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JACKSON NEIGHBORS: Chasing a dream from Cherokee to Music City
In years past the Cherokee people had some traditions on how to handle your dreams. Bad visions were to be washed away in a nearby stream, while happier ones were meant to alert the dreamer that something good was headed their way.
Angelena Arkansas may be starting a new way of handling dreams – chasing them.
Angelena Arkansas performs Oct. 7 at the Cherokee Indian Fair.
“I believe I was given a gift in that I can sing; I want to share that. I’m just out there trying to do what I think I’m supposed to do,” Arkansas said.
Arkansas began to give chase at 7 years old, when she sang at the Cherokee Indian Fair for the first time. She was back this year, as she has been most years, to hit the high notes with a power that is something of a rarity.
It is important to note that she is back for this show. These days Arkansas spends much of her time in Nashville, Tenn.
“I’m there most of the time, just pursuing the dream,” Arkansas said. “Cherokee’s still home, though.”
Nashville has become the proving ground for country music hopefuls like Arkansas from all over the world. Arkansas’s story reads like a screenplay: A small town girl heads to the big city to try to make it big. She spends years waiting tables “paying her dues” until one day ...
“The dream is sold-out stadiums and a recording contract,” Arkansas said. “But I know in a business like this my chances are slim to none.”
Arkansas may just be another nameless face in a sea of dreamers now, but there are some things that set her apart.
First of all, she’s Cherokee. While that probably won’t sway a producer, it does distinguish her.
“I don’t think there’s anybody else like me out there right now,” Arkansas said.
Second, she’s got the pipes. Arkansas can belt like nobody’s business, plus she has the twang that seems to be making a comeback amid today’s pop/country conglomeration.
“My voice is a true country, southern accent. I think that’s what country music should be,” she said.
Arkansas can also write, a prized gift in the music industry. You may remember she wrote or co-wrote several of the songs her sister, Regina Swimmer (who was featured in last week’s paper), sang on her recently-released compact disc.
Finally, as Swimmer puts it, “Angie’s got the look.” She has an appearance beautiful enough to match her voice.
For now it’s persistence and patience for the mountain girl living on dreams in country music’s capital city.
“The ones who get the chance are those who persevere and don’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” Arkansas said. “I’m just going to keep chasing my dream.”
When she catches it, you can look for us to be among those to say, “We knew her when ...”
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