Nashville Star - The Finalists - Bios
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ANNE LOUISE BLYTHE
Age: 24
Hometown: San Lorenzo, CA
Currently resides: Nahsville, TN
Bio: Anne is a California girl who is waiting tables while chasing her dream in Nashville. Her past experience includes performing in theme parks across the country.
Quote: "I am extremely excited to have this opportunity to share my passion of performing with more than just my family, close friends and my cat (my only audience right now)...hahaha. My style incorporates a traditional country sound with a modern flair." |
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AMY CHAPPELL
Age: 27
Hometown: Hutchinson, KS
Currently resides: Nashville, TN
Bio: Amy is a singer/songwriter who lives in Nashville and plays in small venues around town. Her greatest influences are female singer/songwriters like the Indigo Girls or Lucinda Williams. Amy has a degree in music therapy and currently works as an Outreach Advocate for people with mental illnesses and substance abuse problems.
Quote: "For me, the music that I sing and write is more than just a reflection of my life experiences..it's how I get through them. Songwriting helps me to embrace and express any emotion that I might be feeling, good, bad, or otherwise. And that expression becomes even more fufilling when I'm able to share my music with an audience who relates to its message. That's why this show, Nashville Star, is such an amazing opportunity."
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JAMEY GARNER
Age: 32
Hometown: Chester, IL
Currently resides: New York City
Bio: Jamey makes his living as a performer in New York City. The 32-year old native from Chester, IL has been performing all his life and says he is heavily influenced by Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Greg Allman, and harmonica ace, Tim Beattie.
Quote: "I try to inhabit a song. Live it! Then throw in some fiery down-home harmonica and a whole lotta heartland upbringing. What comes out is honest country." |
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BRANDI GIBSON
Age: 21
Hometown/Currently resides: Arlington, KY
Bio: Brandi is the girl you love to root for. She's no size-2 cutout of the Nashville ideal, but is big and brassy and loves the blues and the honky-tonk sounds of the 1970s. Brandi works as an emergency dispatch operator in tiny Mayfield, KY.
Quote: "I'm bad, bold and buxom. I am soulful and sassy, and I'll show it with a song."
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TRAVIS HOWARD
Age: 32
Hometown: Chalybeate Springs, GA
Currently resides: Los Angeles, CA
Bio: Travis is originally from rural Georgia, where he grew up under "the iron fist of Gospel." Travis now lives in Los Angeles and is part of LA's hot new country scene.
Personal Quote: "I love great rootsy music that rocks hard. I love Johnny, Merle, Willie, Waylon, Buck...guys who had the love for true honest expression of their lives and souls and weren't afraid to do things the way they felt, regardless of what the hit-making machine in Nashville said. Music should be your language to speak about your passions, not just a way to get looked at. That's why God made models."
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BUDDY JEWELL
Age: 41
Hometown: Osceola, AR
Currently resides: Antioch, TN
Bio: This proud father of three, is a professional demo singer who records hundreds of tracks a year for songwriters trying to sell their songs to performers. But somehow, Buddy has never achieved his own stardom, though he did win the "male vocalist" category two times in the televised talent competition, Star Search in 1993.
Quote: "I see myself as a combination of Kenny Rogers, Waylon Jennings and Jim Reeves with a splash of Glen Campbell and Ronnie Milsap on the side. I hope I get to hang around long enough to make it to the "originals" part of the series because I think my own music gives people a better picture of the kind of entertainer I am."
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KRISTEN KISSLING
Age: 22
Hometown: Topeka, KS
Currently resides: Austin, TX
Bio: Kristen is a pre-school teacher, who is known for being loud and uninhibited. Kristen sings a contemporary, pop-infused country, in between breaking out in random dance moves and doing impressions.
Quote: "I'm a spunky gal with lots of energy on AND off the stage. I want to rock the world with my music, my wild style and make people smile until their mouths hurt!"
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MIRANDA LAMBERT
Age: 19
Hometown/Currently resides: Lindale, TX
Bio: A young blonde Texas singer/songwriter, Miranda already has a strong following in the Dallas area, where she has been touring with her band.
Quote: "I consider myself a TRUE country singer/songwriter who stands on the vocal and attitudinal shoulders of Natalie Maines and George Jones.
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JOHN ARTHUR MARTINEZ
Age: 41
Hometown/Currently resides: Marble Falls, TX
Bio: John Arthur owns and runs a small independent record label, but also keeps busy being the father of four children, ages 9-20. John Arthur plays a traditional brand of country music around the Austin area and is known for siging portions of classic country songs in Spanish.
Quote: "Start with a Rodney Crowell lyric, stir in a James Taylor acoustic guitar lick, add a pinch of Western Swing, season with a Freddie Fender melody and enjoy a bowl of heart-warming John Arthur Martinex chili!
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BRANDON SILVEIRA
Age: 24
Hometown/Currently resides: Hanford, CA
Bio: This central-California native spends his days working on a farm, and his evenings writing honky-tonk songs. Lists both "The Judds" and "Sublime" as musical influences.
Quote: “What do I say about myself? I don't look the country part but I have strong country roots. Nashville could use someone with a new look and a classic country voice.”
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TASHA VALENTINE
Age: 21
Hometown: Albuquerque, NM
Currently resides: Phoenix, AZ
Bio: Tasha is a throwback to the early female honky-tonkers. In fact, Tasha works part-time as a Patsy Cline impersonator. She wears vintage clothes and her trademark is a huge flower above her right ear.
Quote: I am traditional country with a fresh new look and sound. I'm not quite the girl next door...like the previously undiscovered love child of Patsy Cline and James Brown. I've been described by many as...AbsolutelyfabulouspositivelywithoutadoubthillbillyMadonna-esque."
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PRENTISS VARNON
Age: 22
Hometown/Currently resides: Uvalde, TX
Bio: A young cowboy with a simple George Strait style of delivery, Prentiss works at the family owned business - Cody's Hat Shop - and as a part time car salesman. Prentiss majored in Ranch and Farm Management at Southwest Texas Junior College.
Quote: “My music has a traditional country style influenced by Garth Brooks, George Strait, Dan Seals and living on the Texas Border!!!”
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Album cover courtesy of Sony Nashville.
Contestant Photos used with permission of USA Network.
Click on the cd cover below to find the best price for this CD and purchase it from a retailer on the Internet.
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