Blackaby stepping up to reach musical goal

Becky Blackaby is an up- and-coming musician who has been taking small steps in the music industry to reach her goal of being a full-time musician.

Blackaby is a speech language pathologist part-time, but her true passion is music.

“I’ve always loved to perform and entertain,” Blackaby said.

Blackaby is a Paris, Mo., native who is performing two shows at the Budweiser Tent on the Missouri State Fairgrounds today.

She attended the University of Missouri and received a Masters degree from Central Missouri State University before deciding to start her music career.

“The more I thought about it this is something I wanted to have a career in,” Blackaby said.

The red-head musician works part-time at a school in Missouri while her music career takes off.

She has been in the business for about five years and she said she wants to make music her life-long career.
“We just try to keep it real. If something doesn’t go as planned, we just roll with it,” Blackaby said.

She had two performances opening day of the fair and has been playing everywhere she can throughout the summer.

“Hopefully by the next year or two we’ll do some shows outside of Missouri,” Blackaby said.

In addition to playing, she also travels to Nashville, Tenn., once a month to network and work on her music.

Currently, Blackaby is working on putting her band together and recently put out her EP titled “Dear Nobody,” which she recorded in Kansas City.

Blackaby said her band has high energy and they work hard at connecting with the audience, incorporating a mix of country, pop and rock sounds.

Getting to know Becky Blackaby

What’s your favorite color?
“Pink.”

What’s your drink of choice?
“Bud Light ponies, dry red wine or water.”

What’s on your iPod?
“Today I listened to our set list, but Sara Evans is in the CD player. I could listen to her all day.”

What TV show do you never miss?
“We would tape ‘Daisy of Love’ and ‘The Pickup Artist’, that is one of my favorites.”

What’s the last good movie you’ve seen?
“I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve seen a movie.”

If you go
Who: Becky Blackaby
When: 2 and 6 p.m. Friday
Where: Missouri State Fairgrounds Budweiser Stage

Web site: myspace.com/beckyblackaby