l o c a l a r t i s t
Casey Kearney b y A n d y B u t c h e r
Casey Kearney
Photo by Jim Clark
Photo by 850 Productions LLC
I t’s never too late to follow your dreams—just ask Casey Kearney. Despite growing up in a musical church family, it wasn’t until she was a young mom of two that she overcame the stage fright that kept her from stepping up to the microphone solo. But over the past few years she has earned a growing reputation as one of the Panhandle’s brightest singer-songwriters, whose unique style is captured on her just-released, More to the Story. With the title song celebrating small-town life, and others telling stories from her life, family, and friends, it’s a collection of homespun wisdom and honest reflection that showcases her musical flavor, which might be called sweet country with a bit of edge—Southern that also has some grit in its grits. Kearney recorded in Nashville with Academy of Country Music award-winning producer Doug Kahan. From a debut gig at Gulf Place, she has since played pretty much everywhere along 30-A at some stage. A show at Fish Out of Water impressed 30A Songwriters Festival producer Russell Carter enough for him to invite her to be part of the carefully curated event the last two years. There have been appearances further afield—Las Vegas, Nashville, and Atlanta—and while she aspires to performing at the revered Grand Ole Opry at least one time, she’s a level-headed late bloomer. “People ask me all the time why I’m not famous,” she says with a chuckle. One main reason: an unwilling- ness to sacrifice the life she has with her husband of 20 years, Scott, a property manager; and their three children:
Levi (15), Micah (13), and Annabelle (11). “I want to play music, but I feel like success in my mind and heart is going to look different to somebody else’s. To me, it’s just being able to do what I’m doing and enjoy it.” Kearney juggles her growing career with a busy family life. Not only does she homeschool the kids at their place in truly small-town Holt (“There’s a Dollar General and a caution light and that’s about it,” she says), but she and Scott are often on the road with them as they compete in junior rodeo events. That horseback passion is in the blood; mom and dad barrel raced and roped when they were younger. “They do everything except for rough stock,” Kearney says. “I won’t let them ride bulls and broncs.” Having overcome her fear of performing by enter- ing—and winning—a karaoke contest, Kearney began to play out around the area regularly before cutting a 2016 EP, Faster . Delays in her full-length self-penned project prompted a detour with 2019’s 11-cut Somebody’s Favor- ite Song, a well-received diverse collection of acoustic covers. It included her takes on Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” , Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishing in the Dark” , and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” . “I get so many people asking if I have a recording of some of the covers that I do in my shows, it just seemed the right time,” she says. “They seem to like my take on them, and I love the challenge of tackling songs that people know so well and trying to bring something fresh.” Lacing her set with songs people are familiar with is strategic. “I feel like as an entertainer, I’m there to give
them a good time, and I feel like they listen to my original songs even better when I have got their attention with a cover they love.” In addition to juggling a busy family and a blossom- ing music life, Kearney founded the nonprofit Bands of 30A in the wake of 2017’s Hurricane Harvey and Irma. Since then local artists have raised more than $100,000 for charities in the area. She has also found time to co- write a children’s book with her daughter. The story of a flamingo who learns to be true to who she is, Felicity is intended to encourage readers to feel free to follow their own dreams and not squash parts of themselves to fit in with others. “Sometimes I feel like I’m constantly playing catch up, but at the same time, it also the message that I am able to share with other people: that it’s never too late,” says Kearney. “I never saw myself down this path, but it’s never too late to find really, really what you’re supposed to be doing, and it’s never too late to do it.” More to the Story : Available on all listening plat- forms, and on CD, cassette, and vinyl from www. caseykearney.com. Bookings: contact@caseykearney. com, (850) 797-9714
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