Read Brady Dennis' story: The stares begin each time he approaches the stage, his hand searching for the familiar touch of the keyboard. He never knows how many pairs of eyes are focused on him, watching, waiting.
But he knows what the hushed audience sees - blind kid, dark sunglasses, the promise of a song - and he knows the introduction that will come, the one that always begins the same way.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next Ray Charles!"
He's too shy and polite, maybe too proud, to tell them thanks-but-no-thanks, my name is Jamie, not Ray; I love country music and Wheel of Fortune and my mama; I want to be a DJ, a wrestler, a comedian. But a musical icon? Chill out. I'm a 13-year-old on summer break.
Leave a comment