NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
A Nashville woman is living proof that if you have big dreams and love what you're doing, just keep doing it and maybe something good will happen.
Etta Britt first arrived in Nashville in the 1970s, hoping to make a name for herself as a singer. She did, and she found great success with harmonies and a soulful sound that made her voice a regular part of records.
But it was usually as a backup singer, always wondering if she'd ever get to the front of the stage.
Some dream of being Diana Ross, but Britt saw herself as a 'Supreme.'
It was a career that started in her Kentucky bathroom with a hairbrush.
"And I would stand in front of the mirror for hours and sing. That was my microphone," Britt said.
That led to churches, stages and a short stint in a 1970s country band. Her voice, and the passion it projected, made her a go-to girl on Music Row.
"We're in Nashville. If you get called to come sing with somebody, it's quite an honor," Brit said.
On stage, she belted it out with Delbert McClinton and hoped for a reaction.
"I love it when people tell me that when I sing they feel it in their gut," she said. "I want someone to come up to me after I've finished a show and tell me I've made them cry."
But this year has brought tears of joy, as Britt has moved from the background to stage front with a solo record deal at the age of 55.
"Well my whole life changed. My career has started," she said.
Soon, Britt will leave her Whites Creek kitchen and head out on the road again.
"Sometimes all it takes is a leap of faith," Britt said.
After 35 years, Britt took a leap of faith and stuck the landing.
"Never stop dreaming. Never stop believing that it can happen," Britt said.
Her new record, Out of the Shadows, is already receiving high praise from music critics, and her story has caught the attention of NBC's Today Show.
Britt is set to appear and sing on Today this Saturday morning.
Copyright WSMV 2012 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
