Talent Showcase May 4
BY RAY VAN COR
The Greenville Standard
The second Annual Hank Williams Sr. Talent Showcase is ready for its finale on May 4 at 5 p.m. at the historic Georgiana Opry House Theater in downtown Georgiana.
The search for young and upcoming vocal artists will finally come to its conclusion in an incredible evening of music and song.
Last year’s inaugural event was such a success the Georgiana Opry House’s owner Tracy Eason said, “We had no choice but to present another event.”
Over 34 video submissions were received for this year’s competition, and they have whittled 32 contestants down to an extraordinary six artists that will be vying for incredible prizes.
The winner will be brought to Nashville to work with producers at Pat Holt Productions to record.
Once the single is finished, Grace Records of Nashville will provide digital dropdowns to all platforms and all major radio stations, cover stories in one of three prestigious magazines: Christian Voice, Cash Box or Cross Country USA Magazine plus $2,500 in cash.
The six artists are Judith Ann Oswald, Mason Browder, Summer Waters, Faith Alene, Rebeka Hicks, and Brant McCollough.
Oswald is from Greenville and 18 years old. She was last year’s third place winner and is the Children’s Pastor at Greenville Church of God. She also leads their worship team.
Mason Browder is 20 years old and from McKenzie. He is a sophomore at LBW Andalusia Campus, a member of LBW Ensemble, and has his own band call Retroactive.
Summer Waters is 20 and a Luverne native. She is a senior at the University of Alabama majoring in communications. Her talents include competing in the 2004 Miss Alabama pageant and she plans to move to Nashville soon.
Faith Alene is 16 years old and from New Smyrna Beach, Fla. She home schooled so she could focus on her music. She is a songwriter, performer, and archery enthusiast.
Rebekah Hicks is 21 years old and from Franklin. She is a student at the University of Mobile School of Arts. She is a member of the Welsh Revival (University of Mobile’s Performing Ensemble) and she plays multiple instruments including violin.
Brant McCollough is 17 years old and a native of Samson. He plays quarterback for Kinston High School and is currently in dual enrollment at LBW. He was a contestant on American Idol during season seven of the show.
As remarkable as the contestants are, the judges for this show are shining stars. They are Lynn Owsley, Tony Jackson, Jim Vest, Leon Everette, and Ashton Delilah Shepherd
Owsley is in the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame, a member of Ernest Tubb’s Texas Troubadours, Steel Guitar Association’s Living Legend Award winner and is a Lanett native. He performed with the legendary artists Stonewall Jackson and Lefty Frizell. He appeared in the Oscar award winning motion picture ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ and recorded several solo albums.
Tony Jackson is a regular performer on the famed Grand Ole Opry. Jackson has gotten over 45 million views and a million shares on Facebook, and over 570,000 Spotify streams as of February 2018. Country Weekly named Jackson one of four new artists to watch. He released a self titled album May 5, 2017, which peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard Charts. He had early success in his career by scoring number one multiple times on CMT Music’s 12 Pack Countdown Chart. Jackson’s most recent single, ‘Old Porch Swing’ is among the Top 30 hits on the Music Row Country Breakout Chart. Before his life as a country artist, Jackson enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served four years before being redeployed during the Iraq War.
Jim Vest is the founder and CEO of Vest Music Group. He is a Nashville music industry veteran. His talent on the steel guitar has made him one of the top ‘A’ team recording musicians in the world. He is a recipient of the “Super Picker Award” (musicians who have played on million-selling records). Some of the artists Vest has recorded with include: Waylon Jennings, Ronnie McDowell, David Allan Coe, T. G. Sheppard, Tammy Wynette, Bobby Vinton, John Anderson, Janie Frickie, Joe Stampley, Vern Gosdin, George Jones, Roy Acuff, Less Taylor, Charlie Rich, Kansas, Moe Bandy, Willie Nelson, , Ray Price, Statler Brothers, Lorrie Morgan, and the list continues.
Leon Everette is a singer recording artist. He has recorded eight studio albums, including five for the RCA Nashville label. He charted several singles on the Hot Country Songs charts in the same time span. He reached top 10 on the Hot Country Songs charts with the singles: Over, Giving Up Easy, Hurricane, Midnight Rodeo, and Just Give Me What You Think Is Fair name a few. Everette is United States Navy and Vietnam War Veteran.
Ashton Delilah Shepherd is a country music singer-songwriter from Coffeeville. Her 2008 debut album ‘Sounds So Good’ produced two top 40 hits on the Hot Country Songs charts: Takin’ Off This Pain and the title track. In 2011, she released her second album ‘Where Country Grows’, which includes the top 20 hit ‘Look It Up. She also appeared on CMT’s Unplugged at Studio 330 television program.
The evening should be electrifying and tickets are going fast. For more information and to purchase tickets online, go to the webpage, www.georgianaopryhouse.com
