Singer will showcase talent on famed stage

A send-off show will be held Wednesday.
By GUY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Keysha Toney of Youngstown has earned a berth in the Amateur Night at the Apollo competition.
Toney, of Youngstown, will sing Jennifer Holliday's "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from the Broadway show "Dream Girls" when she takes the stage of the famed and historic theater in New York's Harlem district on June 14.
A 1993 Rayen School graduate, Toney received vocal training as a music major at Kent State University, where she sang in the choir and gospel choir, with which she traveled nationally and to Europe and the Bahamas to perform.
At Rayen, she was in the school choir, the Women's Ensemble and the gospel choir. She also was in the choir at Richard Brown United Methodist Church, and has sung at many local church services, weddings and community events.
She also sings jazz, R & amp;B and soul regularly at area clubs, including Frieda's and the Core, both downtown, the Elks on the Northside, and Larry's Lounge on the Southside. She has recorded a five-song CD, for which she wrote every song, and has been compared to R & amp;B singers Kelly Price, Faith Evans and Chaka Khan.
The 31-year-old administrative assistant for the Youngstown Metroplitan Housing Authority's Youthbuild program and manicurist for a Southside salon, auditioned for the spot in February, and was accepted on the spot.
Determining a winner
On the Amateur Night shows, winners are determined by applause from an audience that is noted for being hard to please.
"They will start booing within the first 10 seconds if you don't start off strong," said Toney. If the booing gets too strong, the contestant is unceremoniously pulled from the stage.
The winner of each night's program returns for a future program, and keeps coming back until they lose. "Showtime at the Apollo" is broadcast locally at 12 a.m. Mondays on WBCB (The WB). Toney is not sure when, or if, her segment will be aired.
The winners often catch the attention of music industry professionals and receive recording contracts, Toney said.
The song Toney will sing -- "And I'm Telling You ..." -- isn't an easy one, but it shows her confidence.
"It's a hard song to perform," she said. "The dynamics of the song are strong from start to finish. If you can sing it, you can sing anything."
Send-off show
Toney has planned a show at 8 p.m. May 10 at Larry's Lounge, 2402 Hillman St. Admission is $10 ($12 at the door), and tickets can be bought by calling (330) 330-4153. Proceeds will help fund her trip. Copies of her CD are also available for $5 by calling the same number.
A bus is being chartered for supporters who want to come to New York to cheer on her performance. It leaves Youngstown at 10 p.m. June 13, and includes a day of shopping and sightseeing in New York before the show at the Apollo. The bus will leave New York at 11 p.m. June 14 and arrive in Youngstown at 6 a.m. June 15. Tickets are $85 and can be obtained by calling (330) 559-5753.
Toney is also selling patron ads in a program booklet for the Wednesday show at Larry's and is setting up an account at National City Bank for those who want to donate to help fund this trip, and any future trips, to the Apollo. Call (330) 330-4153.