I have been producing music and food festivals for the past 25 years. During that time, I have crossed paths with a regular stream of entertainers who have graced our various festival stages. Most were good, some not so good, a couple were idols in the making.

One individual who fit into that last category was a young girl with dreadlocks and a guitar. A friend asked if I would hire this girl for one of my Italian festivals. She was struggling and knew that I was always up for helping young entertainers striving to succeed. I was impressed with her demo and put her on. I, along with everyone in front of the stage, was blown away. That was August of ’08.

Fast forward to January of 2010. I was armchair-quarterbacking the ninth-season opener of “American Idol.” C’mon, after all, I AM a seasoned industry professional who could have easily occupied a fifth chair next to Simon. Wait a minute … is that the dreadlocked blonde that performed for us at the festival? I couldn’t believe my eyes! It was her ... and it made so much sense.