‘Rising Star’ Performs at Western Expo at
HOT Fairgounds Sat. April 4

"There were all these pictures of famous country stars hanging on the wall there. It was so nerve-wracking. It was like they were staring down at you," she said.

Last night, March 26, 2009, 250-300 local musicians and their friends met at the American Legion Hall in Waco to present the 8th Annual Groovy Awards in 24 different categories. Over 100 musicians made it to the finals from ballots submitted by the public. Hundreds of others didn’t make it to the finals — that is a lot of musicians in the Central Texas area!

One of the awards was for ‘Rising Star’. Angie Hardin, the lead presenter, carried an armful of helium filled star balloons as the award was presented to teen-age singer/songwriter Holly Tucker.

You can hear Holly next Sat., April 4 at the Western Fair and Expo at the HOT Fairgrounds (www.hotfair.com) from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm with her new ‘live band’. Holly’s band is a family affair with other talented musicians rounding out the group. Johnny Tucker, dad, leads the band playing acoustic guitar and sings background vocals. Cheryl Tucker, mom, plays keyboards and sings background vocals. Travis Tucker, 22 year old brother, is an accomplished drummer playing for years in Christian worship bands. Tucker was also a member of the award-winning Lorena High School Drumline for three years and has been a member of The Baylor Golden Wave Marching Band Drumline for three years. A Lorena high school buddy of Travis, Jacob Smith, is a music student at MCC focusing on bass guitar. He is a well-rounded guy who sings and plays percussion in Holly’s band. Caleb Barnet, a student of Dick Gimble at MCC, plays guitar in the Axtell school jazz ensemble and in Holly’s group. He plans to continue his music at NTSU in the fall. Steve Palousek has been an award-winning steel guitarist, Nashville session player, and a member of the Ray Price band for 13 years. Steve is currently owner/operator of ‘Awesome Works Recording’ in Holland, Texas, where Holly has done some of the work on her CDs. He is an amazing musician and a real addition to her team.

I talked to several people at the Groovy Awards last night who heard Holly and her band at El Chicos recently. They were impressed.

In previous years Holly sang country and gospel with her parents at two of the best venues in the state: The Johnnie High Country Music Revue in Arlington and The Dennis Ivey Texas Opry in Crockett.