|
Family Trio Remains Grounded The Wilkinsons, the family trio from Canada, have wowed the country music world. But the biggest fan may possibly be Steve Wilkinson -- singer/writer/father of the group, which includes Amanda, 17, and Tyler, 15. "It's hard for me not to be watching them when we're onstage. I'm proud of what they do and sometimes I watch them too much," admits Steve. "Amanda is giving people part of herself everytime she sings. She looks them right in the eyes and I always wondered how she did that. It's so cool," Steve tells Sun Country. He recalls a judge's comments at a singing competition she won when she was about eight years old. The judge said he would have picked her as the winner even if he was deaf because she sang to him with her eyes. "She's always struck me as an old soul. She's always been mature." Steve's been happily married for 20 years but says when he and wife Chris had differences of opinion when Amanda was still a pre-teen, she would interject. "Amanda would say, 'We all need to step back and remember how much we all love each other.' It put us in our place," Steve laughs. The dad, who will perform with his teenagers at the Camrose Big Valley Jamboree on Friday, is just as proud of his son. "Tyler is like the puppy. I'm serious, he's like the puppy that just has fun running around and carrying on." Despite several prestigious nominations including a Grammy and being the only new act in 1998 to have a No. 1 hit -- 26 Cents -- Steve says fame isn't changing the family. "Amanda and Tyler are close to a lot of artists and you see who is not changing despite their success, and you see the ones who are having success and are getting stupid about it. The kids are seeing how unattractive that is. "Lord knows, there's enough people here who have shot themselves in the foot by their lousy attitudes. Let's face it, we're doing a job people dream of doing." Steve also makes sure they take care of themselves. "We were on a promotion tour and some promo reps wanted to carry our suitcases and I said no! No one carries our baggage for us. "That's how I deal with the kids." One problem this father thought he might have to face is played out in the video Boy Oh Boy, which has the entire family, including wife Chris and youngest daughter Kiaya, watch as Amanda is flooded with suitors. "I thought I'd have to run block with guys coming around, but what's funny is Amanda now has five big brothers with the guys in the band." He teases that while auditioning band members, he requested: "I'm looking for a linebacker who can also play lead guitar." However, there are still a few who get brave. "You get these cool guys who have tattoos and too many earrings in the face, or they have the cowboy hats and hubcap belt buckles and they'll walk up to me and say, 'Pleased to meet you, sir' and then they squeeze every drop of blood out of your hand when they shake your hand."
|
