HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Kelcy Lee Hyde, pictured above, is the 14-year-old student at Pahrump Valley High School, who with her band, Whitney Lee Caufield, opens for Trace Adkins May 16. The show starts at 9 p.m., at Club Madrid in Sunset Station. Advertisement

It all started when Summer Medrano heard Kelcy Lee Hyde sing.

It was a talent show at RCMS and Medrano was convinced Hyde had the kind of talent needed to open for Daryl Worley, the headliner kicking off the 2007 Fall Festival.

Medrano approached Hyde's mother Leah and asked if there was any interest in becoming a part of the show.

The answer was yes and after going through the steps to gain approval from both the Fall Festival committee and Daryl Worley, Kelcy Lee took the stage for a 45-minute set as she opened for the country and western star.

A lot has happened since then. That performance and her close association with Medrano and her contacts, has helped Kelcy Lee take giant strides in furthering her career as a singer/performer.

It certainly helps to have people who believe in a talent as Medrano believed, and still believes, in Kelcy Lee's. Medrano took the then 13-year-old under her tutelage and arranged a few meetings with record promoters in Nashville.

Medrano works for Sony/BMG in the music industry so her connections in arranging those meetings for Kelcy Lee bypassed most of the usual channels would-be stars must go through to climb the chain of command far enough to matter. She went directly to the top.

Medrano, Leah Hyde and Kelcy Lee stayed in Nashville for a whirlwind six-days to combine business talks over a record deal with introducing Kelcy Lee to the Nashville public.

Because of Medrano's connections, Kelcy took to the stage at some of Nashville's premier night spots such as Tootsie's, the Bluebird and Nashville Palace.

As for the record deal - it was put on hold for several reasons. Kelcy Lee has talent but she's young and she was told to "work on stage presence." She was also told to "fix her smile."

Back at home in Pahrump those things have started to fall into place. Kelcy Lee now has a dazzling smile and she is with a nine-piece Las Vegas band that has spent the last several years opening for big names; Brad Paisley, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Mark Chestnut and Reba McEntire, to name a few.

After putting a 'band wanted' request on Craigslist, The Whitney Caufield Band contacted Leah Hyde and after her audition, Kelcy Lee became the youngest member of what is now called The Whitney Lee Caufield Band. Exposure like that will certainly help Kelcy Lee's stage presence. And there is an added benefit - she doesn't have to move.

At home, Kelcy said life is much the way it has always been. She has two sisters, Christine and Kaela, who support her career goals but they are nonetheless her sisters.

"One of them is a tomboy and the other is half tomboy and half girly girl," she said. "I'm all girly girl and that sometimes doesn't work well at all." Kelcy Lee has her half of a shared bedroom literally taped off in hopes of protecting her privacy and having her own space, but apparently it doesn't work so well. "My sister caught a snake the other day, Kelcy said. "And where did she put it? On my side of the room is where!" In a sibling battle she cannot win, Kelcy Lee is sleeping on the couch in her refusal to share a room with the newly found pet.

Leah Hyde said, "We all support her and will do whatever it takes to get her where she wants to go, but she's still just a baby. As parents, we are in awe of her."

The 5'9 "baby" is growing up quickly and seemingly has a level head. "My education is important, Kelcy said. "I want to at least finish high school and if by then my music career hasn't gone far enough, I will start college." She is considering studying to be an EMT. She said, "I want to help people in some way, even if it's not through music."

Her friends are getting used to Kelcy Lee's busy schedule although they still want to "hang out" and don't understand why Kelcy can't just "take off on the weekend and spend time with them."

She has important things to do. This coming weekend, May 16-18, is going to be big for Kelcy Lee. Whitney Lee Caufield is opening for Trace Adkins 9 p.m., May 16, Club Madrid, at Sunset Station in Las Vegas.

That same weekend, the Country Music Awards, which are being filmed in Las Vegas, come to town. Medrano has reserved their (Medrano, Leah Hyde and Kelcy Lee) space at the Sony/BMG table and Kelcy will meet again, the executives from Nashville. "It's interesting how things work out, said Leah Hyde. "Kelcy is working on the things they (the music promoters) asked her to. She gets to live at home while she works with this band (Whitney Lee Caufield) and this weekend, Nashville is coming to her."

After this venue, Kelcy Lee will perform with Whitney Lee Caufield at the Virgin River in Mesquite and there is talk about the band opening for Reba McEntire. The band will be performing at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December.

The PVT will stay in step with Kelcy Lee and wish her the best.