Category: St. Clair People

Rock ‘n’ roll fantasy

American Idol’s Gressett returns to Pell City, prepares for next act

Story by Loyd McIntosh
Photos by Richard Rybka

Backstage at the Pell City Center for Education and Performing Arts building on the campus of Pell City High School, Tristen Gressett is just 20 minutes away from taking the stage. In his first appearance since his meteoric rise and frankly, stunning elimination from American Idol, the 17-year-old is launching his solo career.

And he’s doing it from the very stage he has performed on dozens of times in high school theatre productions, choral presentations and events where he was part of an ensemble. On this night, not only is Gressett the featured performer, he’s the only performer – no band, no side musicians, no background singers. Just him, an acoustic guitar (augmented with a few electric effects) and a collection of classic rock songs and some original tunes. All eyes and ears will be focused on him this evening, a reality that is only just beginning to sink in.

“It really kind of hit me today when I was getting set up that I finally have my own show where I’m getting to perform for all these people,” says Gressett. Under the management of his mother, Gressett has been performing in restaurants and bars for much of his teenage years. He comes across like a grizzled vet of honky-tonks and smoke-filled juke joints, building a dedicated group of 10-12 fans who have followed him from gig to gig. “But the rest,” Gressett says, “they’re there to drink, they’re there to eat. They couldn’t care less about the entertainment. Know what I mean?”

In the dressing room, Gressett is wired – an absolute bundle of kinetic energy. Practically unable to sit down for more than five seconds, Gressett spends the last 15 minutes before the show laughing with his girlfriend Leah Love, joking with friends and well-wishers, and even cutting up and snapping a selfie or two with yours truly.

On display is Gressett’s ants-in-the-pants exuberance that practically exploded onto the screen and had the American Idol judges – Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie – a little unnerved. “We might have to sit on top of you, man,” Richie famously said following Gressett’s rendition of Billy Joel’s Piano Man.

One could easily interpret Gressett’s animation as nervousness, and who could blame them? He has a lot riding on this homecoming. Gressett, however, says “no way!” He’s more than ready to take this next step, launching his post-American Idol career from his hometown. “All my life, I’ve always wanted to be able to perform with everybody there watching for me,” he says. “So yeah, I feel like I’m one step closer to making that dream come true.”

It may be a cliché to say someone is “born” for something. Gressett’s mother and biggest fan, Missie Gressett, says, in her son’s case, it’s pretty much the truth. “He kind of came out performing,” she says. “He has always loved being on the stage. Always.” She played music constantly for Tristen in utero, playing Johannes Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven through listening devices placed on her stomach, which, at least in part, may account for Tristen’s abilities but also his wide range of musical interests. “He still listens to classical music all these years later, and he plays it on the piano,” his mother says.

“When we were out in Hollywood, we actually went to the Hollywood Bowl and saw Two Cellos, so that was an amazing experience,” adds Ms. Gressett, who has become quite famous in her own right having been featured often during her son’s run on American Idol.

A single mother with a vibrant, creative mind of her own – the homemade Halloween costumes she used to send Tristen to school at Eden Elementary, for instance, are legendary. She has poured much of her energy and passion into helping her only child achieve his dreams. “I am the proudest mama in the world,” she says as she works the merchandise table selling T-shirts and CDs. “We just have a special bond because it’s always just been us, and I’ve always been mama and daddy.”

The American Idol Experience

Gressett auditioned for American Idol along with more than 120,000 hopefuls, all vying for a coveted golden ticket to Los Angeles. Auditioning in Nashville, Gressett’s time in front of the judges is well documented – his aforementioned hyperactivity, the tearing up while chatting with fellow Alabamian Lionel Richie, his rendition of Piano Man and his thoughtful promotions of Pell City, just to name a few of the highlights.

Gressett seemed to devour the screen during his audition, but, he says, so much more goes into those moments than what viewers see months later. “What you’re seeing on television is what an editor sat down and was like, ‘OK, how can we turn this three-hour moment into two minutes?’ My audition on television, was about, what, 15 minutes? It actually happened over a span of three days.”

Despite some initial hesitancy among the judges, Gressett earned his golden ticket and was whisked off to La La Land – Hollywood. There, he experienced the intensity of the show’s weekly production schedule of “a ton of interviews,” walking around Los Angeles shooting b-roll footage, practicing and generally trying to survive the insanity week to week.

Despite the show’s competition format, Gressett says he never viewed the other contestants as rivals. “These were all people with the same goals, and it was awesome being around all those people who have such a strong connection because they’re all fighting for the same thing,” Gressett says. “It just never felt like a competition to me.”

For much of Gressett’s American Idol run, he appeared to be the lead dog, leaving the pack behind. But Gressett was eliminated after the Top 11 show in late April after performing a rousing rendition of the Rolling Stones’ classic, You Can’t Always Get What You Want.

His ouster was not without controversy. Many viewers on streaming services such as Hulu and Xfinity claim technical issues caused Gressett’s performance to go missing from the broadcast. In the days that followed, several online petitions were begun to get Gressett back on the show due to the error. In the end, the results stood, and Gressett’s run came to an early end – fairly or unfairly.

American Idol tends to reward screechy divas and clean-cut young men rather than long-haired, bearded, bluesy rockers like Gressett – Alabamian Bo Bice being a notable exception – a viewpoint shared by none other than Katy Perry. “He’s a rock ‘n’ roller, and it’s really challenging for that genre sometimes to get really far because it’s not about who’s the best singer – you have to check a little bit of a lot of boxes,” said Perry in a press statement following Gressett’s final episode. “But I think that he definitely poured a lot of sauce on his performance tonight and you got to strike a balance. I wish him the best. I’m gonna be seeing him on stage. I’m gonna go to his concerts for sure.”

“Somebody like me is going to have to fight a little harder,” adds Gressett, “and I fought as hard as I could. But I’m happy to make it as far as I did because over 122,000 people auditioned to be on the show. Just to be able to say ‘hey I placed 11th’ makes me feel a lot better about my journey ending when it did. I’m just happy to be able to pursue music on my own now with a stronger head on my shoulders and with the knowledge that I learned from the show.”

It’s Show Time!

With the crowd at near capacity, Gressett hits the stage shortly after 7 p.m. and immediately launches into his version of Piano Man followed by an eclectic mix of well-known classics, Neil Young’s Heart of Gold, Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Good – showing off his considerable guitar soloing skills in the process – and a version of the Beatles’ With A Little Help From My Friends.

The fifth song of the set was an original, titled The Road. Throughout the night, Gressett included a handful of accomplished original songs included on a six-song EP released in 2021 titled Act I: The Poet.

Gressett’s songwriting isn’t nearly celebrated as much as his skills as a singer and performer, although it’s clear that he puts much time and effort into his writing. “Sometimes it starts with the guitar and sometimes it starts with a phrase, and then I think, ‘How do I turn this into a song?’ I also use a lot of my personal experiences that I go through and stories of people that I know and love,” he explains.

A standout tune is one simply titled, Tiffany. It tells the story of a young and awkwardly inexperienced young man who finds himself attracted to a girl named Tiffany, who, though only a few years older, has a few more cynical miles under her belt than her would-be suitor. After finishing the song, Gressett said that it was one of his more humorous, jokey songs.

On the contrary,Tiffany displays a maturity in its wordsmithing.

In all, Gressett performed for around two hours, the crowd seemingly in the palm of his hand the entire night, even during a few moments that didn’t go as planned. For instance, Gressett managed his way around a pesky guitar cable that shorted out a handful of times during the night and handled a few of the rowdier fans with the humor and finesse of a seasoned pro.

One moment that particularly showed Gressett’s grace under fire occurred when he realized he left his capo (guitar geeks will know what this is) in the dressing room, leaving him unable to play his next song in the right key. Gressett walked backstage while mumbling in a high-pitch, faux-female voice, “You mean to tell me I paid $20 just so I can watch this kid look for his stuff?” to wild laughter before returning on stage to start the next song.

The show was a triumphant homecoming for Gressett, who waves his Pell City flag high and proud. While much of his talent and stage presence is natural, he says there have many people along the way who have helped him to become the person he is today.

“In eighth grade, my drama teacher, Mrs. Nixon, really encouraged me to hone in on my performance in theater. I’ve always been kind of crazy, but she got me to hone in and use it as a way of expressing myself,” says Gressett. “Mrs. Kaler at the high school has been one of my biggest supporters. She’s such a great person in general, but she has done so much when it came to getting people to vote for me. She’s been such a huge part of this for me.

“And, of course, Eden Elementary. That’s my home place over there. I love Eden. I went and sang for the kids over there recently and, man, that was such a full-circle moment for me,” Gressett add. “That was so awesome.”

What’s Up Next?

With his American Idol experience and high school graduation behind him, Gressett is focused on kick-starting his music career in a big way. Eventually, he plans to relocate to Los Angeles, but, until then, his schedule is full of appearances throughout the summer.

He performed at the Creek Bank Festival in Leeds, the Block Party in Pell City, and he opened for American Idol winner and Birmingham native Taylor Hicks at the Jazz Fest in Alexander City.

Later in June, he opened for Jefferson Starship at the Helen Keller Festival in Tuscumbia, and on July 1, Gressett performed in Canada, his first time traveling outside the U.S., at the Grand Falls Potato Festival in Grand Falls, New Brunswick. l

Features

Hen Party

Chickens rule the roost for one Ashville woman

Story by Elaine Hobson Miller
Photos by Mackenzie Free

Some people walk their dogs. A few even walk their cats. Brenda Myers walks her chickens.

“I used to take them on free-range walks, where I’d be the rooster watching for the hawks,” Brenda says. “I only had two hens then, but I have 10 now, and while you can control one or two, you can’t herd 10.”

Now she walks them in chicken “tractors,” the coops-on-wheels that her husband, Dennis, built so the chickens can go for walks without fear of predators. Brenda puts her chickens in one and pulls it with a rope to a grassy spot and lets the flock scratch for bugs and worms. “When they are tired of one place, which is about 30 to 40 minutes, they’ll look at me, and I know it’s time to move them to another spot,” she says.

She treats them more like pets than egg layers. She coos to them, picks them up and strokes them, talks to them as if they were toddlers. She regales her friends with descriptions of their antics. When one was partially eaten by a predator during the night, she cried for weeks. She’s constantly perusing chicken websites for tips and picks up toddler toys for them at thrift stores. To say she’s obsessed might be an understatement.

“Chickens are awesome creatures,” she says. “God just made a good thing when he made chickens.”

Brenda got her first chickens, two six-year-old hens, in January 2021 for the fresh eggs and fun. She had wanted some since first moving to Ashville in 2002, but Dennis kept saying no, they’re smelly. Getting the first two gave her a chance to see whether she liked chickens. She kept them a year before a raccoon got into their coop and ate part of one. The other died of an apparent heart attack just seeing the animal chomp away on her sister. Brenda buried them together.

On her birthday in March of 2021, she got six chicks from the St. Clair County Co-Op in Ashville: two Buff Orpringtons, two Black Orpringtons and two Barred Rocks. They were a day old, shipped from the hatchery at birth. “Of that first six, one was a rooster, and I re-homed him,” she says. “I did not want the drama.” Then she got five more: two Lavender Orpringtons, two Cinnamon Queens and a Black Sex Link. She raised all of them in her basement until they reached laying age, which is five to six months, depending upon the breed.

“I had to separate one, Sandy, because she got picked on,” Brenda says. “But all of them get along fine now.” The flock consists of Verna (named after a friend), Sandy, Bertha, Baby (the runt who rules the roost), Silk, Satin, Cinnamon, Honey, Lacy and Buffy.

Dennis designed the latest coop and tractors. The first coop came with the first two hens, then he built a larger one last fall. The new one measures 9 feet by 31 feet. At one end is the door, while a 4-by-6-foot chicken house is at the other end. The chicken house has beams for the hens to roost on at night, with doors that close automatically behind them to prevent predators from getting to them should they manage to get inside the screened coop. A nesting box with three compartments has its own outside doors so Brenda can gather eggs without going into the coop. The entire setup includes a 27-foot run, which gives the hens some freedom of movement.

Inside the run are wooden perches, a swing, traditional chicken feeders hanging from the rafters and a plastic cat-litter bucket turned into a hanging water bucket with the insertion of “chicken nipples.” The latter are handy little devices that screw into the bucket and release a small amount of water when pecked. There are two old wooden chairs tied together, back to back in the center of the run, and the hens use the combined backs as a perch.

And then there are the toys. There’s a toddler learning box attached to the side of the coop that plays “Old McDonald” and makes farm-animal noises when poked or pecked and two xylophones. She puts peanut butter on the toys to make the chickens peck them. She has taught Sandy to “play” the xylophone using a clicker. She also has a plastic toy caterpillar that plays, “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.” Brenda substitutes “wings” in place of “hands” as she sings along with the toy.

The newest addition to the collection is a child’s bicycle. Dennis removed the handlebars, laid it on its side, and propped it up with a concrete block under each wheel. The idea is for the chickens to hop on the wheels and use them as merry-go-rounds or treadmills. “So far, no luck,” Brenda says, sighing.

She likes to pick up her chickens and pet them, but there’s a trick to that. “If you scratch their backs, they’ll lie down, as if submitting to a rooster’s amorous advances. You can pick them up then,” she says, demonstrating the technique with Sandy.

Their main diet consists of dried mealworms and laying pellets. But she showers them with snacks, too. So, when she approaches their coop, they gather at the door, clucking and pacing in anticipation. They’re carnivores that love bugs, especially ticks, and will eat worms, lizards and mice, too.

They also like milkweed, clover and other grasses, and once ate the burrs off Brenda’s pants after her trek through the woods. She bought some sage plants for them, along with lemon mint leaves. Lots of plants are poisonous to them, though, so she checks the internet before giving them something new. “I check several sources, not just one,” she says. “I’m growing cabbage and collards for them, too. I cut cabbage heads in half and hang them in their coop.” They also like apples, pears, cucumbers, squash, watermelon and cantaloupe. Fresh corn on the cob is their favorite, though. “I didn’t know anything about chickens when I got the first ones,” Brenda says. “I had to learn from scratch (no pun intended).”

She says chickens are a hoot, and they help her relax. She often takes a lawn chair and just sits by the coop, watching them and listening to their coos. “When they’re happy, they purr like a female turkey,” she says, as if everyone knows how a female turkey sounds. “When they’re angry, it’s almost like a honk.” She coos back at them, as if they were human babies. Ask Dennis how he feels about the “smelly” chickens, and he replies, “I built the chicken things, didn’t I?” He likes watching them, too.

Brenda says they’re quite amusing when taking dirt baths. They will lie down and use first one leg and then the other to toss dirt onto their backs and sides. Then they’ll roll over on their sides and spread the dirt and get up and shake like a dog or horse. A certain amount of dirt stays under their feathers, keeping out mites and lice.

Back in early June, Verna, one of the Black Orpringtons, became “broody.” That’s what you call a hen who wants to be a mom so bad she will sit on a nest for days trying to hatch a non-existent egg. “Verna would ruffle up her feathers when touched,” Brenda says. “A lot of people get pecked when they try to handle a broody hen.” A broody one will sit on a nest up to three weeks, even though there is no rooster around to fertilize and no eggs under her. “Sometimes they will die because they don’t eat or drink all that time,” Brenda says.

The best thing she has found to get a broody hen off the nest is to give her “time out.” She yanks her out of the nesting box and puts her into a large dog cage within the coop. She puts food and water in the cage and leaves her there most of the day, returning her to the roost at night. “If you do this about three days, she’ll get the message,” Brenda says.

It’s a challenge keeping the chickens hydrated in the summer. She hoses down a space in their run so they can wallow in it and puts ice in their water bucket. She also gives them cool treats like frozen blueberries.

She gets eight to 10 eggs per day in spring and early summer. “They’ll slow down on hot days, and they molt in the fall and don’t lay as much,” Brenda says. “They don’t lay during the winter.” Ten eggs per day are more than she and Dennis can eat. She gives away some, but she’s also learning to preserve them. Who knew you can keep them up to a year in a jar with pickling lime and distilled water?

“You need the freshest eggs possible,” she says. “They can’t be older than three days. You don’t wash them but leave the bloom on. It’s an antibiotic.” (The bloom is a foamy layer of protein that surrounds the egg and is the last thing formed on the shell before it is laid, according to Chicken Whisperer magazine).

Brenda preserves them in a gallon glass jar that holds 30 eggs. She stores the jars in her basement. “If you don’t want to preserve them, you can leave fresh eggs on your countertop for five weeks unwashed or you can wash them and place them in the refrigerator for three months,” she says. “Store-bought eggs won’t keep that long.”

While other people are pulling up photos of their grandchildren on their cellphones or posting them on Facebook, Brenda is pulling up photos of her chickens. “They’re my grandchildren,” she says.

Features

A Fitting Tribute

St. Clair rodeo honors Tanner Carleton

Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Mackenzie Free
and Jolie Free

If you didn’t know Tanner Carleton, the 11-year-old boy who lost his life in a tragic accident at St. Clair County Arena, a single photo seemed to have the ability to capture the essence of his passion.

The youngster’s eyes peer out beneath the oversized brim of a cowboy hat, a wide grin crossing his face, telling you all you needed to know. Cowboy life fit him as comfortably as a well-worn pair of jeans. Life fit him just fine. There was no mistaking it.

Friends and family talked endlessly of his love of everything cowboy.

When the annual St. Clair Cattleman’s Rodeo was heading to St. Clair Arena, he wanted to be there, helping get things set up the day before. He was like that. Always ready to help. And it was there in one of the places he loved best – the rodeo – doing what he loved best – offering a helping hand.

“He was a real good boy, well mannered, always willing to help,” said Adam Stansell, president of the Cattleman’s Association.

It would have been understandable for the rodeo to be cancelled. But recognizing their son’s love for it, parents Lacey and Trevor Carleton encouraged the cattlemen to go on with the rodeo. Tanner would have wanted it that way, they said.

“Tanner Carleton has been a fan of rodeos from a very young age,” the Cattleman’s Association announced on March 9. “With his parents’ complete support and absolute insistence, we will move forward with the 3rd Annual St. Clair County Cattlemen’s Rodeo.”

The rodeo, the association’s largest fundraiser, did indeed go on, but not before a poignant tribute to the young cowboy.

Tanner had a zest for life. He put his all into every endeavor. He was as passionate about his baseball as he was being a cowboy. Countless photos show him in uniform year after year, one where he was even sporting a championship ring.

Dozens of fellow players from various teams he played with circled the arena the night of the tribute, a show of respect for their beloved teammate. The arena darkened, and a small line of fire began to light a path in its center, eventually forming the shape of a baseball diamond.

As the announcer began, the fire followed his words, symbolizing Tanner’s run of the bases – to first base, on to second, rounding third and heading quickly to home. Tanner, he said, “lived life to the fullest of his ability. He loved life. He loved his friends, and he had a passion for baseball. That young man was always swinging for the fence.”

As the fire blazed its path toward home plate, the announcer referenced the uncertainty of life and the absence of a guarantee of another day. “We don’t know if we are in the home stretch,” he told the crowd. “We might be. You need to hug your family, hug your friends and tell them you love them every chance you get. Tonight, Tanner has made that home run.”

And with a nod to Tanner’s passion for life, he said, “Take time to remember that cowboy smile.”

A rider on horseback galloped through the arena carrying an American flag to conclude the tribute and signal the beginning of the rodeo that Tanner would have wanted to go on.

Tanner’s photo – the one with the cowboy hat and that contented grin – hung above the gate as each of the rodeo competitors entered the arena. It was their personal reminder of that cowboy smile.

“He ran his race spiritually,” his parents said. “He ran home to the Lord. He was all about church. He loved being there, he even went on Spring break one time just to help plant flowers.”

That’s just the way he was. He loved helping others.

Across the community, an outpouring of love and compassion has enveloped the family in the days since, offering comforting remembrances of a special young man.

A sampling of social media posts from those who knew him help tell his story and his impact in a life cut too short:

We will never forget your smile. You just being you.

Playing baseball with the greats now! Rest easy, sweet boy.

With broken hearts, the Williams Intermediate School family is praying for Tanner’s family, friends, teachers and classmates. Rest in peace, sweet boy.

I knew the first time I ever met him that he was special. He was good, good like deep down in his bones, all the way to the center of his soul. He worked harder than most grown men and had more compassion in his little finger than some have their entire life. But the one thing that radiated out of him like laser beams was how unconditionally thoughtful he was … just good as gold and steady as a rocker.

I am so thankful to have known your kind heart, if only for a few short years. You taught me (along with tons of others!) what it means to put others needs first – before ourselves, to be selfless, the very essence of Jesus Christ.

What an example of a Christian, a son, a student, a cowboy, an athlete, a worker, and the list goes on and on.

From his parents, came their own heartfelt message:

We miss his smile, his laugh and so much more than we could ever imagine about you, son! We miss seeing you on the ballfield, and we miss seeing you with your brother.

God had a plan for your life, and it’s something we never knew, but prayed for His will to be done in your life. Your life brought so much happiness! Your life brought so much meaning. You made us parents!

Features

Lovejoy honored with Congressional recognition

Story and photos
by Carol Pappas

The name, Lyman Lovejoy, is well known around these parts. But it reached a lot further than Alabama’s borders when he hit his 50 years in business milestone.

Lovejoy’s feat of five decades of business caught the eye of U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who presented him with a resolution he read into the Congressional Record in the U.S. House of Representatives.

To celebrate back home, the congressman hosted a luncheon in Moody to honor the longtime Realtor, businessman and community leader, describing him as “an advocate for the county and his community” in the framed, official resolution he presented to Lovejoy.

Read into the Congressional Record in August, Rogers cited Lovejoy’s extensive involvement in the community – St. Clair Association of Realtors, Ascension of St. Vincent’s St. Clair Hospital Board, Alabama Real Estate Commission and past chairman of the St. Clair Economic Development Council.

A member of First Baptist Church in Ashville, he also finds time to entertain local nursing homes and in senior centers with his musical group, the resolution noted.

In accepting the honor, Lovejoy recognized his family and staff first, talking of their unyielding support over the years. Turning to Rogers, he said, “This is the highest honor I’ve ever had, Congressman. I enjoy people. I would come to work even if they didn’t pay me.”

As for the motivation behind his civic activism, as well as his business acumen, he said, “I love my county. I love my community. I love meeting people. Thank you for letting me do what I love to do for 50 years,” he told the crowd in attendance.

Lovejoy, owner of Lovejoy Realty in Odenville, began his career in a building just across the highway from his present-day office. With only a high school diploma and no experience in real estate, he embarked on a career that not only lasted 50 years but is still going strong.

At 80, he still goes to work every day, and he still employs the same relationship-building skills he honed in those early years.

In the resolution, Congressman Rogers included a reference to Lovejoy’s moniker – “Mayor of St. Clair County” – giving a nod to the ambassadorial spirit for which he is known throughout the county. Rogers took it a step further, calling him “one of the treasures of St. Clair County.”

Berritt Haynes

Pell City native building on performance, experience on The Voice

Story by Scottie Vickery
Photos by Graham Hadley
Submitted Photos

Berritt Haynes is no stranger to life-changing news, so when a talent recruiter from television’s The Voice told him to pack his bags and head for Los Angeles last May, it was sort of a “same song, different verse” situation. This time, however, the verse was a whole lot sweeter.

The Pell City native and his family were first stopped in their tracks by unexpected news when Berritt was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart disease at age 8. Eleven years later, the call welcoming the 19-year-old aspiring singer-songwriter to Season 21 of the NBC reality singing competition was much more fun.

“We were all whooping and hollering,” Berritt’s mother, Monica Haynes, said. “It was so loud, Berritt had to go outside to talk to her.”

Although he was eliminated in the Knockout Round of the competition that aired last fall, Berritt said he has no regrets. He earned high praises from the celebrity judges, including country singer Blake Shelton, who was Berritt’s team coach, and he said he grew as a singer, a performer and a person.

“This whole experience has been so amazing!!” Berritt said in a social media post after his elimination. “This is only the beginning, y’all!”

Since then, Berritt has been playing as many gigs as he can, writing music, honing his craft and continuing to dream big. “I’ve gotten a lot more confident, and my voice is stronger than before I went,” he said. “I’m just playing as much as I can and hopefully, something will come of it.”

Heartbreaking news

Berritt, who turns 20 on April 12, was at his 8-year-old checkup when his pediatrician, Dr. Keith Stansell, heard a heart murmur he hadn’t heard before. “A lot of doctors would have said to watch it for a while, but he’d seen Berritt all his life and knew it hadn’t been there before,” Monica said. “We sing his praises all the time.”

Berritt was referred to a cardiologist, who diagnosed him with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s a disease in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it harder for the heart to pump blood. It’s often known as “sudden death disease” because it can cause life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms, and it’s the most common cause of heart-related sudden death in young people.

“They kept asking who in our family had died in their early 30s, but there was no one,” said Monica, adding that the disease is usually inherited. Genetic testing revealed that she has it as well, although her case is not as severe as her son’s. Berritt’s youngest sister, 13-year-old Kynlee, carries the gene but so far has not developed the disease. His father, Jeremy, and his sisters, EllaGrace, 14, and 17-year-old Ryleigh, have no heart issues.

“It was devastating,” Monica said. “I had a lot of mama guilt for a long time just knowing I gave that to my kid.”

Berritt’s lifestyle changed immediately after the diagnosis. He loved sports, but he had to quit playing baseball and football. At 14, after passing out on a hunting trip with his grandfather, Berritt had surgery to have an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) placed in his chest. The battery-operated device detects abnormal heart rhythms and will provide an electric shock if necessary to make his heart beat normally.

Three years later, in 2019, 17-year-old Berritt underwent open heart surgery at the end of his junior year of high school. “My family and the Lord are what got me through it,” Berritt said when he shared his testimony a few months later.

Although Berritt had to give up a lot of things he loved, he discovered some new joys, as well. Right after the diagnosis, his parents started him in competitive BB gun shooting events so he could still compete in an outdoor activity. He won a number of awards in competitions all over the South, including a gold medal in the Alabama State Games. In 2013, he was named the ASF Foundation’s Male Athlete of the Year. “My dream is to one day compete in the Olympics,” Berritt said at the time.

Berritt credits family and faith in getting through open heart surgery.

It was music, though, that truly captured his heart. Both of his parents sing in the church choir, and even as a toddler, “Berritt would sit in our laps during practice,” Monica said. “He would sit there and sing his little heart out.”

That’s why they also enrolled him in guitar lessons after he had to give up sports. “We told him, ‘You can still be playing this when you’re 70, but you wouldn’t be playing baseball at 70,’” Monica said. In addition, Berritt started singing and playing with the praise band at his family’s church, Seddon Baptist Church, and he played the alto sax and tenor sax with the Pell City High School Jazz Band.

“I just love music,” said Berritt, who was singing with the praise band again two weeks after his surgery. “I really love singing worship songs.”

In full voice

Following his surgery, Make-a-Wish, a nonprofit that fulfills wishes of kids with critical illnesses, arranged for Berritt to be in the audience during a taping of The Voice and to meet the judges. COVID-19 derailed the plans, though, and Make-a-Wish refurbished Berritt’s pickup truck instead.

Berritt’s mom knew about her son’s dreams, though, so she took matters into her own hands and submitted a video of Berritt singing Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven to The Voice. He had auditioned twice before – once in middle school, once in high school – but the third time was the charm.

The initial call from the talent recruiter came during a family movie night. Monica saw a California number on her screen, thought it was spam, and let it go to voicemail. “Y’all are going to want to pause the movie for this,” she told her family after listening to the message.

When word finally came months later that Berritt had officially made the cut, he packed two suitcases, his guitar and a backpack and headed for Los Angeles. The shows were pre-recorded with audiences of about 150 screaming fans. “Sometimes you can’t hear what you’re doing,” he said.

The first time he took the stage during the “Blind Auditions” and sang Brett Young’s Mercy, Berritt tried not to think about the more than 7 million viewers who would eventually be watching the show’s premiere. “At that point, I was just singing for my coaches,” he said of celebrity judges Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Ariana Grande and Shelton. “When Blake turned around (to signify he wanted the singer on his team) all those nerves I had went away.”

Although Berritt, who graduated from Pell City in 2020, didn’t get a lot of air time during the show, the judges were quick to praise his talents. “I think you’re just a damn good singer,” Shelton told him following his first performance. In other shows, Clarkson said “his tone was cool” and told Berritt, “I was just captivated by you.”

During the two and a half months he was in Los Angeles, Berritt got to work with a vocal coach for the first time and enjoyed hanging out, singing and playing games with his fellow contestants. He also added a few new pieces to his wardrobe.

“There was nothing they gave me that didn’t fit me tight,” he said with a laugh. Although he got to keep a leather jacket, shirts and a few pair of jeans, he said the best thing he got from the experience was the feedback and encouragement from the coaches.

“Blake always had nothing but good things to say about what I was doing, what I was singing,” Berritt said. “They really build up your confidence. They want you to do good; they want you to be successful.”

Since he’s been home, Berritt has worked some as a substitute teacher to earn some extra money while continuing to do what he loves most – make music. He released a new single, Sidewalks of Birmingham, on all streaming platforms in January, served as grand marshal of the Pell City Christmas Parade and is performing as often as he can. In addition to playing Lakeside Live and other venues, he recently opened for Girl Named Tom, the Season 21 winner, at Iron City in Birmingham.

“The whole experience was amazing,” Berritt said. “With all the stuff I’ve been through, I just didn’t think I’d ever make it that far or amount to anything. It’s been a dream come true.” l

Editor’s Note: Want to keep up with Berritt’s career? Follow him on Instagram @berritt.haynes or on Facebook at Berritt Haynes Music.

Features

Eric Bell: Auburn’s No. 1 fan

By Carol Pappas

For the Bell family and all who know them, it’s nearly impossible to think of the Auburn-Alabama rivalry without mentioning Jimmy and Yvonne’s late son, Eric.

Born with Down syndrome, Eric grew into arguably the biggest Auburn fan around. His Uncle Mack said, “When I think of Auburn, I think of Eric. When I think of Eric, I think of Auburn.”

At event honoring Bo Jackson and his Heisman Trophy at Auburn, fans could take photos with the trophy to look like a Sports Illustrated cover. Of course, Eric’s on the cover.

Jimmy and Eric spent years traveling to the Plains together in their motorhome, spending time in the Loveliest Village that are a cascade of memories – good ones. Jimmy’s description of those days sounds much like the title song of the television show, Cheers, “where everybody knows your name.”

Because of Eric’s natural, gregarious spirit, everybody knew Eric’s name. He got to know everyone around the stadium. “Eric even knew the trainers,” Jimmy said. “They gave him a helmet. Aubie (Auburn’s mascot) came over one day and sat at the motorhome with Eric. He got everybody’s autograph, even the people who cut the grass.”

Bar none, “Eric was the biggest Auburn fan ever,” said his aunt, Vicki Merrymon.

Jimmy said the highlight of his own life was seeing how much fun Eric had. “He had a good time. If you were an Alabama fan, he’d tell you, ‘Roll Tide.’ I learned so much from him. He had no hate.”

Even in an Alabama defeat, he found a way to comfort an opponent. Leon Clements, a local convenience storeowner and huge Alabama fan, was friends with Jimmy and Eric. For years, they parked the motorhome on a lake lot they owned near the store.

When Jimmy and Eric returned from an Iron Bowl game where Auburn emerged victorious, Jimmy explained to Eric that Leon would be upset about Alabama’s loss. Just tell him you’re sorry, his father advised. Otherwise, it would make Leon feel bad.

And Eric expressed remorse to his friend – his way. He put his arm around him and said, “Leon, I’m sorry Alabama sucks.”

Eric passed away in 2009 at the age of 31. His framed photo in traditional attire – an Auburn jersey – sits prominently in Jimmy and Yvonne’s living room, reminding them of his love for Auburn and their love for him.