The Dream Returns
Last season's winner Melinda Watts
By Andy Argyrakis, senior music editor, GospelMusicChannel.com
With the 2009 Gospel Dream season premiering June 24, fans of the program will be reveling in brand-new episodes as well as classic clips from the past. As excitement about who’ll be crowned this year’s winner begins to boil, fans’ interest in previous contestants hasn’t gone by the wayside. A national television audience, plus a CD and DVD compilation of top performances, certainly hasn’t hurt. In keeping with the trend, we’ve tracked down three of the program’s most popular contestants from previous years. I’m happy to report they’re all fledging forward with their musical careers, even outside of the reality show spotlight.
Smith’s first season flashback
In the very first season of Gospel Dream in 2005, judges Kelly Price, Max Siegel and yours truly whittled through literally thousands of contestants all across America to find the one who earned a record deal. Though it was a painstaking process that found singers of all ages and genres stepping up to the plate, Michigan native Brian Smith rose to the top, subsequently releasing his major label debut disc Love Letter in 2007 and extending his reach well beyond just the small circle you might expect.
“My music reached places it never would have otherwise and it stretched me culturally,” he says of the experience. “It’s easy to isolate yourself, but this pushed me. It also helped me to become a better communicator. It was a learning experience overall. Some good, some bad, but God used every bit of it to add pieces of my life puzzle, and for that I’m grateful.”
Even though it’s been a few years, Smith is still touch with many of the show’s staff members and his fellow contestants. In addition to balancing his musical endeavors with a career as Christian music program director for WNFA/WNFR radio, he plans to focus on ministry as well.
“I’m starting a new Saturday outreach for young adults and young families that will combine great music, messages and audio visual material to reach people in a creative and relevant way,” shares Brian. “It’s called ‘Axis’ and will kick off in the fall.”
Smith also reveals he’ll be going back to school to become a pastor.
“I never thought I would [do] that, but my burden for the young adult generation is huge, and I believe more training is necessary so I will become even more effective. It’s amazing how God uses one thing to lead us to another! I’m glad He knows the plan, because without Him, I’d be lost!”
Greenlee’s musical growth
First-season followers will also recall Missouri’s Gary Greenlee scoring a semi-finalist slot after auditioning in several cities. And while he didn’t win the competition, he quickly became a fan favorite, so much so that he was voted by the audience to appear again in 2006. Though he’s a few years removed from traveling with the Gospel Dream tour, the memories are still a regular recurrence, and so is the feedback he hears from fans.
