Page 95 - Coffee County

Her philosophy is simple. Her plans are clear cut. Enjoy what you do and try your best to get a positive response from the audience. Amber Gilliard, a 16 year old country and pop artist from Nicholls, approaches every performance with that same upbeat attitude. To her, it is all about the love she has for singing.

Amber started performing when she was three years old. She would sing anywhere people would let her. As soon as she was big enough to climb, she would stand on top of the covered hot tub in the family’s back yard. It made a great performance area if only she could get the little chickens to stop and listen. Eventually, she moved on to performing in front of a real audience at church and local festivals. A close family friend, Aunt Alanna as Amber called her, was one of the frst people to inspire her to sing for others. She would pick her up on the way to church and have Amber sing every song with her that she sang. Amber got her frst taste of what would become a lifelong passion for music and entertaining.

As Amber started to school at Citizens Christian Academy, where she is still a student, she became involved in their music program. Under the guidance of music teacher Harriett Youngblood, Amber joined the CCA Show Choir. This gave her the opportunity to showcase her talents with the group in yearly music recitals and at events in the local area. Youngblood also carried the choir to Washington D.C. and Orlando, Florida to compete and perform. Youngblood remained at CCA until Amber was well into elementary school.

With a few group performances behind her and a new music teacher at the helm, Amber continued to enjoy singing. Gloria Caves came on the scene and begin teaching music lessons at CCA. Caves tells, “When I frst met Amber at age 10, she already had the vocal foundation that every good voice teacher looks for. Even at that age, she was already tackling the hard