>>>>I haven't listened to any of his original music yet. I really enjoy listening to him and watching him perform. He really gets the audience involved.<<<<<
http://www.graycharles.com/index.php/mp3-downloads/
http://www.wbhm.org/Tapestry/bands/TaylorHicks.html
The originals are very good! :)
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060326/ENT11/603260322/1023
Paris Bennett expects to be the next 'American Idol'
By Edith C. Webster
Rockford (Ill.) Register Star
3/26/06
tidbits from article...
Q: Did you ever get teased because of your speaking voice?
A: No, I never got teased for how I talk. That's what makes me unique. I'm little, and it goes with my height. My voice is a gift ... It's just like you see a candy bar, and you open up the package, and it doesn't look like the outside. The chocolate bar has peanuts and everything inside, but you don't see that on the outside.
Q: Why did you enter American Idol?
A: Yeah, my mom and my grandmother are in the music business, but this is something I wanted to do for myself and make my own name, so people could see that you don't always have to take the easy road. I like to be more competitive.
Q: You looked so genuinely surprised when they told you that you were advancing to the finals. Do you remember how you felt?
A: It's not every day that people get chosen to be in the top 24 when hundreds of thousands try out. It's a big blessing. I was very happy, very happy.
Q: Your mother (recording artist Jamecia Bennett) was there with you that night. What was her reaction?
A: Everything you saw on TV, that was reality - crying, that was her first instinct, but they weren't tears of sadness.
Q: Your mother and your grandmother (Grammy Award-winning artist Ann Nesby) are both performers. Have they given you any advice, or are they just letting you do your own thing?
A: Just to stay humble and just to be me ... just to keep God first, stay humble and have fun.
Q: On publicity for her album, Relationships Between God and Man, your mother speaks very openly about how difficult it was for her when she was pregnant with you. Does she ever talk to you about that?
A: Oh, yeah. My mom and I are just 16 years apart, so I've had my questions: Why so young? She's not afraid to talk about it, which is why I give her the most respect. Some parents are like it was a great idea, then you think it's the right thing to do. For me now, it makes me look at things on a lot more positive note, like, yes, people make mistakes, but look at where she is now. Now, she can look at me, and I don't have kids. If I did, I would tell her the same thing: Face up to the responsibility you have.
Q: Have you thought about what's next if you don't win American Idol?
A: I don't really have that thought in my head. My thought and my prayers are that this is my year, this is my season. I am the next American Idol. I don't really have negative thoughts.