Arts & Entertainment

Local Singer Carole Jackson a Golden Idol Finalist

Carole Jackson will compete in the 2013 Golden Idol Senior Talent Competition at Serb Hall on Tuesday, June 11, 2013.

Carole Jackson has long loved entertaining people. And she’s been at it a long time.

“I’ve been singing since I was 2,” the 73-year-old Jackson told Patch on Friday. “My mom used to play the radio and I’d sing along.”

When she was 8, she earned a scholarship to the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. She was the singer in a band as a teenager. In her 30s, she did stand-up comedy routines for the Greendale Village Players and later the Mequon Players and Shorewood Players.

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Later in life, she’d sing at retirement parties.

And on Tuesday, she’ll sing for her son when she competes in the 2013 Golden Idol Senior Talent Competition at Serb Hall.

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It is Jackson’s third time trying the Golden Idol contest. She decided to get back into the competition this spring after her 44-year-old son died in December.

“I wanted to dedicate it to my son,” Jackson said. “He turned me on to the blues. Singing brings a smile to people, and yourself. You can’t be a grouch when you’re singing.”

The Greenfield resident, who’s lived in Greenfield for two years after living in Greendale and Franklin previously, is one of 10 finalists. She’ll be singing “Hallelujah” and is looking forward to the contest.

“It’s a fun thing,” she said. “I mean, at this age, where am I going to get a chance to perform.”

The Golden Idol competition is from 2-4 p.m. June 11, at American Serb Memorial Hall, 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave.

Tickets are free and can be picked up at Milwaukee Senior Centers or by calling 414-289-5733.


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