Indiana teen wins ‘Ohio Has Talent!’ title

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Gabe Bailey, a freshman at South Adams High School in Indiana, showed off a sampling of his musical talent in winning the 10th-anniversary “Ohio Has Talent!” fundraising show Saturday at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio.

“I am exceptionally happy,” Bailey said after the show, while adding that he felt like he was “breaking the rules” as an outsider winning the competition — although he’s definitely not the first to do so.

Second place went to violinist Morgan Bland, a Hicksville High School senior who is concertmaster of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, but also plays fiddle in a rock band called Talk is Cheap.

The third-place winner was vocalist Nora Vaughn, a 15-year-old St. Henry High School student.

Three acts received honorable mention. The Glamour Girls, a local group made up of students of the Bachwell Center in Van Wert — Annabelle Cooper, Natalie Fife, Sofia Houg, Debbie Jones, Annika Maples, Mia Rager, and Anna Wasson — and rapper Dru Johnson tied for one honorable mention award.

The second honorable mention recipient was Michael-Andrew Spalding, a Cincinnati native who is part of the worship team for Lima Community Church.

Bailey, who learned to play the piano while very young, also plays drums, bass, piano, and guitar in his church worship band. He also plays harmonica, a talent that featured in his winning rendition of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.”

When asked why he decided on that song for the competition, Bailey said it was a “crowd-pleaser.”

“Actually, a lot of people have just told me that I should definitely do that one,” he noted, “and I know everybody just loves that.”

Bailey is big on rock music — especially Classic Rock.

“I just love rock and roll — Sixties, Seventies, Eighties,” he said. “Music is definitely my bash and I love it.”

The 2017 ‘Ohio Has Talent!” winner is already indulging his love of performing, as he currently sings in a duo that covers a variety of rock tunes. The group will perform at Brew Nation in Celina on March 18 and May 6.

While there were a number of individual winners at this year’s Ohio Has Talent!, the biggest winners are those who need Community Health Professionals’ in-home medical care or those with a terminal illness served by CHP’s hospice care workers — either at home or at the Van Wert Area Inpatient Hospice Center.

This year’s “Ohio Has Talent!” featured a near-sellout, with approximately 1,100 people coming to the 1,200-seat NPAC for the annual talent show.

Former Van Wert High School principal Wally Grimm, husband of Donna Grimm, founder of CHP, was again master of ceremonies for “Ohio Has Talent!”, while Kim Mason, Tricia Profit-Kuhn, and Craig Alix were judges.

Quintessential, last year’s top OHT winner, performed while audience members’ votes were being counted to determine the winners.