Judy Street and Jim Kirby, a singing and piano duo, took home the $1,000 grand prize on Tuesday night, Oct. 15, at the end of the Morning Pointe Foundation’s 6th Annual Seniors Got Talent, Franklin showcase at a sold-out Franklin Theatre.
Street, age 75, and Kirby, age 69, wowed the audience with their medley of “My Man” and “Pretty Woman.” Street previously competed in Seniors Got Talent and placed second. She came back, which is unusual for the show, and brought Kirby with her for an even greater display of talent. The persistence paid off.
“We worked really hard at it,” said Street. “We are older seniors who have put in the time to learn our craft, and to be able to show that gift that we have is such a blessing for us.”
Street sang and played drums in her own bands for more than 25 years. She later opened her own piano studio and has sung with church choirs. She currently teaches piano. Kirby has a music-teaching degree and played piano on tour with Roy Orbison, who originally sang “Pretty Woman.” He has worked with many other famous artists and currently plays on the General Jackson Showboat in Nashville.
Seniors Got Talent was produced by the Morning Pointe Foundation in partnership with Morning Pointe Senior Living. Judges also determined second- and third-place winners.
Second place went to married dancers Bobby (age 61) and Karen (age 64) Leib. Their lively routine to “Kiss Goodbye All Night” won them the $500 prize.
The Leibs met at a mutual friend’s retirement party. They took lessons from world-famous dancer Vickie Vance and eventually started dancing with the United Country Western Dance Council, the largest circuit of competitive country and line dance in the world. Last year, at the World Championships in Dallas, Bobby danced with Vickie Vance as an amateur partner and won! The Leibs placed 2nd in their amateur couple’s division.
Third place went to Paula Chavis, 78-year-old singer, who impressed the judges and audience with her rendition of the classic song, “I Will Survive.” She won $250.
Chavis has been a singer in downtown Nashville for more than 24 years. She won the “American Idol” competition in Orlando in 2010, and she has appeared in many commercials, as well as the Superbowl Halftime for Kids and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She released her CD on her own label and been featured on numerous CDs.
The coveted People’s Choice Award went to Bill Schneider, a 75-year-old singer. Audience members made their voices heard at $1 per vote, with proceeds going to the Morning Pointe Foundation. He wowed the crowd with his solid performance of “Statue of a Fool.”
Schneider’s career has been split between entertaining and driving a truck. He has sung and played guitar up and down the East Coast from Canada to Florida at various country clubs, VFW centers, senior centers, assisted living communities and churches.
Other Show Highlights
“What an incredible evening of memorable performances!” said Greg A. Vital, co-founder and president of Morning Pointe Senior Living. “These seniors truly blew me away, and every year, it just gets better and better! The beauty of Seniors Got Talent is that it really shows the value of what our seniors still have to bring to the arts.”
The Franklin show brought in close to $34,000 for the Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Morning Pointe Senior Living The 501(c)3 nonprofit public service organization was created in 2014 to provide caregiver support programs, sponsor educational awareness events, and fund clinical scholarships to advance the care of seniors throughout the Southeast. Seniors Got Talent shows specifically raise funds for clinical and other scholarships for deserving students at partner schools.
“Franklin continues to impress with the talent and enthusiasm, and I don’t think there was a single person who came to the show who wasn’t inspired in some way,” said Miranda Perez, Morning Pointe Foundation executive director. “And not only did the contestants have a chance to shine, but the funds raised will go to give students a chance to shine too.”
Founded in 1997 by Greg A. Vital and J. Franklin Farrow, Morning Pointe Senior Living owns and operates 40 assisted living and Alzheimer’s memory care communities in five southeastern states. These include seven communities in Middle Tennessee, in Franklin, Brentwood, Spring Hill, Columbia and Tullahoma.
MTPS – a Guardian Pharmacy was the presenting sponsor again this year. Other sponsors included Propel Insurance, Iris Medical, Heart’n Soul Hospice, the Neptune Society, Aveanna Home Health and Hospice, Gentiva Hospice, Yardi, HealthPro Heritage/RISE Senior Living, BlueSky HouseCalls, Unity Psychiatric Care, Cornerstone Caregiving, Tennessee Quality Care Hospice, AccentCare, Cool Springs Eye Care, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Franklin, LifeLoop, BrightView Landscapes, TriStar Elite Realty, Home Renew, and Tennessee Property Management.
Lisa Spencer, chief meteorologist at News4 WSMV, returned for the fifth year as the emcee. Judges were Alex Tinker IV, Open Mic Night emcee at Leiper’s Fork’s on “Fox and Locke”; Jim Hagaman, mayor of Spring Hill who has been involved in musical performance and theater; Danielle Farrell, businesswoman, professional entertainer, licensed realtor and self-published children’s author; and Mackenzie Wasner Roberts, country music artist and owner of an event retail company.
The Morning Pointe Foundation also sponsors Seniors Got Talent competitions in Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tennessee, as well as Lexington, Kentucky.
