Back in November, on the night of the inaugural Creston’s Best Singer competition, the air was thick with anticipation and intrigue. Who would the singers be? What would they sound like? Who would win?
By the time it was over, some three-and-a-half hours later, and Jordan Janzen had claimed the title, only one question remained for those fortunate enough to find their way inside Prince Charles Auditorium for the sold-out show: who the heck is Vern Gorham?
The little-known, five-year resident of Creston created, promoted, emceed and practically starred in the event, patterned after the reality show Britain’s Got Talent. At a facility that typically features dozens of empty seats for even the biggest out-of-town acts, an estimated 100 people expecting (and why wouldn’t they?) to walk up to the door and buy a cheap $5 ticket were surprisingly turned away because all the seats, extra chairs and available floor space had been scooped up.
The contest created a buzz that lasted throughout an evening that did not drag despite its length, and left the audience looking forward to the second edition of what Gorham pledged would become an annual affair. Few likely banked on it coming so soon, as Gorham announces in this New Year’s issue of I Love Creston magazine that the 2011 contest – a two-parter – is planned for late winter.
So who is this sharp-dressing, smooth-talking showman, who revved up the crowd with a little pep rally and had it demanding an encore after a rousing rendition of Bon Jovi’s Dead or Alive? He even tinkled the ivories of a baby grand to kill time during a dead spot while judges tallied their votes, striking one item off his bucket list by playing for a paying audience. Hailing from northern Alberta, Gorham’s background is in banking, not entertainment, although he loves crooning in the company of friends with a high-end karaoke machine he bought a couple of years ago as part of a burgeoning DJ business. Calling himself at peace with his self-proclaimed status as an “average” singer and musician, Gorham nonetheless concedes that his Jon Bon Jovi impersonation “was a fantastic experience. The crowd was so great. I hope that all of my singers felt as loved by the crowd as I did.
“The formula for success was already blazed by American Idol and Britain’s Got Talent,” continues Gorham, who was motivated to make a few bucks off the show for his family during a spell of under-employment while he developed a nutrition-related venture. “I just brought it closer to home and tried to make everyone feel a part of it. Then I just went out there and tried to have a great time, and over 350 people joined me. It was a lot more work than I anticipated, but it was enjoyable.”
If he can prove later this winter that Creston’s Best Singer 2010 “wasn’t just a onetime fluke or a one-hit wonder,” he may expand the concept to a neighbouring city like Trail or Cranbrook, and perhaps even promote a regional version of the contest.
“It was so much fun the first time, I would like to see how far we can go with this,” he says, “and I won’t know unless I try.”
Gorham’s got guts, if nothing else.
As for the rest of this January edition of I Love Creston, here’s hoping it finds you well and brimming with even a small portion of Gorham’s optimism for 2011.
Happy New Year!
Brian Bell