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Isaac Satterwhite is a firm believer in the power of
dreams.
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| By:MICHAEL MOORE,
Villager editor |
January
15, 2003 |
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And, at 43, Satterwhite is just beginning to
chase his life-long dream.
Satterwhite, a resident of Chateau
Woods and a native East Texan, has dreamed of pursuing a career in
country music since he was a child. He grew up around country and
gospel music, finding his greatest source of inspiration in his
grandfather, a traveling gospel singer.
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"I guess that's where I got it from, because my daddy
couldn't carry a tune in a bucket," Satterwhite said with a
laugh.
Satterwhite moved with his family to the Houston area in
his early teens, and began training his voice with the First Baptist
Church of Houston choir. He went on to take the gospel around the
world with his singing talents.
After graduating from high school
in the Spring Branch area and attending Baylor University for a few
years, the promise of big money attracted Satterwhite to the oil
industry. He helped his brother-in-law open an oil field service
company, Coupling Specialties Inc., and remains vice president of
operations with that company to this date.
Thoughts of a musical
career, however, lingered in Satterwhite's mind.
"I told him back
then I'd help him open the business up if he'd back me singing after
we made it rich," Satterwhite recalled. "Needless to say, that
didn't happen, with the big bust back in '81. So here I am 20 years
later, starting to do what I should have been doing a long, long
time ago."
Satterwhite's full-fledged venture into music began
about two years ago when he split with his wife, Terri. Broken
hearted, he recorded a CD of cover songs that conveyed his emotions
at the time. He had 50 copies of the CD printed and, as luck would
have it, one found its way into an opry house in Alvin.
The opry
house contacted him, and he was on stage a week later.
"Since
then, it's just exploded," Satterwhite said. "The opry scene is a
big circuit."
Over the last two years, Satterwhite has plied his
trade at opry houses in Killeen, Beaumont, Liberty and Magnolia. He
spends his weekdays raising his 11-year-old son, Jake, and spends
the weekends taking the stage at clubs and opry houses across
Texas.
The opry houses, he insists, are different from what
people may think.
"They're clean, non-alcoholic," he said. "They
have their own bands -- good bands, too. Real pros. They're a great
place to work off your nerves and build a stage presence and get out
in front of an audience."
Satterwhite has spent the last several
months entering musical contests, never hoping to win, only holding
out hope for a little exposure. But at one recent competition,
Satterwhite took home top honors -- without even knowing he was
competing.
In November, he was named Texas Country Music Show
Entertainer of the Month after a performance in Kirbyville. While he
was performing, Satterwhite had no idea he was being judged.
"I
didn't even know about the contest," Satterwhite laughed. "I showed
up and didn't know about it till it was over. They lined up all the
contestants at the end, and I was announced as the winner."
As a
result of his accomplishment, Satterwhite was invited back to
Kirbyville to compete for the TCMS Entertainer of the Year Award
Jan. 11. Although he didn't win, Satterwhite enjoyed participating
and gathering more exposure on his way to country music
success.
"I didn't expect to win," he said. "I never expect to
win any of 'em. I just go out, have a lot of fun and sing from the
heart."
With two years of heavy touring and performing behind
him, Satterwhite has focused all of his attention on his music
career. He recently began working on his songwriting craft, a skill
he admits that doesn't come as naturally as his vocal
talent.
"You can't just sit down and do it," Satterwhite said of
songwriting. "You have to see something all of the sudden, or
another song will inspire you to do this or that. That's how it
works."
He hopes to assemble a band and record a debut CD within
the next few months, which he hopes will lead to radio
airplay.
Over the last few weeks, he has rekindled his
relationship with Terri. He credits her with his rejuvenated passion
for music.
"If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't be doing any of
this," Satterwhite said. "I didn't have the heart. I had the talent
and the voice, but because of her I got the courage do get up and do
it."
Satterwhite will stay busy in 2003 -- he already has
performances planned in Alvin, Magnolia, Liberty, Huntsville, Conroe
and other locations in January and February. For more information on
his performances, visit www.isaacsatterwhite.com.
"A lot of these
places get the same people," Satterwhite said. "I like to travel
around; I don't want them to get tired of me."
Satterwhite isn't
hoping to get rich in the music game; he simply wants to live out
his dream. Eventually, he hopes to be nominated for an award by the
Country Music Association.
"I want to get up on that stage and
thank God, Lord almighty, for giving me the talent," he said.
"That's where it comes from; it's not me."
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| ©The
Villager 2003 |
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