After months of tryouts and rehearsals, it comes down to these final 10 for the Miami Valley Idol singing contest, which crowns its winner this Saturday, June 20 at the Sorg Opera House.
The first-place winner will receive $1,000, second place $500, and third place $250. Contestants will also receive recording time.
Dale Buckner
Age: 41
Town: Middletown
For a veteran of the local karaoke scene, leaping into Miami Valley Idol was an easy call.
“I’ve always been into karaoke and everybody tells me ‘You should try out!’ I felt confident I could sing with people,” Buckner said.
That confidence may stem from the fact that Buckner runs a karaoke show on Wednesday nights at the Reflections nightclub in Middletown. With so many different songs traveling through his ears, Buckner doesn’t gravitate to any one style.
“You name it, I’ll sing it. I can do Frank Sinatra with Aerosmith,” he said.
And indeed, his repertoire in Miami Valley Idol has included Sinatra’s “Luck be a Lady” and “Rock and Roll all Nite” by KISS - in the same show.
Kaylyn Gooslin
Age: 14
Town: Fairfield
Being a teenager, Gooslin is the youngest singer in Miami Valley Idol, and, as she admits, not the most experienced. So that’s why she appreciates the support the other contestants have given her, competitors though they may be.
“There are a bunch of people who are older and have more experience than me, but everyone is so friendly, They help me and it’s really good to be around them,” Gooslin said.
Still, Gooslin has made her own choices too. When she started with Miami Valley Idol, she was singing country songs like “Last Name” by Carrie Underwood. Then she decided she out to branch out to tunes like Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me” and “Call Me” by Blondie.
“When I first started, I thought I would be mostly country, so I started singing other stuff because I really like everything now,” she said.
Amber Hensley
Age: 21
Town: Hamilton
Singing attracts Hensley to an event like a magnet. When she went to school, she participated in pretty much any activity that called for a vocalist.
“If it was anything chorus related, I was in it,” she said. And so it goes with Miami Valley Idol.
Hensley says she grew up listening to country. That being the case, song choices like “I Told You So” by Carrie Underwood, “Born to Fly” by Sara Evans, “Something More” by Sugarland and “It Matters to Me” by Faith Hill make the most sense for Hensley.
“My ambition is to sing because I love it so much. It gives me something to do and it keeps me happy,” Hensley said.
Stephanie Horn
Age: 23
Town: Carlisle
Horn has been singing since her age was still a single digit. She entered Miami Valley Idol because she “wanted a chance to get in a contest and see what I had.”
Now Idol audiences have found out she has wide-ranging vocal chops that cover everything from “Jesus Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood to “I Love Rock n’ Roll” by Joan Jett.
Horn’s best moment in the show, though, came when she sang Martina McBride’s “Independence Day.”
“That’s a song I’ve done for a really long time. I just let my guard down and went for it and it went over really well,” she said.
Erica Keene
Age: 21
Town: Trenton
Although Keene hails from Trenton, she’s spending most of her time these days in Nashville, Tenn. where she scored an internship with the Gospel Music Association.
That explains her choice of Christian songs for much of her stint in Miami Valley Idol. She has sung “I Am” by Nicole C. Mullen and “Free to Be Me” by Francesca Battistelli. She has also played “Something More” by Sugarland and “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol, the latter of which is Keene’s standout moment so far, she said.
What has helped her progress as far as she has in Idol is “maybe my passion for music. When I’m on stage, I just love it. I’m just at home,” she said.
Meghan Sanborn
Age: 23
Town: West Chester
For Sanborn, Miami Valley Idol was her chance to get back into singing after a few quiet years.
“I just graduated from college. I’d not been singing for awhile and I thought it would be a good idea.When I was 11 or 12 I was in different competitions, but I got sidetracked.
Musically, Sanborn travels all over the map, from country to classic rock to blues. She has sung songs by Etta James. Carrie Underwood, Journey, and even Motley Crue, which gave Sanborn her crowning moment in the competition, with “Home Sweet Home.” That got her a standing ovation from the judges.
“I’m super excited for the finale. It sounds great. It sounds so much better with a live band,” she said, referring to the group 4Now, which will back the Idols up.
Sarena Smith
Age: 20
Town: Beavercreek
Although Smith lives in Beavercreek, a little far to the north, she has friends in Middletown, so trying out for Miami Valley Idol wasn’t much of a stretch. Now its paid off.
“The last performance I did really saved me, actually,” she said, referring to her double shot of “Something to Talk About” by Bonnie Raitt and “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan. “The other performances were good but they weren’t like ‘wow.’ These really blew people away. My voice can do different ranges,” she said.
Should she win, “I hope later on it would mean I’m getting farther and I’d get to sing more with a band. That would be nice to go somewhere with it because I love to sing,” she said.
BJ Stahl
Age: 58
Town: Southgate, Ky., originally from Middletown
Stahl is the most experienced of the contestants, at least as far as her birth certificate says. But she’s hoping for a shot at better future, like the rest of the contestants.
“I used to sing with bands a long time ago. I had fun but I didn’t go too far,” she said.
She’s gotten far in this competition, impressing audiences with her takes on songs like “Gold Dust Woman” by Fleetwood Mac and “Travelin’ Soldier” by the Dixie Chicks. The former won a lot of kudos, but Stahl felt best about the latter.
“If I win, it will pretty much mean everything to me. I’m 58, so I don’t have 20 years to wait,” said Stahl.
Tommy Williams
Age: 26
Town: Monroe
Williams has been in bands since he was 13, “I like rock. That’s what I do. I write music, I play bass. I love playing music,” he said.
That’s why he’s brought a wide range of styles to Miami Valley Idol. His song choices have veered from Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” to Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” to “Kissed by a Rose” by Seal.
“Don’t Stop Believing” turned out to have an apt title for Williams. At first some people didn’t believe he could pull off that particular tune,
“They said I couldn’t sing it as high as Steve Perry. And I said, ‘watch me,” Williams said.
Also in the contest is Michelle Faulkner of Middletown, who sings pop rock. She was not available for comment.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.
