This little page is dedicated to the multi-talented,
handsome, "movin on up", MATT BREWER whom I
love dearly and of whom I am so very proud!!
For those of you who don't know Matt yet, please read
thru the history of his rising career; and for those
of you who are already fans, you may find something
in his story you didn't already know.
Here are a couple of my favorite pictures of Matt.
Click to send Fan Mail to Matt.
Matt starting singing when he was 3 years old. Every
day he came home from Nursery School with a new song
he had learned. The amazing part was he could
remember all the words and was usually right on key.
I started recording him on a small cassette recorder
so when he grew up and became a big STAR I would
have that tape to blackmail him with!! HA! HA!
Matt was active in Show Choir in school beginning in
5th grade.His very first solo was singing "The Fifty
States that Rhyme" in Mrs. Marrs music program in
Copperas Cove, TX. I knew that night he was destined
for greatness. Just learning the words to that song
was an accomplishment, but his flair for dramatics
made him the hit of the Show. He studied music with
Mrs. Marrs for two years and was the youngest
student to attend Show Choir Camp in Denton, TX. He
got to study with the reknown Mac Huff and the girl
who did the voice of "The Little Mermaid", Jody
Benson. Even though he was the youngest student at
the camp he was chosen to perform three solos in the
show put on for the parents at the end of the camp.
At age 14 Matt started singing at various amateur
Jamborees and quickly became the favorite. It didn't
take him long to realize that there was money to be
made with his talent. He auditioned for and was
hired to perform at the Johnny High Country Music
Revue in Arlington, TX and performed professionally
on the stage of the Johnny High show several times
where he met and became friends with Country Music's
newest and youngest star, Lee Ann Rimes. Even at the
age of 10, Lee Ann could out sing anyone in the
business with her grown up voice. Matt even has one
of her first albums, produced by her father and an
autographed picture of Lee Ann when she was with the
Johnny High Show.
Matt was building his reputation as a Country singer
as he traveled around the state performing at
various Jamborees such as the Burleson Jamboree and
the Country Rose Opry in Harker Heights. Matt was
nominated as Entertainer of the Year at the Burleson
Jamboree. He also was in demand to perform at
festivals and fairs in the Central Texas area.
Before long Matt got the urge to start his own band.
So, at the tender age of 15, he and I (his mother)
formed a partnership and entered the fast-paced and
ever changing world of Country Music, forming our
own entertainment company we named "Starbound
Enterprises".
The first order of business was to put together a
band that could help Matt attain his goals of being
a professional entertainer. It wasn't easy to find
musicians willing to take a chance on a youngster
with big dreams and not much experience. However,
Matt was a determined young man and showed the guys
what he could do musically and proved he was serious
about his goals. The band came together at last and
became known as "Southern Pride". The original group
consisted of 3 members and Matt. Lead guitarist was
Jim Guest, who had played with such greats as Reba
McEntyre, Sylvia and Frenchie Burke. Jim had retired
from the music business several years before and
really didn't want to get started in that hectic
lifestyle again. After meeting with Matt he said he
"saw something in Matt" that he knew could be
nurtured and turned into "something great", so he
agreed to give it one more shot. With Jim's
assistance, we hired bass player, David Frady. David
had played with several groups also and once had
played for Delbert McClinton, another up and coming
country singer. Next came drummer, Mike Mendoza, a
young man of 18 fresh out of high school. Though not
as seasoned as Jim and David, Mike was excited to
have the chance to prove himself as a drummer at the
same time Matt was showing the world a 15 year old
could become a country singer.
The band started out playing the usual round of
VFW's and small clubs, until Jim decided Matt
was comfortable enough with the band to move up to
bigger and better gigs. Within four months of
forming Southern Pride the band hired a keyboard
player by the name of Toby Brown. The added
another dimension to the already diverse sounds of
the band and made it possible for Matt to perform a
wider range of songs that only a keyboard could do
justice to. Matt's mentor was Garth Brooks and from
the very beginning "Garth" songs were his favorite
and best performed songs. And like his mentor, Matt
was determined to give his audiences the same
quality of entertainment.From the beginning the band
"Southern Pride" was known as the band with the
young kid who entertained his audience both on stage
and off. Matt spent a lot of the evening out in the
audience with his cordless microphone singing to the
ladies, shaking hands with the gentlemen and
getting to know the people, both young and old who
came out to hear him sing. No one ever left
disappointed after spending an evening listening
to and dancing to the "hot", top 40 sounds of "Matt
Brewer and Southern Pride".
Before long the band had moved on up to those
better gigs we mentioned before, soon leaving the
VFW's and small clubs behind. The first big break
the band had was playing at the newest and hottest
Club in Central TX, "Cactus Canyon" in Temple. Matt
and the band proved they could satisfy the younger
crowds as well as the older crowds and nothing could
stop them now! One night a young lady who had sung
with Matt at the Country Rose Opry sat in with the
Band and sang a couple of songs. She and Matt just
clicked with their harmony and natural flair for
entertaining the crowds, so Matt asked Stacey Stark
to become a permanent member of "Southern Pride". No
one else in the Central Texas area had a band with
both a male and female singer, so Southern Pride was
unique in that aspect, but what really brought the
crowds out to see them was the magnetism on stage
between Matt and Stacey. The three and four part
harmonies of the band was phenomenal and now
Southern Pride offered the audiences everything they
could hope for in an evening of entertainment, the
young, top 40, sounds from Matt, country classics
from Jim, and the female contributions of songs by
Reba and Patsy Cline, performed so exquisitely by
Stacey.
By this time David had left the band to go on the
road with another band from Nashville, and bass
player Bubba Norris and sound engineer Buddy Bomar
came as a package deal to the family of Southern
Pride. The addition of a professional sound engineer
and the upgrade of sound equipment gave the band
another boost up the ladder to success. Another
member of the band fell by the wayside and Matt
convinced drummer Vern Etheridge to switch bands
and come on over to the Southern Pride side. Vern
was and still is one of the best drummers in the
business.In two short years Matt Brewer and Southern
Pride had become one of the "hottest" and most
popular Country bands in Central Texas. Loyal
Southern Pride fans would follow the band from town
to town every Friday and Saturday night.
All these months Matt managed to keep abreast of the
latest country songs and maintain an "A" average in
High School, as well as keeping up with the demands
of his own High School Show Choir. I'm proud to say,
Matt was a National Honor Society member and
graduated in the top 10% of his class, even with the
grueling schedule he had with the most popular band
in Central Texas. 1995 was a banner year for Matt;
he graduated from High School and was also voted as
"Central Texas Favorite Country Singer".
After four years together, the inevitable happened;
the band had a parting of the ways, as many other
bands have in the past. Stacey moved away with her
military husband, Bubba left due to work and family
conflicts.Buddy went to work for another Band, Toby,
Jim and Vern all stayed together to form a band of
their own.Matt, now 19 and his new bass player Bryan
Jaska, twenty-one (21), regrouped under the same
name of "Southern Pride", adding drummer Billy Holt
(19), lead guitarist Abel Ochoa (45),keyboard player
Scott Leune (17); Rich Sweitzer (instrumentalist)
and vocalist Rachel Owens (20). Matt now had a band
of young musicians and all new to the game except
Matt and Abel.He was excited about the extraordinary
talents of this new group and they worked hard
learning all the songs Matt liked to do in a very
short time; adding some Tejano sounds from Abel and
lots of harmony with Rachel, Rich, Scott, and Billy.
Scott also played trumpet and Abel played harmonica.
One of the best crowd pleasers was when the band
played "La Bamba" and Scott brought out his trumpet
after the first verse.Crowds just went wild over the
versatility of this fresh young band. The bookings
never stopped during the change over from the old
Southern Pride to the new Southern Pride.Club owners
were secure in the fact that Matt had talent and
could always satisfy their crowds no matter what band
was backing him up. Matt's talent for entertaining the
audience never wavered and only became stronger over
the months to come.
Once again fate came along and changed the course of
Matt's career. In November 1996 Matt auditioned for
Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. Before he got home that
evening the talent director called to offer him a
position with a starting date two days later! Even
though the band was beginning to really take off
Matt could not pass up this opportunity to become a
the professional entertainer he'd always dreamed of,
and of course the money was just right! All the band
members understood that Matt had to do what was
right for his career so with an emotional final
performance of "Southern Pride" in Brownwood the
next Saturday night, Matt said good-bye to his band
and a packed house of his fans and moved to
San Antonio.
The "CHICKEN DANCE" is very popular in Texas.
That first season Matt performed at the Rockville
High Theatre in the "Magical Musical Christmas Show".
He not only excelled vocally in the show but was now
able to show the world his talent as a dancer and
actor. Matt quickly became a favorite of Fiesta
Texas groupies as well as a dependable, versatile
performer that the directors knew they could count
on to step in and take over another singer's role in
case of illness; this he had to do on several
occasions during the Christmas season.
For the following Spring/Summer season Matt was cast
in the "Warner Brothers Country" Show where he
excelled in every solo he sang as well as the dance
routines. Fiesta Texas decided to do two separate
Country shows this season and incorporated a second
show called "Country America" which was a varied
selection of Country Classics from the 40's right up
to the 70's. They did two shows of each every day of
the week. Halfway thru the Spring Rockville needed
an actor who could also sing and dance so Matt with
his myriad of talent was asked to switch shows and
do the part of "Cecil" in Reunion at Rockville High.
Once again Matt delighted the audience with his
portrayal of "Cecil-the Class Nerd". His experience
in theatre was definately a plus in this role. Matt
had acted in lead roles in several productions at
the Vive Les Arts theatre in Killeen and comedy was
definately his strong point. He had played the
lead role in "Brighton Beach Memoirs", "Biloxi Blues"
and "Broadway Bound". Matt's unique talent for
learning a variety of roles in a very short time
earned him the respect of the talent directors of
every show in the park. He was soon also subbing
the part of "Reggie the Rock Star" two days a week.
Matt's talents were gaining the attention of other
Theme Parks and he auditioned for Busch Gardens
in Tampa, FL and was quickly offered a lead role
in the "American Jukebox Show" as well as substitute
for the Lead in the "Hollywood Live on Ice Show"
which is rated the #1 Theme Park Show in America. So,
after a short time-out to recover from back-surgery
for a huge ruptured disc, Matt was off to Florida!
Matt ended his one year contract with Busch Gardens
in Sep 1998 to pursue another avenue on his journey
to the top. Matt performed as the lead vocalist on
Holland America's Cruise ship, the "Veendam". After
a contract with Carnival Cruise Lines aboard the M.S.
Imagination, Matt journeyed back to San Antonio for
the summer of 2000 performing at Sea World in their
new show, "Hollywood Live on Ice" (yes a revamped
version of the show he performed at Busch Gardens in
Tampa).Then it was back to the Cruise ship life with
Royal Carribean.
For several months he played Munkustrap in the musical,
production of "Cats" for the Broadway Palm dinner
theatres. Most recently he played Cae in "The Sword
and the Stone" in Ft Worth at the Casa Manana theatre.
POEM WRITTEN ABOUT MATT
This poem was written about Matt while he was at
Six Flags Fiesta Texas, by Jan Edwards, San Antonio
author, teacher and poet. Jan had it published in a
poets magazine in San Antonio. She incorporated all
the songs Matt sang in the Country shows within the
poem.
Written for Matt
With a watchful eye and a
listening heart
I have seen and heard how
God has blessed you, His
precious one, with talent
untold.
I've heard praise from others
and felt the emotions
within my being.
The strength of your voice, your
dance, your comedic features
All are pleasing in His sight.
You've left your mark with a
healing song, that no one else
can touch;
You've lifted the spirit of country
with "God Bless the U.S.A."
As only you can powerfully sing;
You've shown us the blue moon of
Kentucky;
And you've honored "Willie"
And you've soothed heartaches by the
numbers.
No use "Pretending."
All are blessings in disguise.
You've caused people to like you, love
you, and want some more of you.
You are a God sent blessing to me,
I love you and you will always have
a special place in my heart that no one
else can ever fill.
Due to a back injury Matt is no longer performing
but is still singing at Church and various venues
in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. In August he was 1st
runner-up in the Voice of Pride for the Dallas area.
MATT'S PICTURE GALLERY
GENEALOGY
SCOTT FAMILY PICTURE GALLERY
NORTH BELTON CEMETERY
LOL JOKES (PG13)
MUSIC FOR BROWSING
POEMS & SUCH
KID STUFF
AWARDS
MORE GREAT LINKS
WEBRINGS
SCOTT FAMILY TREE
to send Fan Mail to Matt.
At age 14 Matt started singing at various amateur
Jamborees and quickly became the favorite. It didn't
take him long to realize that there was money to be
made with his talent. He auditioned for and was
hired to perform at the Johnny High Country Music
Revue in Arlington, TX and performed professionally
on the stage of the Johnny High show several times
where he met and became friends with Country Music's
newest and youngest star, Lee Ann Rimes. Even at the
age of 10, Lee Ann could out sing anyone in the
business with her grown up voice. Matt even has one
of her first albums, produced by her father and an
autographed picture of Lee Ann when she was with the
Johnny High Show.
added
another dimension to the already diverse sounds of
the band and made it possible for Matt to perform a
wider range of songs that only a keyboard could do
justice to. Matt's mentor was Garth Brooks and from
the very beginning "Garth" songs were his favorite
and best performed songs. And like his mentor, Matt
was determined to give his audiences the same
quality of entertainment.From the beginning the band
"Southern Pride" was known as the band with the
young kid who entertained his audience both on stage
and off. Matt spent a lot of the evening out in the
audience with his cordless microphone singing to the
ladies, shaking hands with the gentlemen and
getting to know the people, both young and old who
came out to hear him sing. No one ever left
disappointed after spending an evening listening
to and dancing to the "hot", top 40 sounds of "Matt
Brewer and Southern Pride".
Once again fate came along and changed the course of
Matt's career. In November 1996 Matt auditioned for
Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. Before he got home that
evening the talent director called to offer him a
position with a starting date two days later! Even
though the band was beginning to really take off
Matt could not pass up this opportunity to become a
the professional entertainer he'd always dreamed of,
and of course the money was just right! All the band
members understood that Matt had to do what was
right for his career so with an emotional final
performance of "Southern Pride" in Brownwood the
next Saturday night, Matt said good-bye to his band
and a packed house of his fans and moved to
San Antonio.
MATT'S PICTURE GALLERY
GENEALOGY
NORTH BELTON CEMETERY
LOL JOKES (PG13)
MUSIC FOR BROWSING
POEMS & SUCH
KID STUFF
AWARDS
MORE GREAT LINKS
WEBRINGS
SCOTT FAMILY TREE