Hannah Harper will perform on Gainesville square from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19: ‘American Idol’ contestant to headline Hootin an Hollarin

When Hootin an Hollarin Committee Chairperson Paula Rose first saw a video of Hannah Harper’s audition for the ABC hit television show “American Idol,” her heart skipped a beat.

“How perfect would she be for Hootin an Hollarin?” she remembered thinking.

Clad in a handmade dress made of quilt squares with leather button-up boots reminiscent of Ozark pioneer days, Harper performed an original song that brought tears to Carrie Underwood’s eyes and left the other judges stunned. The audition aired with a short video beforehand where Harper talked about growing up in Bunker and later Willow Springs, just a stone’s throw away from Ozark County. She also explained that she had spent much of her childhood traveling the country with her family performing at various venues as part of the family’s bluegrass band, The Harper Collective.

After watching the whole segment, it was hard to imagine someone more fitting for the festival stage at Hootin an Hollarin, where locals and visitors alike have gathered in Gainesville for 64 years to celebrate Ozarks culture and its pioneer heritage. 

Still, Paula knew the odds were slim.

With millions of people tuning in to the show and falling in love with her voice, Paula said “I thought there was probably a one in a million chance we could get her - that she’d be willing to come here, that we could afford her or that she’d even have an opening in her schedule that weekend.”

But the thought wouldn’t leave her mind.

So, she took a chance and sent an email to the contact address listed on Harper’s website, HannahHarper.com.

As it turned out, the stars aligned.

A representative soon responded to let Paula know Harper had Saturday night, Sept. 19, available - and that she would love to perform at Hootin an Hollarin. The many other details involved in securing such a performance were also worked out, and suddenly, what once seemed like a long shot had become a reality. 

And now the secret is out - Hannah Harper will headline this year’s Hootin an Hollarin festival with a performance from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, on the Gainesville square!

The concert is free. There will be the typical bleacher seating available, but with a big expected audience, guests may consider bringing their own chair. 

Making it into the top 20

On this week’s episode, which aired Monday night from Aulani, a Disney resort in Oahu, Hawaii, the show hosted its “Ohana Round” where only 30 of the original 127 contestants sang their hearts out for a chance to move on in the competition. Ten of the 30 were eliminated by the end of the night. 

However, Harper secured a spot in the top 20 after performing a particularly moving rendition of Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High On That Mountain,” which she explained was her late grandfather “Pawpaw Lew’s” favorite song. 

“I’m really excited about the Ohana round to have the chance to honor my grandpa. He was a patriarch. So many branches of talented people that came from him. He played music until the day he died,” she explained. 

“The legacy that he left was such a strong impression on my life. I want to do the same for my kids. I wish my grandpa was here to hear it. My grandma’s going to be here and she’s going to be so thrilled because it was his favorite song.”

Her performance moved her family to tears and earned a standing ovation from the judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. Bryan compared her to the likes of country music legend, Dolly Parton.

“Gosh, there are so many parallels with your voice and Dolly [Parton] and it’s just so beautifully country,” he said. “But just remember that key that you got to at the end and really live in that space because your voice really opened up there. You’ve got the goods and that was…your voice is so beautiful to me.”

The judging of last night’s show was unlike the other rounds before it where the panel of three “American Idol” judges had determined who would move forward. In the Ohana round, the final 20 were evaluated by her fellow “Idol” contestants, their families and a panel of industry experts. Each of the three groups were able to chose one contestant to move on, and the three regular judges chose the 17 others.

Harper took to Facebook afterward to share her excitement at moving on in true Ozarkian fashion: “Well, I’ll be… a barefoot hillbilly girl just made it to the Top 20 on American Idol. Somebody better check the rule book.”

A song that took moms across America by storm

Harper first made it onto the show during her audition performance that aired Feb. 2, where she sang an original song she wrote titled, “String Cheese,” about her struggle with postpartum depression. 

She explained that its lyrics were personal. 

“I was sitting on my couch wallowing,” she told the judges. “And you have boys, you know: Everybody wants to touch you. And I didn’t want to be touched. I was just having a pity party, praying that the Lord would calm my spirit.

“And my son kept coming up to me, ‘Mom, open this. Mom, open my cheese,’” Harper, a stay-at-home mom of three, told the judges through tears. “I’m like, ‘Leave me alone with the dadgum cheese.’”

Harper said when she finally opened her son’s string cheese, she had an epiphany that being a mom was what she was called to do. “When I did, I realized that God had put me in that place,” she explained, “and that where I was in my house was the biggest ministry that I could ever have.”

The song’s lyrics hit home with Carrie and thousands of moms who tuned in for the show:

“Hot Wheels and little people under my feet / Babies crying, it’s pure chaos, but I don’t miss a beat,” she sang. “Always knew that a nine to five wouldn’t suit me very good / But my hours are extended, that’s just motherhood.

“I thought finding peace in the quiet’s what I wanted / but I’d do anything to go back to being needed,” she continued. “When I’m overwhelmed and touched out, they come climbing up on the couch, saying, ‘Mama, can you open my string cheese?’ / I smile because I know meeting their needs fills my soul / Being their mama is who I’m meant to be.”

Carrie wiped away her tears and said, “‘That’s about the most relatable song I think I’ve ever heard. You might be my favorite person that’s walked through those doors. You’re one that I’m gonna think about when we leave here. I’m gonna be rooting for you. I loved everything about everything you just did.”

Then she and the others stamped her ticket, indicating Harper had made it to the Hollywood round of the competition. 

That audition video has now been viewed more than 780,000 times and the song charted on iTunes and ranked No. 14 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales Chart. It’s also earned praise from artists such as country legend Martina McBride and Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth. 

But maybe even more touching, the song has been trending on social media where moms across America have used it as a background to share their own stories in motherhood.

Hollywood round

Last week, when Harper returned to the American Idol stage for Hollywood Week, she chose to perform Lee Ann Womack’s “A Little Past Little Rock.”

After her performance, she met show host Ryan Seacrest backstage where she nervously admitted she had messed up the lyrics a few times. 

But, the judges said they were impressed with how she handled the hiccup. Many views who were watching said they hadn’t even realized she’d made the mistake.

“I got excited. I forgot the words. Didn’t come in on the right spot, but I sure hope I did enough to make it to the next round,” she said. 

“Hannah, you’re one of my favorites in auditions,” Carrie said. “Lee Ann Womack is not an easy person to sing. It’s like you listen to it and it’s so nice, but you don’t realize how intricate the things that she does with her voice, and I feel like you just nailed that.” 

While the judges spoke with one another while determining who would make it to the next round, Luke Bryan noted that “She jumbled lyrics and got through it.”

“And she handled it and didn’t even bump,” Lionel Richie added.

Despite the slip up, or maybe because of how she handled the situation, the judges happily sent Harper on to the next round. And her dream of becoming the next American Idol is one step closer. 

While we’re all rooting her on, there’s no denying that no matter how far she gets in the contest, Ozark County will welcome her with open arms come September. “We’re all really, really excited,” Paula told the Times. 

“American Idol,” airs at 7 p.m. each Monday on ABC.

Sponsorship spots available

The live entertainment schedule for the rest of the three day festival includes locals Blayd Law & Tara Nickole, & Freedom Worship as well as Stringed Union & New Grass Attack. Other bands will be added to the lineup as festival planning continues this year ahead of Hootin an Hollarin. 

Paula notes that there are still sponsorship spots available for this year’s festival lineup. Any businesses, individual or group who would like to sponsor the music can do so by contacting her at 417-989-1282 or paularose1979@gmail.com.