ashley gearing
A few weeks after her 12th birthday, Ashley Gearing entered the history books. Eclipsing a 46-year-old mark set by Brenda Lee, Ashley became the youngest female ever to enter the Billboard country charts. That she did so before she signed a major label recording contract adds that much more luster to the accomplishment. Making sense of the feat has been, for many, a simple matter of listening to "Can You Hear Me When I Talk To You?" Reaction to the song dealing with a young girls plea to her deceased father has been widespread and consistent. Radio stations added the record. Station switchboards lit up. People began requesting the song and calling to share their own experiences. It has a lot of meaning to me, she says, because my birth father passed away when I was really young. I wanted to dedicate it to my father and to everyone who has lost someone very special. There are a lot of people who can relate to the song, and that means a lot to me. The song rose quickly up the charts, introducing a widespread country audience to the remarkable talent behind the record-breaking accomplishment. A precociously talented youngster, she sang the national anthem at a game of the Springfield Falcons hockey team when she was eight. She performed locally, both alone and with the Dan Kane Singers, whose seasonal and church-oriented shows attract a large local audience. A locally produced CD, recorded for sale at her shows, earned her airplay on New England stations and set in motion the chain of events that have ultimately led to her signing with a major record company. Ashleys rise to national attention has been swift and dramatic. She has appeared with the Boston Pops Orchestra, she was part of an all-star lineup at the Freedom Concert that helped welcome home General Tommy Franks, and she performed on national television for the Boston Red Sox during the playoff games with the New York Yankees and has appeared at the Grand Ole Opry and the Wild Horse in Nashville. She was awarded the Diamond in the Rough Award by ASCAP in 2003. This is a dream come true, she says. This is what I love to do, and Im enjoying every bit of it. The support from my family and friends is really wonderful, and Im especially happy that there are a lot of young people among my fans, because its great that they know about country music. It is a relationship sure to grow as Ashleys voice is heard by a wider and wider audience.
