Geoff McBride on "The Voice" and on stage at First Note

Even though it’s called “The Voice,” Santa Rosa Beach resident Geoff McBride has to be pretty quiet when it comes to his shot at the big time in the music industry.


He is going to appear on NBC’s hit reality series, but don’t expect him to elaborate.


“All I can say at this point is that I’ve auditioned,” McBride told The Sun Feb. 8.


For those who frequent First Note Music Hall, however, this will not be their first time seeing McBride perform, as he is a staple performer at the performance hall.


Before that, however, Geoff McBride was making waves in the ‘90s R & B world.


“He was actually a legitimate Atlanta record star,” said First Note Music Hall owner Tommy Jackson. “He was doing back-up singing for Aretha Franklin. He was legit. He was in the big times.”


However, because of the fickle nature of the music business, McBride found himself back in the area looking for gigs.


“My brother, Tim Jackson, found him. Geoff blew him totally away,” said Jackson.


“They ended up becoming the Old Florida Fish House band,” added Jackson of the duo.


It was after Jackson opened First Note that he approached McBride to be a regular summer performer at the music hall.


“I went to Geoff and said ‘You don’t belong in a barroom band,’ ” recalled Jackson. “Some eight weeks later, he was one of the crowd favorites.”


It wasn’t too much later that he was called to audition for “The Voice.”


“At first he didn’t want to go, but we elected that was the right move for him.” said Jackson, who has been contacted by shows like “The Voice” and “American Idol” as they look for fresh talent.


“It’s undeniable he has one of the strongest voices in the world,” said Jackson. “Chill bumps go everywhere when he starts to sing.”


Though Jackson compared the strength of his voice to “Luther Vandross on steroids,” he added, “When Geoff sings, there’s no mistake that’s Geoff McBride.”


With the next episode set to air Monday at 7 p.m., stay tuned for McBride’s appearance on “The Voice,” and catch him in person on the First Note stage Feb. 14, 17 and 18.


Since First Note Music Hall opened July 4, 2011, it has lived up to Jackson’s intention as a place to showcase artists. Located at the corner of Highway 83 and County Road 30A, First Note features between three and six varied-genre acts per evening, which rotate every five songs. Visit firstnotemusichall.com for more information and to keep up with McBride’s — and other signature artists’ — performance dates.

 

Woo hoo! Geoff went with Christina. Saw a certain female SoWaller on The Voice. Congrats, y'all!

 

He ROCKED that audition! Can't wait to see him more!

 

I thought he had the most powerful voice of any of the contestants tonight. He came across quite well.

 

He mentioned Santa Rosa Beach Florida twice on national television...........pretty cool.

Congrats Geoff............don't forget to mention Sowal!

 

Fantastic job. Best singer last night hands down!!!! Lets hope he goes all the way!!!

 

Great job Goeff. I would love to see you make a new entrance into the music industry. I know that's where your heart is....right alongside your wonderful family.

 

Awwww...y'all are so awesome! We both say thank you so much! Ash, we miss you guys!

 

Geoff McBride is getting a second opportunity to rise to the top of the charts.


The Santa Rosa Beach vocalist’s “blind audition” on Monday’s episode of “The Voice” wowed Christina Aguilera, earning him a spot on her team and the opportunity to move forward in the competition.


“The very first note you hit blew me away,” said Aguilera at the audition.


During his rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground,” McBride earned an almost instant “turn-around” from Aguilera, later getting one from Cee Lo Green. If selected by more than one judge, the performers have the final say of which team they join.


“I chose Christina simply because she turned around from the beginning. She was there till the end,” said McBride. “My decision came down basically to the one I thought had more interest.”


He dedicated the performance to his father, who died from cancer when McBride was 6 years old.


McBride’s remembered his father as a gifted singer who, though he never made it to the big time, gave his son “the greatest gift in the world” — a voice.


McBride related to Carson Daly before his audition, “My dad … was my hero. I feel that I’m living my dad’s dream.


“It was like my father was leading me the whole way,” McBride said in a post-audition interview. “This is a dream come true because I feel like I’m walking in his footsteps.”


Though renowned along 30A for his strong voice, the former Arista recording artist is again delving in to the big world of showbiz.


“You can get thrown under the bus. And I feel like with me that situation arrived,” said the 51-year-old of his music career faded in the ’90s.


But now he’s ready for a fresh start.


“I jumped on it … now I’m ready to ride it and rise to the top,” he said.


His family was on hand at the audition, with his wife, Lisa, and the couple’s three young children, Zoe, River, and Hunter waiting backstage.


“They are super excited,” said McBride, adding that he and his family got “no sleep (Monday) night” due to his television debut.


The popular singing show is in its second season, which McBride said adds to the pressure of the competition.


“I think it also adds a great twist because once again there’s so much talent there,” he said.


McBride will continue on to the next level in the competition, in which he will be pitted against one of his team members in a head-to-head singing competition.


Follow McBride’s progress on “The Voice” Monday nights at 7 on NBC. The show will be aired on the big-screen TV at First Note Music Hall in Santa Rosa Beach, where McBride regularly performs.


Said McBride, “I think that the journey is just beginning, so we’ll see what’s in store.”

 

[video=youtube_share;P_mBoiyItsU]http://youtu.be/P_mBoiyItsU[/video]

 

You looked beautiful! And so did the kids.

 

I thought he was great. One more reason to make Santa Rosa Beach proud. Geoff, hoping this is the break you deserve.

 

I agree. Those are some beautiful kids.

Thanks, Dawn, for posting the video.

Congrats again to Geoff!

 

You guys are so wonderful! Again, thank you!

 

He was on tonight. I missed the initial show. He was GREAT!! Best singer in the whole bunch. Go all the way Geoff!!!

 

Thanks, Yippie!

 

Geoff McBride

Wonderful article about Geoff McBride in this weeks Walton Sun. We all wish him the best on his upcoming appearances on 'The Voice'.

http://www.waltonsun.com/news/love-8558-destiny-voice.html

Though the competition is heating up in NBC’s “The Voice,” Geoff McBride seems unfazed.


“I’m going to get to my destiny regardless,” said McBride in a sit-down interview with The Sun.


The Santa Rosa Beach resident, who was selected to be a part of Team Christina earlier in the show’s season, has been gracing the community with his voice for many of the six years he has lived along 30A.


McBride was part of the Old Florida Fish House Band duo and now can be seen regularly at First Note Music Hall. But McBride has been making music for as long as he can remember.


“I was fascinated by sound as a child,” said McBride, who grew up in Lexington, N.C. “I was always banging on something.”


He recalled his first snare drum, which he crafted out of an oatmeal canister, the top of which was covered in tin foil and secured with a rubber band.


In the longtime musician’s blind audition for The Voice, which aired Feb. 13, McBride credited his late father as his major musical inspiration.


With his father as his guiding light, he said of his mother, “(She) is one of the solid anchors.”


His mother, who lives in Maryland, always imbued her son with the value of hard work. She taught him to never let grass grow under his feet and to chase what fulfills him.


Throughout his long career, which has included a recording contract, McBride has taken these adages to heart. He strives to meet his destiny head-on.


On the national stage of “The Voice,” the country is now taking notice of his talent, but McBride maintains his levelheaded attitude.


“It’s not changing us,” he said of his family’s response to his reality television close-up. “We’re so laid back. But it is enlightening us to the love of the community.


“We just take it all in and thank God,” he added of his wife, Lisa, and the couple’s three kids, River, Zoe, and Hunter. McBride also has two grandchildren from his eldest son Romero, 27.


As a featured performer at 30A’s First Note Music Hall, McBride already has gained recognition along the Panhandle for his vocal talent and songwriting virtuosity.


In contrast to The Voice, at First Note, McBride performs his own songs for gathered crowds. His inspiration, he says, comes simply from living life.


“There’s always a song to be sung, always a lyric to be spoken,” said McBride. “That’s the greatest thing about being a writer.”


McBride told The Sun that one of his role models is James Taylor, as his lyrics “tell a story.” His other influences include Gov’t Mule, Sarah McLachlan, Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway.


Those who have been to First Note can attest to McBride’s stunning vocals and stage presence. But, for McBride, he is just doing what he loves.


“I’m in a whole different element on stage,” he said. “Anytime I can bless a person with my voice, I will. I love to do what I do.”


Upcoming in “The Voice” competition are “battle rounds,” in which two teammates are pitted against each other with the same song. The coach then selects the winner based on who better performs the selected song, and with the collection of talent on The Voice, the choice can be a difficult one.


“They’re as talented as can be,” said McBride of the other contestants. But he added, “It’s not about doing battle, it’s about what you bring to the table.”


For McBride, no matter the outcome, he recognizes his time on the television show as a gift.


However, he added, “Regardless of what happens on ‘The Voice,’ my career goes on.”


Keep track of McBride’s progress on "The Voice" Monday nights at 7 on NBC.

 

Mot, I hope you know how much you mean to all of us. Thanks so much for posting. Wish we saw you more, but just know that you are very loved by the McBride family.