De'Leah

(Nashville) I heard her singing as she walked past our table tonight. She’s definitely got the look. You can’t help but notice that in the photos on this blog. It’s a shame I’m not in the talent scouting business. If I was I think I just landed a future superstar.

Meet De’Leah Wiles. She served me an All American Burger and about 4 glasses of unsweetened ice tea tonight at the Jack Daniels Saloon at the Opryland Hotel where she works as a waitress. She also served me a gorgeous smile and a personality that tends to make gray headed people like me leave nice tips. I’m hoping she will leave me about four front row tickets to her first sold out performance in Nashville. I would love to be there.


De’Leah, age 23, told me she moved here about a year and a half ago from a little town in Oregon about the size of Reynolds, GA. She has been singing since she was a little girl and she is determined to chase her dream. At the age of 21 she started a band and has already opened for such stars as Dierks Bentley, Keith Anderson and Phil Vassar. She is currently writing songs with some of Nashville’s most elite song writers as well as developing her singing career.

She also told me about a few bumps in the road she has experienced along the way. Specifically, she was set up in Las Vegas with a great place to live and more engagements there that she could believe by an agent who promised her he would make her a star. Her mom’s instincts kicked in and she dug deeper to check the guy out who was giving her daughter the moon. She discovered he was a con artist who took would be stars to the cleaners. The story ended up on one of the national news magazine TV shows. De’Leah said that was a big setback but she has put all that behind her now and is pressing on.

I thoroughly understand that Nashville is full of people trying to get a break in the booming music industry here. Everybody wants to be discovered. But this gal may just be special. Her music is country with a little attitude. You can listen to that voice with an attitude by going to her myspace page.

De’Leah, please be sure to leave me some tickets. I'll be there with bells on. And I may just bring a little attitude of my own.