The 'Skinny Little Kid' Who Had Lung Power

This story about Clay's beautiful voice at a 1997 Raleigh Christmas concert, posted by the CH's Chancit:

OH, HOLY NIGHT (story about Clay, in 1996)
In 1996 I was living in another state. RL/Karma/Fate/Luck (choose your favorite) was kicking my butt. My husband had died 2 years before and the only family I had left in the area, my son and his crew, suddenly decided to move to Raleigh for a new job. Within 2 months of his move, the Department of Highways informed me that they were taking my house as right-of-way for a new freeway. And in case that wasn't enough, the company I worked for was purchased in a corporate takeover and the only place for my position was in Maryland. Maryland? So I did what any sane person would do under those circumstances- I quit my job, sold my house to the DOH and bought a one way ticket to Raleigh in February of 97.

I soon settled in, found a job and new friends. One of my new friends was a big fan of our local community college and kept begging me to go to one of the shows with her, have a little fun, etc. The tickets were a ridiculous $6 (Hah!) and I was able to put her off until finally I agreed to an outing in late November just to shut her up. (sound familiar?)

Of course we were late and had to sit in the far, dark corner. The people were about the size of action figures to us, but no matter. For the first hour or so we had fun snarking on the band and singers, especially a curly haired, skinny little kid. But even then, we could not find anything to snark on with his voice.

The show was pretty enjoyable, we laughed a little, gossiped a little and listened less. As the program neared the end, we decided our seats were convenient after all, and would allow for an early exit to avoid the parking lot rush.

Just as we quietly slid to the end of the aisle, the band picked that exact time to finish playing. All the lights in the building were cut except for a single stage spotlight on that skinny little kid. We hesitated (due to lack of light) and the singer in the spotlight began to sing this line, "Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining," acapella.

How can I describe it except to say that the voice just went through me like an electrical shock. We sank into the nearest empty seats and listened in awe for the duration of that song. I have never heard such silence in a building and it was the first time in my life that I was moved to tears with the power of a single voice.

When it was over, the cheering was so loud I feared for the building, but we certainly were doing our part to bring it down too. That performance was the topic of our conversation that night and for several months afterward. I promised my friend that we would return to see this guy again.

A busy new life and good intentions don't mesh well and I never did make good on that promise. But I thought about that performance many times, especially during the holiday season.

I had caught the last few episodes of AI1 and enjoyed it, and decided to watch the second season. I thought it extremely funny, and when I saw the NC schoolteacher contestant, I alternated between wanting to cover my head or turn off the tv. I thought how embarrassing is this going to be for the state as well as the contestant as I visualized a long barrage of Mayberry jokes. But then he started singing.

From the word,"Take", and after I picked my chin up off the floor, I realized exactly where I had heard this voice. It was like locating an old, dear friend. And that voice was as clear and breathtaking for me that audition night as it had been those years before in the college auditorium.

So pivotal moment, that first audition night on AI2, when I made a second promise to help make up for not keeping the first. I vowed to do everything I possibly could to keep that voice where I could hear it. I have kept that one and nothing I know of, will stop me from continuing to do so!