On Saturday, May 14, auditions for the Road to New York Talent Competition opened at the Kinston High School Performing Arts Center. I asked Capt. Newborn how the auditions went.

“The turn-out for the auditions was massive,” he told me. “We had five times more contestants this time than we did when we were here seven years before. We had people come as far away as Hawaii. The talent came from nearly every city in Eastern NC, with the most talent coming from Greenville and New Bern. The ‘children’ competition is going to be fierce.

“Kinston by far is the smallest city the tour will play this year, but Kinston may be the city that produces the biggest amount of talent.”

The 22 acts that won the auditions are advancing to the next phase of the talent search: The Big Show. That show is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 25, at the Kinston High School Performing Arts Center. Cost of admission is $20. Doors open at 5 p.m.

The show will start on time at 6:00 p.m. for the national TV production that will be filmed on location at Kinston High School Performing Arts Center.

Capt. Newborn shared information about a few of the acts competing Saturday.

“The quality of the acts is incredible, and record labels are on route and are lining up to get access to the contestants on June 25th. The children part of the competition features a strong lineup of future superstars. Fourteen-year-old Teralyn Harris is the exact clone of Patti LaBelle and will be singing ‘If’ by Patti LaBelle. She is going to astound the audience with her powerful vocals.

“Raija Dona is a twelve-year-old musical prodigy out of Honolulu, Hawaii, and will be singing Whitney Houston’s ‘I'll Always Love You.’ She had no problem hitting the big notes.

“Also, the Frazer 5 is a five-member children’s gospel group out of Chesapeake, Virginia. They are all brothers and sisters from the same family. Their voices are magical. Their melody is flawless, and their harmony is perfect. We have never seen a children group this young with that type of singing ability in all the hundreds of shows that we’ve done.” 

Capt. Newborn emphasized that children’s acts are not to be booed.

Not so with the adult phase of the competition.

The adult competition features some of the best gospel, country, R&B, and hip-hop artists on the entire East Coast. All the adult acts with their powerful voices are confident enough to do widely known cover songs that the crowd will recognize.

The audience will also enjoy the live Tour Band, The Sandman, the beautiful TV models, and host Mark Lee. Like the Apollo Theater competitions, adults are at the mercy of the audience. If the crowd likes the act, they applaud. If the adults do not bring their A-game and the crowd hates the act, the audience can “boo” them – and the Sandman will come out and sweep them off the stage.

“It's great family fun for the attendees as the contestants compete in front of the toughest audience in the country for the grand prizes, expense-paid trips to New York, and a chance to audition at the World Famous Apollo Theater for Amateur Night at the Apollo. 

In addition to the competitors, the show will feature special guest performances. The all-female gospel group, the “Jubilant Gospel Singers,” are one of the most requested gospel groups in the country. The professional high-flying dance team “Three Ladies Who Like to Dance” has set the standard used to measure other dance teams.

“Eulanda Throne, Miss Black North Carolina, USA, is also attending the show and will present special awards and honors to several Kinston Music Legends, including Robert Knight, who is receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, and brothers Marvin and Ira Wiggins, who will receive the Excellence in The Performing Arts Award for mastery of the Saxophone,” Capt. Newborn said.

To ensure you are secure a seat for this magical, musical evening, be present when the doors open.

Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com. 

Photo: Eulanda Throne,  Miss Black North Carolina USA