Barrett Reed Smith Profile (Two Step Magazine)

By Bob Andelman

If you ever wander past Brandon Paint & Body Inc., don't be surprised to hear the owner singing along with the radio in one of the auto bays.

Everybody sings along with the radio, you say? Maybe so, but not everybody has a shot at singing on the radio. That's the difference between Barrett Reed Smith - he plans to drop "Smith" if he gets famous - and the rest of us amateurs.

A former air force pharmacist (Sgt. E-4) reared in Alaska, Smith was smitten by country music as a young kid. His parents never heard him until they took a riverboat cruise together in Nashville. That day, Smith got up his courage and warbled with the ship's band before 300 people. "It was my first exposure to people and I kind of liked it," he says.

But that was almost 20 years ago; Smith, 42, is what they call a "late bloomer." He's been toying with music on the side for years, singing to the ladies at fashion shows sponsored by Coyote's and getting on stage with his mentor Terry Brown's band.

All that may be on the verge of changing for the married father of two grown children. Smith recently won a Silver Wing Records amateur talent contest, beating 20 other contenders in a sing-off at the Rockin' Horse in Brandon. Singing Tracy Lawrence's "Runnin' Behind," he took home $500, a trophy, and, most important, an invitation to appear on two Nashville-based TV talent showcases, "Rainey After Dark" and "New Country Express," hosted by David Still.

Smith aims to please the paying customer, whether on stage or in body shop. "We've always prided ourselves on service and quality at the shop," he says, "and I try to do that when I sing, too."

Copyright 2008 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!