Heather Shelley

Heather Shelley has made her choice. She's not going to drink until she is 21.
Shelley, 20, a Scott City native turned country music star, has teamed with the Kansas Department of Transportation to promote her single, "In my Time," a song about waiting to drink alcohol until she turns 21.
"I decided to get involved because I know the pressures of when I was in high school and growing up," Shelley said. "Especially in small towns, like where I grew up, there's not a lot to do."
KDOT Bureau of Traffic Safety Spokesperson Steve Halbett said Shelley was recruited to help promote the project because teens in Kansas know and respect her.
"We are very concerned about impaired driving," Halbett said.
Through federal money for juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, the Bureau of Traffic Safety was able to put together the program to discourage underage drinking.
Halbett said statistics like 63 percent of Kansas students in grades eight through 12 reported consuming alcohol. Those 15 to 24 years old make up 19 percent of the driving population and account for 40 percent of alcohol-related crashes, which prompted the Bureau to want to reach out to youth about alcohol consumption.
The Bureau of Traffic Safety worked with an advertising agency in Kansas City and Shelley to write "In my Time," hoping Shelley could get the attention of an audience often tough to reach.
And so far, Shelley said the effort has been working. At a recent concert, Shelley said a father was holding his phone up while she and her band NITEHAWK were playing "In my Time" so his 17-year-old son, who was not at the concert, could hear it. After hearing the song, the son decided to take the pledge to not drink until he was 21.
"It lets me know that I'm doing what's right and what we're doing is working and I think that's very important," Shelley said.
Shelley said she will be touring high schools in the state to promote the project, hoping to reach more underage youth.
The Bureau of Traffic Safety also has put together a scholarship contest for Kansas residence between the ages of 10 and 21.
The contest, titled "Sobriety Rocks," will award three $1,000 scholarships for the best original lyrics, original music score and original song that encourages people under 21 to say no to drinking.
Contest details and a downloadable version of "In my Time" are available online, www.inmytime.net.
- Kristen Waggener

Heather Shelley is the real deal.
Get ready to count the Scott City teen among the nation's country music sensations. That much appears certain after the 18-year-old sang her way to first place in a national talent contest.
Shelley won the title "Best New Act in Country Music" at the 23rd Annual Colgate Country Showdown Saturday in Orlando, Fla. She'll use part of her $100,000 prize for a demo CD to help her land a record deal.
Pretty exciting stuff for a teen who, by all accounts, is humble and down to earth. She even took her first plane ride to get to Orlando.
Shelley's journey began when she won a local competition in Dodge City, then won the Kansas State final at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson and the Midwest Regional in Flandreau, S.D.
In winning the national championship, she beat long odds. The hit television show and singing competition "American Idol" is proof of that, as many thousands try out but only a few make the finals.
Shelley's talent speaks for itself. She's been lauded for her range in singing the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody," one of the songs she performed to win the national title.
The teen already is well known throughout southwest Kansas, where she's performed in clubs, at rodeos, benefits and more since she started singing in public at 14. She's even featured in a Web site, www.heathershelley.com.
Her accomplishments suggest she has the makings of a star.
But the young Kansan doesn't appear ready to abandon her roots. She proudly noted that her national title came on Kansas Day.
No doubt her Kansas upbringing will serve her well in her singing career.
As she moves on to even greater success, southwest Kansans will watch with pride - and wish her the best of luck.
- Editorial

MANHATTAN -- Heather Shelley might have provided those who saw her Saturday at the County Stampede a "remember when" moment.
Had they seen Shelley walking around the festival grounds, the blond-haired, blue-eyed, button-nosed 19-year-old might have momentarily caught their eyes just for her beauty.
But the Stampede draws a lot of cute, young women.
What distinguished Shelley from the crowd and held one's attention was her voice.
At high noon, Shelley, backed by the Country Fever Band, belted out songs from the Stampede stage.
She made "Your Cheatin' Heart" her own with a Patsy Cline catch-in-her-throat warble. She showed her redneck woman potential honky-tonking through Gretchen Wilson's "Here for the Party."

Mike Shepherd/The Capital-Journal
Scott City native Heather Shelley performs Saturday at the Country Stampede. Shelley won the Colgate Country Showdown competition, earning $100,000 and the title "Best New Act in Country Music."

Song after song, Shelley captivated the crowd. She showed what the judges saw at Epcot Center in Orlando, Fla., where she won the 23rd annual Colgate Country Showdown, the largest country music talent search in the world.
Shelley's win came on Jan. 29 -- Kansas Day -- which was fitting as she was born and grew up in Scott City, a city of 3,640 people in southwest Kansas.
A first prize of $100,000 and the title of "Best New Act in Country Music" came with winning the Colgate Country Showdown.
When asked what kind of toothpaste she uses, the May graduate of Scott Community High School flashed her gleaming grin and said: "I use Colgate. I really do."
Shelley smiled a lot at the Country Stampede, her first as a performer and a spectator.
She returned a week ago from Nashville, where she used some of her prize money for a recording session. "It's A Woman Thing," her first single, will be ready in a couple of weeks for release to regional radio. She will return to Nashville this fall to shop for a record deal.
That's not bad for someone who five years ago only sang alone in her bedroom with the door closed. Through that closed door, Shelley's father, Phillip, "heard me singing in my room at the top of my lungs like I usually did."
Said Dad, "I hadn't heard a 14-year-old do some of the things she was doing with her voice before."
That day set Shelley on the path to the Stampede, and if she fulfills her dream of making it big in country music, those who saw her Saturday can think back and say, "Remember when?" - Bill Blankenship

HEATHER
Par Jacques « Rockin’Boy » Dufour
Gardez précieusement la chronique de ce mini album cinq titres car elle vous annonce la naissance d’une future star de la new-country. Quand elle rivalisera dans les charts au côté des vedettes qui l’ont influencée, Faith Hill, Martina Mac Bride ou LeeAnn Rimes, vous vous souviendrez alors que le CWB aura été le premier média en France à vous avoir parlé de Heather Shelley. Qui est elle, d’où vient elle ? Elle est très jeune, 19 ans, et vit dans son Kansas natal. Plus blonde qu’une Suédoise, son look western rendrait jalouse Gretchen Wilson et son minois enjôleur lui assurerait sans problème la couverture d’un « Country Playboy » ! Mais Heather n’est pas mannequin, elle est chanteuse de country et possède une assurance et une maîtrise de sa voix peu commune à son âge. Elle me rappelle Rebecca Lynn Howard : un vocal puissant mais mélodieux au service d’une country moderne, jeune, mais sans dérive pop/rock. Si l’on résume, Heather a vraiment toutes les qualités pour réussir. Vous n’êtes qu’à demi convaincu ? Alors sachez qu’en 2005 Heather a remporté la finale nationale du « Colgate Country Showdown » devant 50.000 postulants ! Autre indice d’un potentiel reconnu, c’est le producteur de Trisha Yearwood, Trick Pony et Sugarland qui est entré en studio pour elle avec quelques pointures de Nashville tels que Russ Pahl ou Chris Leuzinger. Le résultat st plus que prometteur avec un dynamique up-tempo en ouverture « It’s a woman thing » co-écrit par Danielle Peck (new-comer actuellement dans les charts), deux plaisantes balades « Not anymore, Beginning again », et deux country modernes « Keep on talkin’, Same train » qui raviront les danseurs. Ce mini cd est un amuse bouche qui nous met en appétit dans l’attente de l’album définitif. www.heathershelley.com (pour le plaisir des yeux !)
- Jacques DUFOUR

KANSAS-BASED HEATHER SHELLEY TEAMS WITH KDOT TO LAUNCH “IN MY TIME”
Song from “Best New Act in Country Music” Encourages Youth to Abstain From Underage Drinking

TOPEKA, Kan. (October 17, 2006) – Heather Shelley, who was recognized as “The Best New Act in Country Music” in 2005 when she won the Colgate Country Showdown National Final, has teamed up with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to release In My Time, a new song designed to encourage Kansas youth, ages 10 to 21, to resist peer pressure by abstaining from drinking alcohol until reaching the legal age limit of 21.
The unique new song is available for download at Shelley’s Web site, www.heathershelley.com, and also available on the KDOT Web site, www.kdot.org and at www.inmytime.net. Additionally, CD’s are available by attending upcoming Heather Shelley shows throughout the state, and a number of CD’s will be provided to local town halls, schools, etc., for distribution to fans wishing to obtain a copy. As Heather and her band NITEHAWK tours throughout Kansas in 2006 and 2007, they will also be performing the song live.
“In 2005, 63 percent of Kansas students in grades eight through 12 reported having consumed alcohol in their lives,” reported Pete Bodyk, Chief of the Bureau of Traffic Safety. “That’s an eye-opening statistic that illustrates how pervasive underage drinking is throughout our state. Heather being a talented and popular local artist with many young fans in our
community, we expect In My Time to become not only a popular song across the state, but a song with a valuable message behind the music to help the youth of Kansas understand that it’s okay to say no thanks to drinking until they reach an age where they are more comfortable and better equipped to make a good decision.”
Research shows that, while young people drink somewhat less frequently than do adults, they tend to consume nearly twice as much alcohol per occasion. Research also shows that the part of the brain responsible for judgment and impulse control, the prefrontal cortex, is not fully developed until approximately the age of 24, and that alcohol impairs this part of the immature brain more quickly than it does the mature brain. “This fact helps explain why Kansans, aged 15-24 years, who comprise only 19 percent of the driving population, are now involved in almost 40 percent of alcohol-related crashes,” said Bodyk.”
Heather Shelley, who is currently touring throughout the state and even working on a new album, was happy to be a part of KDOT’s efforts to help promote the musical message.
“Being 20 years old, I understand firsthand the pressure in society today to fit in and be a part of the “in crowd,” said Shelley. “I’ve been faced with these situations throughout my life and I hope this song will help inspire my younger fans and everyone across Kansas to realize that it’s okay to say no thanks if you don’t want to drink alcohol before you’re ready to do so responsibly. It doesn’t make you any less of a person and if anything you are a stronger person for saying no.”
KDOT also now offers an anonymous tipline, 1-866-MustB21, designed to encourage citizens to become actively involved in reporting underage drinking violations that might otherwise go unnoticed. The toll-free tipline operates 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, and is now available for citizens to anonymously report parties involving underage drinking, plans to purchase alcohol for underage persons and willingness of retailers to sell alcohol to underage persons in Kansas.
Kansas state law declares that it is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to purchase, or attempt to purchase, possess or consume alcohol. It is also illegal for anyone to furnish alcohol to persons under the age of 21, except as provided by law. Furthermore, it is illegal for persons of any age to host minors under the age of 18 who are in the possession of, or drinking, alcoholic liquor or cereal malt beverage while on property owned, rented, or otherwise controlled by the host.
- Kansas Department of Transportation