Stardom beckons for blind teenage singer Kerry Firth

From: "BlindNews Mailing List" <BlindNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <BlindNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:02:12 -0400
The Irish Post
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Stardom beckons for blind teenage singer Kerry Firth

WITH dreams of storming the British music charts a blind teenage singer from 
Manchester is set to release her second album which she hopes to have ready for 
Christmas.

Kerry Firth, 18, was born blind but it is her talented singing voice that has 
stood her apart from the crowd.

With her manager mother - second-generation Irish woman Julie Firth - by her 
side, Kerry has already made one album and is a regular performer at weddings 
and other local events.

Mum Julie, whose own mother is a native of Co. Mayo, has watched her daughter's 
talent blossom over the years.

The vice-chairman of the ManchesterMayo Association said: "She started singing 
from a very early age. She is very musical. She can play the clarinet and piano.

"It started at family functions. She used to like Daniel O'Donnell and copy his 
songs."

And so from relatively humble beginnings Kerry, who lives in Urmston, started 
singing with the school choir before taking private music lessons and producing 
her own album.

According to mum Julie, Kerry's voice has now developed into the soprano range 
similar to that of Charlotte Church.

She said: "I think she is good. Everyone seems to like her. "People began 
asking her about different songs she'd play at functions and we decided to 
compile a CD."

The home-made self-entitled 11track disc is a collection of both classical 
music and hymns.

And Kerry, who can read Braille and plans to go to university next year, admits 
she would love to make loads of albums and become a very successful singer.

She said: "I can't remember how old I was but I was singing at quite an early 
age."

Kerry first sang in public at mass in her local church in St. Alphonsus, where 
the parish priest was Fr Patrick MacMahon.

When the clergyman moved parishes, the family moved too and Kerry now sings at 
St. John's Church in Chorlton.

Fr MacMahon said: "She is a lovely little singer, a lovely child. "Everyone in 
the community is very proud of her. We wish her well.

"It was lovely seeing her going to an ordinary school and doing her normal 
exams like everybody else and now she is reaching the stage of going to 
university which is even better still."

Singing is in Kerry's genes as she comes from an Irish singing background.

Her second cousin is Michael McGoldrick, singer with the Manchester Celtic rock 
group Toss The Feathers. 
  

http://www.irishpost.co.uk/news/story.asp?j=6456&cat=news
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Stardom beckons for blind teenage singer Kerry Firth

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