, 2003.
• Top 11 - "Home" by Diana Ross, March 18, 2003.
• Top 10 - "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt, March 25, 2003.
• Top 9 - "It's Raining Men" by the Weather Girls, April 1, 2003.
• Top 8 - "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion, April 8, 2003.
• Top 7 - "New York State Of Mind" by Billy Joel, April 15, 2003.
• Top 6 - "If You Asked Me To" by Patti LaBelle, April 22, 2003.
• Top 5 - "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Gladys Knight & The Pips and "Where The Boys Are" by Connie Francis, April 29, 2003.
• Top 4 - "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" by Andy Gibb & "Emotion" by the Bee Gees, May 6, 2003.
• Top 3 - "Inseparable" by Natalie Cole, "Anyone Who Had A Heart" by Dionne Warwick and "Band Of Gold" by Freda Payne, May 13, 2003.

Discography

Albums

• 2004 - May 4: One Love - #16 U.S., U.S. Sales: 211,000 (SoundScan through November, 2006)
• 2007 - May 1: Based On A True Story - Forthcoming

Singles

Year	Title	Billboard Chart Positions								Album
		U.S. Hot 100	U.S. Top 40	U.S. AC	U.S. Hot AC	Hot Dance Club	U.S. Sales	CAN AC	UK
2003	"Silver Bells" (with Clay Aiken)	-	-	16	-	-	-	-	-	American Idol: Great Holiday Classics
2004	"8th World Wonder"	49	19	6	36	-	1	16	52	One Love
2004	"Wrong"	-	39	-	-	-	-	-	-	One Love
2005	"Coulda Been"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	90	One Love
2005	"I Could"	-	-	8	-	-	-	18	-	One Love
2005	"Up On The Housetop"	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	Curb Brings In The Holidays
2006	"Supawoman"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Based On A True Story
2006	"Jingle Bells"	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	Jingle Bells - Single
2007	"Change"	-	-	18	-	32	-	-	-	Based On A True Story

Other recordings

• 2003: Ammon - New Blues Sessions (backing vocals)
• 2003: Over the Rainbow (American Idol Season 2: All Time Classic American Love Songs)
• 2003: God Bless the USA (along with the other Idols of AI2) (American Idol Season 2: All Time Classic American Love Songs)
• 2003: What the World Needs Now (along with the other Idols of AI2) (American Idol Season 2: All Time Classic American Love Songs)
• 2003: The Christmas Song (American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics)
• 2003: O Come, All Ye Faithful (Group performance) (American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics)
• 2003: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (Group performance) (American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics)
• 2005: A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes (Disney Mania vol 3)
• 2005: Wishes (duet with Peabo Bryson) (Wishes)
• 2005: Better Than This (The Perfect Man)
• 2005: Come Together Now (Multi-artist charity single) (Come Together Now Collaborative)

Musical achievements

• Locke was the first Idol finalist to debut at #1 on the singles sales charts with a non-Idol single ("8th World Wonder").
• Locke was the second Idol finalist (with Kelly Clarkson) to have two consecutive top-40 hits ("8th World Wonder" & "Wrong")
• "Up On The Housetop" made the largest leap into the top 5 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart in the chart's history, jumping from #32 to #5 in just one week.
• "Up On The Housetop" became the fifth song in the history of Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart to reach the top spot in only three weeks. It was the second-longest running holiday-themed chart-topper in the history of the chart, behind Josh Groban's "Believe".
• Kimberley's version of "Jingle Bells" had the highest charting debut week on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart in 2006, debuting at #17. Even though hundreds of artists have recorded the song, Kimberley's recording was the first to ever top the Billboard AC chart.

Videography

• "8th World Wonder" (2004) directed by Sam Erickson.
• "Wrong" (2004) directed by Urban Strom.
• "Coulda Been" (2004) directed by Urban Strom.
• "Change" (2007) directed by Roman White.

Awards and nominations

New Music Awards

• 2005: Nominated - Female Adult Contemporary Artist Of The Year

Teen Choice Awards

• 2003: Nominated - Choice TV Reality/Variety Star - Female
• 2004: Nominated - Favorite Love Song - "8th World Wonder"

References in pop culture

• American Idol judge Simon Cowell, in his book, I Don't Mean to be Rude But..., referred to Locke as looking like "an overweight librarian".

See also

• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart
• List of American Idol contestants

External links

• Official website
• Official MySpace artist profile
• Official fan club
• Croton Creek Steakhouse & Wine Bar
• Kimberley Locke on IMDB
• Kimberley Locke releases on Discogs.com