On January 24th, 2008 at the Ryman in Nashville, six finalists competed on the 26th annual Colgate Country Showdown, America's largest and longest-running  talent competition. The finalists were chosen from more than 50,000 acts from across the country who competed through a series of local, state and regional talent shows. The event was taped for national broadcast dates in March and April  and was  hosted by  super-star LeAnn Rimes. This stunning beauty, as far as fashion goes, stole the show wearing a gold sequin slip dress with high black patent leather shoes and black opaque stockings and also mesmerized the crowd with a live  performance of her current hit, “Nothin’ Better to Do.”
          This year’s competition was a nail-biter till the end for several of the contestants were deserving of the grand prize of $100,000 cash, and the illustrious panel of judges must have had a hard time deciding the final winner, the group Nash Street.  The group consists of Jason Graham, lead singer and guitar, Hannah Melby, fiddle and harmonies, Caroline Melby, mandolin and harmonies, and Daniel Hare on Bass. As winners of the country’s longest running national talent show, the group joins an elite class of past local, state and regional winners that reads like the who’s who of country music, Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sara Evans, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood.
        In the end, the originality of Nash Street’s songs, their musicianship and their harmonies won over the other contestants. There is no doubt that their rendition of their original song, “Carry On,” was one of the most creative and artistic musical moments of the show. The remarkable musicianship of the group was demonstrated by their second original song, “Widowmaker” with a haunting western musical arrangement reminiscent of the songs of Marty Robbins. How did the group handle the pressure of  performing. Hannah Melby commented, “I just told everyone, ’forget about all the TV cameras and lights. Let’s just do what we do best. Let’s just play !’”.   
      They describe their music as “Grassroots Country,” a unique mix of bluegrass, pop and country influences. Their original sound also results from their diverse musical training. “We all come from different musical backgrounds. Caroline was trained as a classical pianist, Jason in country music and guitar, Dan has a background in orchestration and I learned bluegrass and the fiddle, ” said Hannah Medley. 
Their Roots
    Nash Street is a band of young musicians from Starksville, Mississippi. Hannah Medley commented, “We got together mainly thru our school districts string program, which was organized by Norman Mellin. He influenced us to form a band and helped recruit the original members.” The group polished their musical skills by performing locally at square dances, civic events and church events beginning in 1996. The group’s sound and expert musicianship soon earned them a spot at Swampfox, where they played before 30,000 fans. From there, they became regular performers on bluegrass and country festivals and fairs,  sharing the stage with such major acts as  Rhonda Vincent, The Grascals, Little Big Town,  Marty Raybon (former lead singer of Shenandoah),  Blackhawk and Jeff Bates. They are also no strangers to Nashville’s stages having played at The Country Hall of Fame, Tootsies, Ernest Tubb’s Midnight Jamboree, and the Louvin Brothers Museum. In the studio they have recorded two albums, the latest entitled CARRY ON which was recorded at Ricky Skaggs Studio in Hendersonville and self-produced .
Timing is Everything
     The sky is the limit now  for this young group of singers and musicians. Winning the Colgate Country Showdown  takes them to the next level where they will be serious contenders for a major recording contract. The record business is currently in a record sales slump, and this actually is a great time for Nash Street, a young creative and original group with a unique sound, to get signed. NMG wishes them the best.