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THE KING EAGLE AWARDS The weather was perfect for the King Eagle Award Show, held in Nashville the last weekend in September. The music was roaring with excitement...smiling, brightly dressed men and women in cowboy hats, tassels and boots were everywhere as a young black man finished his song. Many African Americans dotted the large audience. Music City's own Anna Prince brought a video camera operator to document the festivities for her upcoming TV Show, Future heroes of Country Music, which is a spinoff of the highly-popular Real Heroes of Country Music TV program.
The cute and perky Hadassah, who just turned 13, was then called on. Hadassah, who hails from New York where her mother is a dance choreographer, danced a bit as she sang, "I'm a Train" which was written by her Grandpa. Her thigh-length blond hair swished back and forth like a pony’s mane as she moved across the stage. Her stage companion, Crackerjack the Clown, who wore a bright red nose, accompanied her. Artist after artist stepped up in turn to the microphone to sing their song as they watched engineer Mike Bradford, who was running the music track of their latest album. Anna introduced the next singer, a man named Allie C.. "This is my new favorite harmony singer", Anna announced to the crowd. Allie sang along to his music track which featured five part harmony, all his own voice. The crowd loved him and he loved the crowd. Then Sharon Brooks from Nebraska, yodeled into the hearts of the listeners with "I Wanna Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart' Shirley Willhide sang an old Jean Shepperd song while Allie C. and Anna sang backup harmony. Men and women, young and old, stepped up to the microphone. After only a moment’s hesitation, they each ripped into their song and sang their heart out. GRAND FINALE
Keith Bradford grabbed Anna's hand, running with her down the center lane and out to the grassy area where a tent was set up as the other KMA artists ran after them. It was a good place to interview the singers while they still had the musical notes in their mouths and excitement in their eyes. Jennifer quickly set up a microphone and adjusted the tripod for the first interview. Anna began talking to one of the singers, Mark Smith, a former Navy man from Sanford, North Carolina. "What makes a tall handsome Navy man, drive this far to attend a country music awards show?' she asked teasingly. "Oh, my heart's in it', he replied. ' I just love to sing.and I'm picking a little, too." Next the glamorous Robin Ericson pushed her wheelchair across the bumpy ground to where Anna sat waiting. Robin smiled timidly and then became more comfortable, remembering that she and Anna had talked earlier and had become friends. "Fifty operations? You've had fifty surgeries and you still look and sound this good?' Anna asked, as Robin's tan leg slid from under a split front dress tail of flowered print exposing a graceful knee. " Wow, Girl! I am proud of your spirit and spunk." "Yep', Robin replied, "and I am ranked Number 98 on the chart of singers worldwide this year!" she said proudly and winked at her handsome husband nearby. NEW BEGINNING The White-Haired Sweetheart lady from Florida sat down with Anna. She was dressed in a cute little western outfit. "I'm thrilled that this door of opportunity is still open for me, at my age', she said hesitantly, perhaps thinking it might make it go away. Anna moved the hand-held microphone closer as she listened reassuringly to her white haired guest. "It's the music that I love. I sing karaoke in Florida five times a week. I hope I can keep on singing."
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The
When
it was time for the finale, Shani Hedden stepped up to the
microphone with "If You Ain't Bringin' Home the Bacon, You'd
Better be Fryin' It", and brought the already-jubilant crowd
to their feet. Then Jeff Heart, clad in his blue jean overalls
and checkered farm shirt, plowed into his rendition of "I'm
a Redneck" and took the audience out on a high note!
Anna
looked at the King Eagle Award plaques now setting on the
nearby table with the small stacks of CD's. She looked at each face
of the hopeful singers that had placed them there. The men and women,
old and young, black and white, cripple and strong bodied, now circled
around the camera action, waiting for their turn. Anna whispered
to herself, 'this is what it’s all about." It was a good and
hopeful first taping of the Future Heroes of Country Music.
