Sledge Grits Band Shows Grit
The Sledge Grits Band does part rock, part blues -- and the four sisters know all about the blues, even though they're young.
But their talent and effort are winning out -- they're the latest group to be named a finalist in Early Show's "Singing Family Face Off."
Features reporter and weather anchor Dave Price knocked on their door awfully early -- 8 o'clock Eastern Coast time -- it was three hours earlier in their adopted hometown of Salinas, Calif. "America's salad bowl." In fact, Price says police almost arrested him for disturbing the peace!
But the sisters shrieked with delight when they opened the door.
The band is comprised of Keiko, 14, who plays guitar, Kariel, 12, bass, Mimi, 9, who sings, and Bo-pah, 6, the drummer.
The name, The Sledge Grits Band, is a combination of their last name, Sledge, and one of their favorite foods, grits. They say GRITS is also an acronym for "Girls Raised in The South" -- though they now live in Salinas with their parents, they used to live in The South -- Florida, where misfortune struck.
They were uprooted from The Sunshine State when their grandmother got breast cancer.
Not only that -- their dad, Kelly Jo, has Multiple Sclerosis and, says Keiko, "It's very hard for him, and on our family."
"People always ask all the time," she says, " 'Well, why do you guys play the blues?' And I say, 'Well, even though we're kids, we've been through a lot." "
"I am the oldest sister," she notes, "so I kind of have to watch over my baby sisters/"
Their mom, Wendy, admits, "The girls have been through quite a bit. But it's amazing the strength a child can have."
A song they do, written by Kariel, is called "Invincible" is, Keiko says, "just about how if you're sisters, if you're friends, if you stick together, everything will work out."
"I love being in the band with my sisters," Mimi says.
"We love to play music. It's just what our life is," Kariel agrees.
The Early Show searched for months, going through hundreds of videos submitted by family bands, then narrowed the field to six finalists.
Each weekday morning from Feb. 16 through Feb. 23, Price will be surprising the six family finalists with the big news, live on The Early Show.
On Wednesday, Feb. 25, the competition begins with live performances in The Early Show studio. Vote for your favorite online each week! The winning family will be announced April 1.
At stake: a deal with CBS Records!