Billie Jo Russell Captures Rural American Title
By
Minda Painter
The finale episode of the Rural American Idol Competition played on a recent Saturday night to a capacity crowd at the Cotton Pickin Theatre in Point, Texas. The evening was filled with anticipation, eagerness, hope, and expectation, not only for the 15 contestants, but for their many supporters as well.
This 8th year of the competition was filled with drama and excitement as talent from all over Texas came to compete. As the Cotton Pickin Theatre filled, a tally showed that 77% of the attendees came from various counties outside of Rains and many of the contestants were from surrounding cities.
The competition kicked off with the older contestants in Division III. Tammie White from Royse City was loudly cheered by her many supporters. Confident and with great ease, she sang, “Turn On the Radio” and “Why Haven’t I Heard From You”.
That performance was followed by Laura Cockerham of Emory, who, with her jubilant nature, offered her songs “I Ain’t Never” and “Far and Away.”
Janet Lynn Adams, from Winnsboro, selected the old country classics, “Seven Lonely Days” and “Satin Sheets” for her act.
The level of competition was raised a notch by the challenge presented by Amanda Goodman, from Emory, with her original song “These Feelings”, and then she livened up her act with Sugarland’s, “Undo It”.
The challenge got even better when Kelly Worley from Point, came to center stage with her rendition of Etta James’ old classic, “At Last”, and she picked up the tempo with, “Take a Piece of My Heart.”
The competition in teen Division II played out with seven contestants. Talented Jessica Mize from Lewisville had a repertoire of classic R&B hits “Over the Rainbow” and “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia”. Her performance captivated the crowd.
Laramie Lomanto, garbed in a clever, funky outfit, typified a fashionable teenager. She added her guitar licks with the band as she sang, “Letters from Home”, which she dedicated to our country’s service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. After discarding the guitar, she thrilled the audience with an animated performance of “Old Time Rock ’n Roll”.
Victoria Ecker, a demure teenager from McKinney, gave an exhilarating response to the preceding act with the song “Let’s Give Her Something to Talk About”, followed by a sentimental tune, “You Can Let Go.”
The rivalry continued to rise with the succeeding contestants. Taylor Austin was not deterred and issued a thrilling presentation of, “My Baby Loves Me” and “Stay”. Then, a sassy Crissy Harold from McKinney. thrilled the crowd with her animated performance of the old country tunes, “Fist City”, by Loretta Lynn and “Bye Bye” by Jo Dee Mesina.
The face-off was heightened with the yodeling of Aubrey Burnley in her song “Cowboy Sweetheart”. This young lady from Tyler continued to impress everyone as she let fly the popular tune, “Broken Wing”, by Faith Hill. Finally, Billie Jo Russell of Emory took the stage to conquer her challengers. In a spell binding rendition of “I Told You So” and with an enchanting performance of the popular song, “Keep on Loving You”, she won the hearts of many in the audience. The judges also approved of her performance.
The three contestants in the youngster Division I presented their acts after a long intermission. Morgan Woodward, from Gladewater, amazed everyone with the maturity in her voice and presence on stage at such a young age. She sang “If I Die Young” and “Stuck Like Glue”.
The youngest contestant, Emily Worley, from Point, was all smiles when she got on center stage, showing no signs of nervousness. She started her act with “The House That Built Me”, with the assistance on guitar by Laramie Lomanto. Then in a cutesy, animated way she sang “These Boots are Made for Walking.”
Katia Rojo, from Emory, was all country in her performance of Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” Rojo came out of her shy persona to magnificently deliver a vibrant rendition of Willie Nelson’s “Hey Good Lookin’.”
While the ballots cast by the audience and points from the judges were tallied, the 2009-Rural American Idol, Colton Dewberry from Corrigan, Texas, captivated the audience once more as he gave his farewell performance. This young man has developed a warm and charming style that exemplifies the Rural American Idol.
Winning results were as follows: Division I, 1st place – Emily Worley, 2nd place – Morgan Woodward, and 3rd place – Katia Rojo.
Division II, 1st place – Billie Jo Russell, 2nd place – Aubrey Burnley, and 3rd place – Taylor Austin;
Division III, 1st place – Tammie White, 2nd place – Kelly Worley, and 3rd place – Amanda Goodman.
Cash prizes were awarded to the top three division winners. Award presenters were Patsy Hanks, Minda Painter, and Gaye Hooten.
Rules of the contest call for a sing-off between the first place winners. Worley, Russell, and White promptly offered their best challenge for the final grand prize of $1000. The counting of the final votes from the audience and judges kept everyone in suspense. The title of 2010-Rural American Idol went to Billie Jo Russell of Emory. Along with the $1,000 grand prize, a photo shoot by Pevon Photography of Emory, was included.
Britanny Hockaday, representing the event sponsor “Bent Tree Motel” of Emory, presented the Rural American Idol trophy to Russell.
L-R: Division I winner Emily Worley, P.O.I.N.T. President Minda Painter, 2009 Rural American Idol Colton Dewberry, Division 2 winner and 2010 Rural American Idol, Billie Jo Russell of Emory, award presenter Brittany Hockaday, representing the event sponsor Bent Tree Motel, and Division 3 winner, Tammie White of Royse City.
Division 2 Finalists: Victoria Ecker, Jessica Mize, Billie Jo Russell, Crissy Harold, Taylor Austin, AubreyBurnley, and Laramie Lomanto
Division 3: Tammie White, Laura Cockerham, Amada Goodman, and Kelly Worley. Janet Lynn Adams is not pictured
Division 1: Katia Rojo, Emily Worley, and Morgan Woodward.