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Ashton wows Grand Ole Opry with her premier performance
Despite the night's drama, the real story of the second show was young Ashton Shepherd: she's for real. Those who have attended the Opry know that the backstage area, partially visible to the audience, is usually a flurry of activity. It often seems like other participants pay little attention to the current performer as they greet and converse with friends and colleagues. However, there was no socializing going on as Ashton Shepherd took the stage, and those visible in the wings stood transfixed as Ashton performed a soft acoustic version of "I Ain't Dead Yet." The uncharacteristically anemic audience came to life and host Bill Anderson started tapping his feet as Ashton twisted her face into a sneer and delivered a thumping rendition of her debut single, "Takin' Off This Pain." Anderson pulled Ashton aside as she was leaving the stage, complimented her performance profusely and plugged her album. He then confided to the audience that Ashton's producer had told him, "this girl's so country, she makes Loretta Lynn sound like she's from Liverpool." Here is Matt C's response to a question about a Shepherd album with additional comments about her performance. The album is out in February of '08 (per Ashton last night). Apparently there are some advance copies floating around already (Bill Anderson has heard it and raved about it). It really was a special moment; I've never seen a reception for a new artist like that before. It was probably something like how the audience treated Josh Turner's debut, without the drama of a standing ovation and encore. Admittedly, the Opry cast and crowd don't represent the core radio audience, but if radio spins this girl's stuff, she's for real because she has some crazy stage presence. She had the whole backstage area quiet and at attention, and when she hit that "I Ain't Dead Yet" line the whole audience laughed and then started whistling and cheering.
www.the9513.com/tags/ashton-shepherd/
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