CBC Searchlight is looking for great Canadian talent, and the Craig Henderson Trio is looking for your vote.
The 22-year old singer, who got his start playing gigs at Sidney Market, plays with his father Gordon (guitar) and Bill Kent (who taught him jazz piano).
Starting Feb. 13, audiences can go to cbcmusic.ca/searchlight and vote.
In an interview, Henderson said half of their score is based on audience voting, and the other half is based on a panel of judges. The group submitted a song called “The Actor,” and Henderson credited his father with the lyrics and most of the music. He describes it as “a Barry Manilow-esque ballad about a theatre actor who feels lonely up on stage.”
The first-place winner gets studio time in Calgary where they can record an album. They also get tickets to the Junos, but Henderson is most interested in the exposure. The winning song is played on CBC Radio.
The trio was formed when Henderson was 14, and he is 22 now. Henderson won 1st runner up at the 2016 Calgary Stampede Talent Search, and this is just the next step. He works part time at a cider house “to keep the income going in,” but he’s still practicing and performing in the hopes of making it a full-time career.
“We just have a lot of fun together.”
Voters can go to cbcmusic.ca/searchlight