The Monroe, N.C., artist sang at the Freedom Center in downtown Rock Hill, advanced to a state competition and then took top honors in the finals at [...]]]> Karla Davis wows stage at Nashville’s fabled Ryman Auditorium

Country music singer Karla Davis wowed an audience in Rock Hill on her path to winning the Colgate Country Music Showdown.

The Monroe, N.C., artist sang at the Freedom Center in downtown Rock Hill, advanced to a state competition and then took top honors in the finals at Nashville’s fabled Ryman Auditorium.

The annual showdown is an American Idol-like contest that seeks to discover the next big country star. Winners also get $100,000.

This year, the regional finals were held in front of a packed house at the Freedom Center. Davis represented radio station WRHI.

“She was very memorable,” said WRHI office manager Noreen Ruff, who watched the Rock Hill performance. “She used her guitar in a very different way. She would sing a line and hit the guitar with her thumb. And she performed barefoot.”

On her blog, Davis lists her musical role models as Eva Cassidy, Joss Stone, Bobbi Gentry, Etta James, John Legend, Carrie Underwood and Jason Mraz.

Some people compare her to soft rock singer Colbie Caillat.

In a song called “A Day Away,” Davis tells about a desire to be near loved ones, saying “a day away from you is a day too long.”

story Courtesy of the Charlotte Observer