Meet Bobby Kendall – WGNA Country Idol Winner

Bobby Kendall passed two panels of different judges to make it to the top of WGNA's Country Idol Karaoke Show.  As the winner, Kendall receives $5,000 and a performance spot on the Center For Disability Services Telethon.

A day after the show, Bobby Kendall appeared on WGNA's On-Demand Lunch to answer some questions about his big win.

Did you think that there was someone in the competition that was going to beat you?

"I felt like there were several people who had stronger voices than me, there was people who had great stage presence, so I tried to put the whole thing together.  The girl that sang 'Blue Sky' (Laura Poirer).  I was like 'wow' she's got a great voice.  I was scared when it came down to me and Lauren Kerr (the second place finisher).  She had a great voice too!"

What do you think took you over the edge, what was it about your performance that got the winning votes?

"A lot of people told me that I had good stage presence. It's just kind of shocking for me.  I play out a lot, but when I play, I play bass pedals with me feet, so I'm always sitting down. So for me the most nerve-racking part of the competition was what to do, because I'm so used to sitting down.  I just got into the song and it carried me to where it carried me."

A lot of the people in the contest have been singing for years, how long have you been singing?

"I started singing at the end of high school, in a high school talent show.  My dad was in a couple of bands back in the late '80s, The Longshots and Southbound, so I always had music in the family."

What's next for Bobby Kendall?  This was the search for a star here in the Northeast, and hopefully everybody uses this experience to take their career to the next level. Are you going to pursue music or is this just a hobby?

"I'm gonna pursue it.  I've been trying pretty hard, but this is probably the biggest thing that's happened so far.  I'm just hoping it can help let other people know that there's country artists up here.  Hopefully, I can get a few more friends out to see more of my shows!"