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Singer Hopes For Big Break

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By Cheryl  Bentley | The Suncoast News

Published: December 12, 2007

When he was a junior at River Ridge High School, Chris Stein discovered his dream.

He wants to be a singer.

He found his singing talent by accident.

He started boning up on his singing for a role in the Pasco Hernando Community College production of "Fame," one of several area theatrical productions in which he participated while in high school.

His mother heard him, was impressed and footed the bill for singing lessons.

From that time on, Stein's dream switched from acting to singing.

He has not let go of it.

At 19, Stein is now a year out of high school and has yet to get his big break. While a senior at River Ridge, it looked as if the dream would materialize.

Jason Davis, who manages stars such as JoJo, who was recently nominated as national female vocalist of the year in the 2007 Boston Music Awards, took an interest in Stein. He scheduled record label appointments with ten major record companies for Stein.

Out of those, one company showed an interest in him, Stein said, but eventually had to step out because of financial reasons.

Time for Plan B.

The 6-foot-8-inch Stein is now attending St. Petersburg College and plans to transfer to the University of South Florida, in Tampa, to get a performing arts degree.

"I'll work from there," he said.

In the meantime, he sings in productions organized by his grandfather, Ed Holder. About twice a month, Holder rents space at local venues for a roster of entertainers to perform.

Stein is only one of many performers in Holder's shows.

But having your grandfather run the show helps. "I pretty much get a little more performance time than the other performers," he said.

Ever the consummate entertainer, Stein tailors his material for his audiences, who are mostly older people. "I do 'Unchained Melody' and 'New York, New York' kind of music," he said.

Stein describes his singing style as "contemporary meets R&B."

Being able to sing is too important for him to toss his dream aside, Stein noted.

"It's kind of an out-of-world experience," Stein explained. "When I'm on stage, I'm in my own world because I feel good from singing."

To hear Stein sing go to www.chrisstein.net. For more information on Stein call 727-271-7801.

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