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Miami Valley Idol star still shocked by win
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By Eric Robinette,
Staff Writer
6:41 PM Sunday, July 5, 2009
Even now, a little more than two weeks later, Miami Valley Idol B.J. Stahl still can’t quite grasp her victory on June 20 in Middletown.
“The fact that I won totally shocked me. When they announced the top five, I went into oblivion. I don’t even remember anything that happened after that. And I had to sing immediately. I was in shock, I was in awe, I was excited. The fact that I even made it through that fog is just wonderful to me,” said Stahl, a Middletown native who lives in Southgate, Ky.
And then, “When they announced the top three, I had no I idea I was going to be it. That’s just the honest truth,” she said.
One reason Stahl couldn’t believe it was that in her mind, she had already won the contest merely by passing the audition.
“I decided from that point forward I could not be a loser. I was in the contest. That’s the win. Just being in the contest was the win. Being able to see it through was a dream come true, but just being part of it was the win, at my age. I’m 58 years old. It’s been 20 years since I did anything.”
For her prize, Stahl won $1,000 and recording time with Road Apple Music, which sponsored the contest. Although she would like to further her singing career, Stahl is most concerned about being able to give back to her community in some way.
Her advice is to stay focused on “‘What can I give to the world to make it just a little better’ instead of ‘What is the world going to give me?’ If you don’t worry about what comes back, I believe what you need comes back — and some of your wants on top of it.”
MAKING IT BIG
Like many a young girl who wants to be a singer, Middletown native Stahl had dreams of making it big.
She just dreamed a little differently than some people.
“I’d say I tried to get discovered at 9 years old when I was getting my tonsils out. I know I was under, and I was dreaming (that) if I wake up singing, someone’s going to discover me and I’ll make it big. I woke up singing Christmas carols in the middle of summer. And I didn’t get discovered,” she said with a hearty laugh.
The winner of the second Miami Valley Idol contest was born in Middletown, but hopped around the area for years, continually moving to nearby areas including Springboro and Oregonia. She graduated in 1969 from Talawanda High School.
Wherever she was, singing was always in the air.
“Out there farming, when you’re kids, if you’re lucky, your mom’s a singer. And when we’re out there toiling in the dirt, she makes it go by pretty quick with singing … she was a fabulous crooner,” Stahl said.
Stahl’s father and brothers, the LeForce family, were well known for their vocal abilities.
“Oh my gosh, magnificent harmony. They sounded like (1950s group) the Ames Brothers … oh my goodness. When we had some off time, we were just blessed with all kinds of fabulous music,” Stahl said.
There was something else in Stahl’s childhood that gave her drive — being on the receiving end of misfortune.
“When I was in second grade, our house burned, so we had to move to South Lebanon … so many people helped us. We were given clothes, we were given furniture, and you don’t forget that. So you try to give back to the world that helped you survive. That’s how I feel about it, anyway,”
That’s why Stahl spends her time volunteering at veterans homes and retirement homes. trying to give back to the community. She also served in the U.S. Air Force, working in air traffic control.
Through her travels, Stahl would occasionally join local bands, but she found them unsatisfying outlets for her talents. So when Miami Valley Idol came along, she initially balked.
An aunt told her to enter and “I thought, OK. I didn’t even know for sure if I’d do it. Your family will tell you, “Oh, you’re great and you’re wonderful … so I thought, 'OK. what the heck.’”
Once Stahl made the cut, which she considered a victory in itself, her focus was not on winning, but entertaining.
“Honestly, in this contest, I think the only reason I really won was all my family and friends supported me. There was fabulous talent there. My greatest talent, I think, is just connecting with people. I know I can carry a tune, but instead of focusing on, 'Am I gonna win, Am I gonna win,’ I wanted to put on a show, That was my objective. “
Dale Buckner, one of her fellow contestants who placed in the top five, echoed that sentiment, saying “She may not have been the best vocalist in the whole thing, but she was the best entertainer.”
Tom McClain, who judged the contest under his alias “Double-P” said, “From the get-go she had a voice that set her apart from the other contestants. I was looking for somebody who could entertain me and be the whole package.”
Buckner added, “She was very humble, a very nice lady, who was always willing to help the younger contestants quite a bit.”
One of those younger contestants was Erica Keene, 21, of Trenton.
“She’s such a nice person. She was so friendly and encouraged everyone … it was good to work with her because she had so much experience,” Keene said.
Certainly, Stahl would like to go further with her singing, but she wants to do it in her own style.
“I hope to have my own sound be what I’m known for. I don’t want to sound like somebody. I don’t think anyone great ever made it great by sounding like someone else, like Diana Ross doesn’t sound like Cher,” Stahl said.
Even if singing isn’t the next big thing for her, that’s OK — what she really wants most is to make people happy.
“If I get to do (singing) the rest of my life, yay. That’s the big thing I want to do more than anything — except touch the people in a way that they know somebody cared. That they smiled that day,” she said.
Songs BJ Stahl performed at Miami Valley Idol
“Ain’t No Sunshine”
“Diamonds and Rust”
“Gold Dust Woman”
“House of the Rising Sun”
“I Just Want to Celebrate”
“Me and Bobby McGee”
“Travelin’ Soldier”
Most clips available on YouTube
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12:27 AM, 7/6/2009