Amateur singers ready to charm rodeo crowd

At 24 years old, Jeremiah Neal has only just begun to experience the ups and downs that ultimately define a life. However, there already have been a few of those that he won’t forget.

Neal is one of two amateurs selected to sing the national anthem at this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. But years ago, the Jacksonville, Texas, native played on a trampoline with football megastar Patrick Mahomes, when the two were youngsters.

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback grew up about 15 minutes up the road from Neal and his family, in a small town called Whitehouse, close to where Neal’s aunt lived with her two children.

“They were friends with the Mahomes family, and so I got to jump on a trampoline with Patrick and his brother Jackson,” said Neal, who earned a Master of Science in agriculture from Texas Tech — the same school that launched Mahomes’ NFL career.

There are two religions in Texas: the traditional kind and the passion plays conducted during fall weekends under Friday night lights. Neal said he also crossed paths with the McCown brothers, Jacksonville native sons Josh and Luke, who spent a combined 24 seasons as NFL quarterbacks.

The McCown siblings are two of 19 former Jacksonville football stars who have played in the NFL and in the Tomato Bowl, the home of the Jacksonville Fightin’ Indians. The stadium is named for the city’s other chief export.

But Neal, who has performed the Star-Spangled Banner at the Tomato Bowl, said his talent was always more focused on Sunday mornings than it was on Friday nights.

His love for music began in church, where he started singing as an 8-year-old. Neal said he has always been a rodeo fan, but never competed in the sport, his background in farming and ranching notwithstanding.

But he said the Thomas & Mack Center during the NFR is “the largest stage in rodeo that you have the opportunity to sing on, so I’m very excited.”

Neal is the son of Tony and Lashunda Neal, and has a wife, Bri’Ana. He will perform the anthem on Dec. 13, the final night of the 40th NFR in Las Vegas.

“You know, I’ll probably be just a little nervous, especially with that being one of the largest crowds that I’ve ever sung in front of,” he said. “I plan to just go out there and give them my best, and make sure that God is seen through the performance.”

Sharing the big stage

The other amateur selected to sing the national anthem at this year’s NFR under a new contest format — a fan vote trimmed the list of finalists to 30, before a panel of judges tabbed the two winners — also grew up in Texas.

Charley Cox, 17, was born and raised in Weatherford, about a half-hour drive from Fort Worth. She is the daughter of Barbara and Chris Cox, a renowned horseman who handed down his passion for most things equine to his only daughter, a former amateur barrel racer.

“I did not expect to actually end up winning it; I was so excited and so shocked,” said the student at Weatherford Christian School, who performs with the school’s Praise and Worship band. “I just jumped up and gave my dad a hug.”

Despite having switched much of her focus to singing and dancing, Cox said she still finds time to ride almost every day.

She and her horse, Rio, a 5-year-old Palomino, are almost inseparable, she said. They have established a rhythm that would impress her favorite performers: Lauren Daigle, a contemporary Christian music singer; and Zach Top, whose Cold Beer and Country Music Tour will headline the MGM Grand Garden on Friday.

Cox will sing the national anthem ahead of the NFR’s fifth round on Monday night. She said paying tribute to America on rodeo’s biggest stage is a daunting task.

“It’s a very difficult song, because it (requires) a really big range, so there’s low parts and high parts and a lot of breath control, which is really difficult,” she said.

“I am definitely a little bit more nervous, because this is such a big opportunity. But I’m just going to rely on my training and all the practice I put into it, and I think that’s the best you can do.”

Cox said she won’t be terribly disappointed if singing the national anthem at the NFR doesn’t produce an invitation from “America’s Got Talent.”

“I don’t think I would ever rely on it as my sole occupation,” she said of her singing. “But (this) is an amazing thing to be a part of, because it shows my love for singing, my love for rodeo and my love for this country.”