![]() And that 12 million people are watching you," Coffey says. But it's an odd feeling to realize you're on TV. On his way to the top 4, he performed one of his original songs, "Southern Man." Finally, he had the chance to show America who he was while playing on a national stage. In 2008, he auditioned for Nashville Star and was the first contestant of color to become one of the top 12 finalists. Within 7 days, that number climbed to 63,000.Īll of Coffey's hard work paid off. Within 4 days of his first postings, he had 17,000 views. In each video, Coffey showed viewers how to play pop songs, praise songs and some of his own tunes. "You meet lots of people you don't trust, because there's not a lot of trust in this city…but you have to find a way to give yourself a chance." To do that, Coffey lived by one simple rule: "I never told myself ‘no.'" His next move was to embrace the publishing power of the Internet by posting videos on YouTube. He brought down the house at open mic nights and won himself free studio time-which he used to record an 8-song demo. Once in LA, he began crashing auditions and movie sets and singing on Santa Monica's famed Third Street Promenade. "When you're from a place where everybody knows everybody…picking up and moving to another town on a whim-that's the hardest thing you could do," he says. He even auditioned for Season 2 of American Idol, making it to the Hollywood round as one of 75 finalists. When he'd sold 350 copies, he headed for Los Angeles to test his talent. He began writing songs and used his bedroom closet as a studio to record an album. After graduating with a degree in Practical Theology and a minor in Spanish, he decided to take a radically different path. His shock was understandable: MercyMe had just released their debut album Almost There with the hit song "I Can Only Imagine."įollowing his first live show, Coffey didn't quit basketball, but his drive to play music took over his life. "Turned out it was Bart Millard of MercyMe-the very first band he opened for," he says. Before the show, he went to meet the headlining act backstage. Within 90 days of having picked up that guitar, a friend hooked him up with a gig to open for a touring band that was stopping by the university. So he moved down to the lobby, and more people came. In his own words: Hear where Coffey's been and where he's goingĬoffey kept playing and singing in his dorm room, and soon people were lining the hallways to listen. "I was so blown away to find out that you could play just about anything by starting with three chords." ![]() Starting to play with a Mel Bay beginner's book and a patient friend, he learned his first three chords: G, C and D. He was surprised by the praise, but took it seriously. Take this guitar home with you and learn how to play it" Coffey remembers. "He looked at me and said ‘Boy, you can sing. The man of the house took one off the wall and began to play-and Coffey started to sing along. He walked into a room lined with guitars. That night he was just a nervous guy headed over to his girlfriend's house to meet her father. But one night in 2002, his life took an unexpected turn. Coffey headed for Howard Payne University to play for the Yellow Jackets. His achievements as an all-star player ultimately landed him a number of college scholarships. "I felt like I went to church every day-or at least every other day-growing up." As musical as he was, basketball still came first. "We always had people coming to our house singing and for prayer meetings," Coffey says. At age 6, he joined the church choir alongside his mother and older sister. His first concert was a spontaneous performance for the neighbors from the back of his dad's pickup. Quick on his feet and 6'5" by age 16, he never felt better than when he was out on the dirt road shooting hoops.īut there was always music in his home, and he'd been singing Gospel tunes for as long as he could remember. As a kid growing up in Bangs, Texas, Coffey was pretty sure he'd be a basketball player. That's what Coffey Anderson realized the first time he held a guitar in his hands-and it transformed him from a college basketball star to a singer, songwriter and entertainer. "If you don't believe in yourself, nobody else will"
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