Rural American Idol Picks Three Finalists

By
Minda Painter

A smashing show, loaded with talent, hit the Cotton Pickin’ stage in Point, Texas last Saturday for the Rural American Music Revue for the second round of the Rural American Idol Competition. The energy of the show was in full swing as soon as featured guest artist, Brenda Akins Martin, opened with her first song “Bill Bailey”. Now a resident of Jasper, Texas, her return to the Point stage after over a year’s absence was a delight to the crowd. In 2007, Martin was the 1st. place winner in Division 3 of that Rural American Idol Competition.

The five contenders for the second round of this year's contest, all in Division 2, were at the top of their form. The challenge was started by Rafael Espinoza from Golden. His showmanship was demonstrated by a riveting proficiency with his guitar as he frolicked on stage to the tune of “Johnny B. Goode”.

The next to step up to the challenge was the youngest in the group, Kimberly Kinsey of Terrell. Singing “Rocky Top”, her performance showed not only a stylish act but an impressive development of her talent.

Following Kimberly was a lass from White Oak, Jordan Todd, who magnificently performed her competition song “If You Can”.

The momentum of the race to the finals kept rising as the competition continued. Colton Dewberry from Corrigan, with his deep-country, stylish, vocals charmed the audience with his rendition of “Don’t Worry About Me”.

The last contestant to get on stage was a red-headed gal from Longview, Lindsey Harding. Surprisingly, she developed her interest in singing only this year. Performing the classic Judy Garland song, “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, Lindsey used the arrangement recorded by Martina McBride. In this version, the high notes are held longer, and Harding carried that out very capably.

With such a tight competition there was a bit of tension in the air, and to alleviate some of that, Brenda Akins Martin smartly added some public participation to her next act. On the song “Board Walk” four ladies, along with Hugh Wilson, answered the call to do a Hawaiian hula up front. That was a big hit with the people in the audience, many of whom raised their hand to sway along.

While everyone was making selections on their ballots, Rick Painter entertained with his version of Jimmy Buffet’s, “Margaritaville”. Brenda and Gary Cason joined in on the chorus. The first half of the show closed with Gary Cason’s signature song “The Light House”.

Moving on to the show's second half, Danny Calk opened the segment on the keyboard with a playful “Chantilly Lace”. This was the fun segment for the contestants, with each singing two songs, and their level of performance was outstanding. The stage will continue to be brightly lit for these young rising stars.

The top three from this group of challengers, all in Division 2, (age group 13 to 25), advanced to the finals. With the combined score from the audience votes and points garnered from five judges, the top three were Jordan Todd of White Oak, Colton Dewberry of Corrigan, and Lindsey Harding of Longview. These three talented performers join the ranks of Laramie Lomanto from Alba and Katelyn Huff from Sulphur Springs.(Pictured L-R: Colton Dewberry, Jordan Todd, Kimberly Kinsey, Lindsey Harding, and Rafael Espinoza.)

This show was sponsored by the Bent Tree Motel.

The search for talent continues on this 7th year of the Rural American Program sponsored by the non-profit organization People Organizing Ideal Neighborhoods Today, Inc. (POINT) The year-long competition will continue with auditions scheduled on August 29, September 26, and October 24. Anyone interested in auditioning or wanting more information may call 903-598-3809 or visit www.ruralamericans.org.

For the upcoming Shindig Show, the lineup of country music artists to be featured includes Kimberly Martin and Mark Henderson. Show starts at 7:30 p.m.