FROM JUNE 2010
Casey James
Cool’s Coolest Crooner
SPONSORED BY ENVY MEDICAL DAY SPA
STORY BY PHIL RIDDLE
PHOTO BY MEGAN PARKS
H
Billy Cole and his mom, Debra, a nurse, who played and
sang with Casey at a variety of North Texas venues.
Mom said her little boy was musically inclined from
the beginning.
“Always,” she said beaming. “He was humming
before he could sing. We’ve always sung together.
Casey did a lot of gigs with me at nursing homes and
senior citizens centers.”
Although the family is very close, since Casey has
been in Hollywood, they haven’t been able to stay in
touch as much as they’d like.
“He’s been so busy,” Debra told fans who jammed the
Channel 4 studio. “He tries to call or text when he can,
but there’s not a lot of time. It’s pretty intense.”
Indeed, time was at a premium during his Texas visit.
Besides his prerequisite visit to the Fox Television
station, he was scheduled to attend a parade in his honor,
an event in Fort Worth’s stockyards district, a lunch
prepared by Weatherford’s Fire Oak Grill and continuing
to rehearse for Tuesday’s show.
He was asked when he plans to rest during the whirlwind of activity.
“I’ll do that later,” he said, flashing a smile and adding
he practices whenever he can.
“Any time we get a spare moment, I’m working on it,”
he said. “I have (this week’s song choice) on my iPod
and keep it on the go.”
James told the TV crowd he was pleased to have
DECEMBER 2015 PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
e used to ride his bike to classes at Millsap High
School.
Now he jets in from the left coast on a private plane.
He borrowed his mom’s truck to get to an important
audition.
Now he arrives at personal appearances in stretch
limousines.
He was in Millsap High School’s theater production of
“The Prisoner.”
Now, each week he films a music video sponsored by
Ford and seen by millions.
From giggling at area nursing homes and senior
centers to prime time appearances before millions of
adoring fans, a parade in his honor and hordes of screaming fans calling for autographs and hugs.
Casey James, this is your life.
If you’ve been under a rock for the last few months,
James is the 27-year-old Parker County native who made
it through weeks of eliminations to land in the top three
of the fox television juggernaut, American Idol.
James, who told the show’s host following his
advancement into the semifinal round of the show he
looked forward to “breathing some Texas air,” was the
focus of a recent weekend of activities in the Metroplex,
including an hour-long appearance on the morning show
at Channel 4, which airs the phenomenally successful TV
show.
Emerging from his block-long black Hummer, the
blond-haired, blue-eyed North Texas heartthrob strolled
past the ever-present cameras through throngs of admirers, including a contingent from Millsap High School.
“This is crazy,” he grinned, obviously embarrassed by
the attention, “I was totally expecting nobody to be here.”
In his broadcast interview, James humbly admitted he
is surprised at his success.
“I’m shocked,” he said. “That’s all I can say. I never
expected to make it past the stadium audition so to be in
the Top Three. I’m really stunned.”
The adjectives continued to flow as Millsap’s favorite
son eased through the gauntlet of supporters, most bearing reversible signs saying “Casey is Cool” on one side
and “Casey is Hot” on the other.
“This is crazy,” James repeated. “It’s wild. I got to
see a bunch of people I haven’t gotten to see in a long
time. It’s amazing.”
James shared the spotlight with his family, his brother
Continued on page 63
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