A country music star and a TV icon are joining the panel of judges for the Prairie Farms Mississippi Songwriter of the Year competition.
Charlie Ross and Keith Thibodeaux will join Johnny Belew as judges this weekend for the premiere songwriting competition in the state.
Charlie Ross was most visible in the late ’60s when he was the lead singer (and bassist) of Eternity’s Children, a Mississippi-based pop vocal group. Ross started out in music as the lead singer of the Phantoms (aka Nolan Branton & the Phantoms), a top local band based in the Mississippi Delta.
They evolved into Eternity’s Children, which enjoyed some local and regional success with their brand of sunshine pop, highlighted by the lead singing of Ross and Linda Lawley. Ross released his first solo single, “Laughing Girl” (credited to Charles Ross III), while still a member of Eternity’s Children. Following the breakup of the original lineup in 1970, Ross moved on to a solo career, releasing various singles, mostly in a country vein. He also recorded a solo album, The High Cost of Loving, cut at Muscle Shoals Studio, and charted a few country singles — most notably “Without Your Love (Mister Jordan).” He has also worked for RCA records for over 40 years.
In the years since, he has been a radio host and digital communications entrepreneur, in addition to running his own production company.
Keith Thibodeaux, Executive Director of Ballet Magnificat! since 1993, first came to national attention as the drum-playing son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz on the now classic “I Love Lucy” show.
Hailed as a child prodigy, Keith started drumming at the age of two in Lafayette, LA. His abilities led him to a national tour, a starring role as “Little Ricky Ricardo” and various acting stints on television, including The Andy Griffith Show, Route 66, The Shirley Temple Playhouse, Hazel, and many more.
While attending the University of Louisiana in Lafayette, Keith joined and recorded with the then mainstream rock band, “David and the Giants.” Keith left the group after several years, but, following his (and fellow band members) Christian 
conversion, the band regrouped under the same name and went on to become one of the nation’s top contemporary Christian music groups. As a drummer, singer, and songwriter for the Dove nominated “David and the Giants,” Keith toured extensively for 10 years in the United States, Canada, Jamaica, and England, recording 9 albums before leaving the group in 1989 to pursue other interests.
He has been featured in such publications as Newsweek, People, Saturday Evening Post, Modern Drummer, CCM, and Classic Drummer Magazine. He has also been a guest on NBC’s The Today Show, Entertainment Tonight, CBS’s Good Morning America and The O’Reilly Show. In January of 1991, he joined his wife Kathy on the road with Ballet Magnificat! and in 1993, Keith became Executive Director.
In addition to his current responsibilities at Ballet Magnificat!, Keith still finds time for the drums and recording. Keith’s book, Life After Lucy, tells the story of his life as Little Ricky on the I Love Lucy show.
Muscle Shoals musician/historian and local “Shoals” icon, Johnny Belew has been a guest on The Morning House Party and will be a judge in the upcoming “Prairie Farms’ Mississippi Songwriter of the Year” promotion. “I support my music habit with a day job. I have been the chef at Claunch Cafe in Tuscumbia, AL for over 10 years. I love the scenery and the people that come in. But my true passion is to promote the local music scene,” Belew said.
Besides helping stage and cater countless concerts and benefits in the Shoals area over the years, he serves on the board of the Shoals Earth Day. Belew is a board member of the Music Preservation Society, which oversees the W.C. Handy Music Festival every July. He is also the co-chair of the W.C. Handy Music Committee.
The title of tourism ambassador to Colbert County that he earned from tourism officials in 2015 is one of his dearest accomplishments. Belew loves seeing young folks perpetuate the music tradition in the Shoals.
“I get super excited when I see young people coming out to perform. I have the utmost respect for all the iconic musicians here, but when I see young people, I just get really, really excited. It lets me know that Muscle Shoals music is in good hands for years to come,” Belew said.
“I also have loved helping with the W.C. Handy Music Festival for the past 15 years. That is probably the most famous music event in this area. It is such an honor to be involved.”
The 2017 Mississippi Songwriter of the Year Contest VIP night is set for Friday, June 30 and Finals night is set for Saturday, July 1 at Marty’s Blues Café in downtown Philadelphia. Limited seating available, so make plans to get there early, doors open at 6pm. Don’t miss a weekend filled with some exciting music performed by Mississippi songwriters.