Posted by Terry White on December 19, 2006 | No Comments
Article and photo from today’s Fort Wayne (IN) News-Sentinel:
Lifting his voice
Fort Wayne man chosen to sing in Pageant of Peace in Washington, D.C.
By Deanna Krinn
dkrinn@news-sentinel.com
The title “Singing Auctioneer” might seem vague, but for the owner of this interesting nickname, it’s perfect just the way it is.
“It’s a promotional shtick, but it’s also something that works,” said Fort Wayne resident Dane Bailey, 60. “It’s (nondescript) enough to use at a variety of venues.”
Tuesday night, Bailey will be able to add Washington, D.C., to the list of about 120 venues where he’s performed in the past year.
Bailey will be part of the Christmas Pageant of Peace, hosted by the National Park Service, where as many as 10,000 people could hear his booming voice at President’s Park across from the south lawn of the White House.
The pageant started Dec. 7 with the lighting of the National Christmas Tree, and continues through Jan. 1. Visitors can view the 39-foot Colorado blue spruce,; 50 smaller trees representing the states, model trains, a Yule log and live entertainment by musicians from across the country.
How did the Singing Auctioneer land such a gig?
After submitting a video last March to the park service, he went through eight months of recording and submitting songs, as well as doing various photo shoots, before finding out Dec. 7 he would perform this week.
“The fact that I was invited at all is an honor,” he said.
Bailey has been a touring musician for 31 years, with his genre ranging from gospel and country to big band. Before attending Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake in the 1970s, he had not considered a career in music.
However, after touring with a fellow student who played piano, he says he found his passion. In 1990, he went to auctioneer school, and has since combined the two to create his own call name. He has even had it trademarked. He has been touring full-time for five years and is on the road for about 175 days a year.
Gerald and Tanny Jackson, a couple endorsed by the same company as Bailey, Christian Music Presenters, will perform a few songs with him during the show that starts at 7 p.m.
The number of people expected to stop by the pageant on Tuesday is dependent on weather. Bailey realizes people aren’t attending just to see him, and that’s OK with him.
“These people aren’t coming to the White House to hear the ‘Singing Auctioneer,’” he said. “It’s just the privilege of being able to go, to be a part of this.”
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Christmas Pageant of Peace
When: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily Dec. 7-Jan. 1
Where: President’s Park, Washington, D.C.
What: Musical entertainment, Christmas trees from each of the 50 states, National Christmas Tree and Yule log.
For more information about this annual Washington, D.C., tradition, contact the park service at 1-202-208-1631, Or go to www.nps.gov.