32nd Annual Texaco Country Showdown Finals Set For January

The 32nd Annual Texaco Country Showdown National Finals, America’s longest-running country talent search, will be hosted by LeAnn Rimes on Jan. 16 at the Ryman Auditorium. The show will air on syndicated television in March and April. Five talented rising country artists compete for $100,000 and the title “Best New Act in Country Music,” a title held by some of country’s elite including Rimes herself, who was the first country artist to win in the category of Best New Artist. Texaco Country Showdown Alumni include Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Sara Evans, and Billy Ray Cyrus.

This year’s five national finalists, Zac Matthews, Crystal Yates, Southern Halo, Suzanne Harper, and Casey Sutton, were chosen through a series of over 500 local, state, and regional contests held throughout the country.