TODAY WE'RE
CELEBRATING
BLACK HISTORY
MONTH....
STORIES OF
PEOPLE OF COLOR
RIGHT HERE IN
SIOUXLAND AND
AROUND THE
COUNTRY.
TIM:
TODAY'S THEME IS
"AND STILL WE RISE"
.... INSPIRED BY
MAYA ANGELOU'S
BOOK OF POEMS.
HER WORK
FOCUSES ONE THE
HOPEFUL
DETERMINATION
NEEDED TO RISE
ABOVE DIFFICULTY
AND
DISCOURAGEMENT.
SOPHIE:- TIM
IN THE MIDST OF
THE PANDEMIC,
EXACTLY WHAT
MANY ARTISTS
CONTINUE TO DO
DAY BY DAY...
THAT'S WHY
TONIGHT..WE BEGIN
WITH THE STORY OF
AN INCREDIBLE
YOUNG VOCALIST...
TIM:
FROM THE TIME SHE
WAS A TODDLER,
ALLISON NASH
KNEW SHE WAS
BORN TO SING...
AND SING SHE
DOES.
KCAU 9'S HANNAH
ADAMSON
SHARES THE
JOURNEY OF A
RISING SIOUXLAND
STAR.
""NATPOP*ALLISON
SINGIN*
YOU MAY
REMEMBER THE
TALENTED SOLO
ARTIST FEATURED
IN THIS YEAR'S
CHRISTMAS WITH
THE SYMPHONY...
NASH: "THERE'S
SOMETHING ABOUT
BEING ON STAGE
THAT'S JUST, IT'S
WHAT I DO. IT'S WHO
I AM."
NATPOP*ALLISON
SINGIN*
BUT UNLIKE MANY
ARTISTS THAT
GRACE THE
ORPHEUM THEATRE
STAGE....
ALLISON NASH IS NO
STRANGER TO
SIOUX CITY..
NASH: "I PRETTY
PLAN TO COME
BACK AND DO
HOLIDAY JAM WITH
THE HEGGS..."
NASH WAS BORN IN
OMAHA, HER FAMILY
MOVED TO
SIOUXLAND WHEN
SHE WAS JUST TWO
YEARS OLD.
NASH: "THEY LIVED
IN SOUTH SIOUX
BIT, AND THEN
CROSSED OVER
THE BRIDGE!
*LAUGHTE*
NASH SAYS SHE
FOUND HER VOICE
NOT LONG AFTER
SHE LEARNED TO
SPEAK...
NASH: "MY PARENTS
SAY I WAS LIKE
GROWING UP, NASH
TOOK TO THE
STAGE AT MT. ZION
CHURCH.
NASH: "I HAD MY
FIRST SOLO WHEN I
WAS NINE...THAT'S
WHEN PEOPLE
AROUND ME WERE
LIKE, YOU
ACTUALLY CAN
SING!"
SHE ATTENDED
EAST HIGH
SCHOOL...
NASH: "MY CHOIR
TEACHER WAS MY
FAVORITE..."
AND AS A
SOPHOMORE, SHE
ATTENDED HER
FIRST CHOIR
CONCERT AT
EPPLEY
S WHEN EVERTHING
CHANGED.
NASH: "I WAS JUST
MESMERIZED......
WHEN I FIRST
HEARD THAT, I WAS
LIKE, THAT'S WHAT I
WANT."
NASH WAS
ACCEPTED TO THE
BERKLEE COLLEGE
OF MUSIC IN
BOSTON...BUT THAT
DREAM WAS PUT ON
HOLD.
NASH: "I
AUDITIONED IN 2010,
AND I GOT
ACCEPTED, I
REAUDITIONED IN
2011, AND THEY
DOUBLED THE
SCHOLARSHIP,
THEN I
REAUDITIONED THE
NEXT YEAR AND
THEY ALMOST
TRIPLED THE
SCHOLARSHIP, BUT
IT STILL JUST
WASN'T
ENOUGH...IT'S SO
MUCH MONEY."
BUT THAT DIDN'T
STOP NASH FROM
PURSUING HER
DREAM OF
BECOMING A
SINGER...GETTING
HER START IN
SIOUX FALLS..
NASH: "I WAS SO
NERVOUS ALL THE
TIME, BUT IT WOULD
BE GOOD AS SOON
AS I STARTED
SINGING."
NASH QUICKLY
MADE A NAME FOR
HERSELF IN THE
JAZZ AND BLUES
COMMUNITY..
NASH: "LOTS OF MY
GIGS WERE THERE,
AND I MET OTHER
MUSICIANS, AND I
WAS ABLE TO
PERFORM WITH
THEM."
TAKING HER
TALENTS FROM
SIOUX FALLS TO
OMAHA...TO
NASHVILLE...
NASH: "I LIVED OUT
OF A SUITCASE FOR
SO LONG. I HAD MY
CAR AND MY
SUITCASE. THAT
WAS IT."
AND WHILE LIFE IN
NASHVILLE WAS
NOT ALWAYS
GLAMOROUS....
NASH: "I DID LYFT,
TO HELP ME GET
BY...THE ENTIRE
TIME I WAS IN
NASHVILLE MY BED
WAS A BLOW-UP
MATTRESS."
HER HARD WORK
WOULD SOON PAY
OFF....
NASH: "I HAD
AUDITIONED FOR
LEAD FEMALE
VOCALIST FOR THE
BB KING'S BLUES
CLUB HOUSE BAND,
AND THEY HAVE A
PARTNERSHIP WITH
HOLLAND AMERICA
UISE LINES..SO I
GOT THAT GIG."
TOURING THROUGH
THE
MEDITERRANEAN
ANNORWAY....
NASH: "SIX NIGHTS A
WEEK FOR
HOURS....IT COMES
WITH IT'S
CHALLENGES, BUT
IT WAS A GOOD
EXPERIENCE."
WHILE SHE SAYS
SHE WAS LIVING
THE DREAM, NASH
NEVER FORGOT
HER ROOTS...
IN BETWEEN TOURS,
SHE MOVED TO
OMAHA TO WORK AT
HER SISTER'S
CHURCH...
AND AFTER HER
SECOND TOUR, SHE
MOVED TO
FLORIDA...
NASH: "I'M WITH
SOME OF MY FAMILY
HERE, WHICH IS
REALLY NICE."
NASH PERFORMED
CONSISTENTLY IN
2019...
BUT DUE TO THE
PANDEMIC,
CHRISTMAS WITH
THE SYMPHONY
WAS ONE OF ONLY
TWO
PERFORMANCES
SHE GAVE IN 2020.
NASH: "AUDIENCE
OR NOT, IT FELT
GOOD TO PLAY
WITH THE
MUSICIANS."
STILL... SHE'S
DETERMINED
DESPITE THE ROAD
AHEAD....
NASH: "THINGS
EVENTUALLY WILL
GET TO A PLACE
WHERE WE'RE ABLE
TO DO WHAT WE
LOVE AND SHARE
THAT WITH
THINK WE WOULD
MENTALLY AND
SPIRITUALLY
SURVIVE WITHOUT
MUSIC..."
"IN SIOUX CITY,
HANNAH ADAMSON
KCAU 9 NEWS..
NATPOP*O, HOLY,
HOLY, HO-LY NI-
IGHT*
"
TIM:-SOPHIE
IT WAS HER DREAM
TO, ONE DAY, OWN
HER OWN HAIR
SALON... AND
TODAY, SAMANTHA
GILMORE OF NORTH
SIOUX CITY IS
LIVING THAT DREAM
WHILE GIVING BACK
TO HER