Two Chattanooga singers get their first shot at becoming the “Real Country” champion this week on the USA Network’s new country music series.
Dave Kennedy will be featured in Tuesday’s episode. Larry Fleet will compete Wednesday. Both episodes air at 10 p.m. EST.
The series premiered earlier this month after filming over the summer in Nashville. In each hourlong episode, country superstars Shania Twain, Jake Owen and Travis Tritt handpick one of 21 emerging solo artists, duos and groups to perform in showcases that spotlight specific country genres.
Larry Fleet
In each episode, the panelists’ three handpicked contestants perform in round one. The two artists with the highest audience score then advance to round two. The winner of round two takes home $10,000, earns a spot at next year’s Stagecoach Festival and moves on to the finale for a chance to win $100,000 and a show at the Grand Ole Opry.
According to his show bio, Kennedy has “a voice like a runaway freight train.” He has been a singer/songwriter for nearly a decade, with influences that include old and new country artists, mixed with a little rock ‘n’ roll. He recently toured with country artist Drake White and is starting to work on his first full-length solo album. He’s one of Tritt’s picks.
Fleet, originally from White Bluff, Tennessee, and now living in Chattanooga, grew up listening to the traditional sounds of gospel, bluegrass and country, according to his bio. By age 7, he had performed with a bluegrass group at the Ryman Auditorium. He is a full-time electrician who was discovered by Owen, who invited him on the show.
The USA Network airs on channel 24 on Comcast Xfinity and channel 23 on EPBFI.