Kat Hunter
Alabama native Kat Hunter was named the West Tennessee winner of the Texaco Country Showdown at the White Bluff Main Street Festival on Saturday. Hunter wins $1,000 and advances to the region finals of the national talent contest at Rocco’s Pub in Jasper, Georgia, on Nov. 1. The region winners compete for the national title and $100,000 top prize in January on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium. Hunter topped a field of seven contestants Saturday as Tennessee has been split into two divisions for the first time. Hunter won the local competition sponsored by The Rebel 95.3 serving the Memphis area from Southaven, Mississippi. A native of Cottondale, a suburb of Tuscaloosa, Hunter was an athlete in high school who came to Nashville in 2001 to attend college and pursue a music career. Her music has been described as a mixture of blues and country with a touch of Janis Joplin on top. At Saturday’s West Tennessee Finals in White Bluff, she sang two original songs, “California” and “Whiskey and Rye,” from her self-released second album “Rhythm.” Hunter will go on to compete in the Southeast Region against winners from East Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas and Florida.
