Tanner Mullins with Steve Holy on-stage at Cotton-eyed Joe’s. Photos by Kathi Fahrbach.

Tanner Mullins, age 10, won more than a first-place ribbon for his Mooresburg Elementary talent-show performance of country music star Steve Holy's number one hit of the summer, "Brand New Girlfriend.” His performance won him the opportunity to meet with the star in person and then sing onstage with Holy before a packed house at Cotton-eyed Joe’s in Knoxville December 14.

Although he’s not had a girlfriend yet, much less a need for a “Brand New Girlfriend,” Mullins said he’d been a fan of Steve Holy since he heard the song. He had entered his elementary school’s talent competition before and earned second place when he performed a song by Toby Keith and so thought he’d try Steve Holy this time. That choice turned out to be a winning move.

Holy’s popularity has reached an alltime high this past summer with “Brand New Girlfriend.” Although Holy’s first album, “Blue Moon” was released in 2000, Holy gained notoriety in 2001 for his single "Good Morning Beautiful" after it was featured in the Jennifer Lopez film “Angel Eyes” and then spent five weeks at No.1 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles charts. “Brand New Girlfriend” has since blown that record away with #1 rank for the year of 2006.

Holy has said that once upon a time he entertained his own grade school classmates with his imitations of country music star, Conway Twitty. By age 19, with his unique blend of 50's rock & roll, pop, and traditional country, Holy was well on his way to fame and fortune.

One member of a Steve Holy fan club commented how interesting it was that history might be repeating itself and that one day they may realize they’d been there for the performance that marked the birth of a new country music star.

That sentiment was reportedly echoed by the management at Cotton-eyed Joe’s, according to Mullins’ father, Jeff Mullins. He said they told his son if he one day was rich and famous, not to do like Kenny Chesney who they said got his start there but did not come back.

This all may be no more than joking around and wellwishing for young Tanner Mullins but none could be more sincere and impressed than Mulllins’ own father. Mullins senior recorded the talent show performance, wrote to Holy, then sent copies of the performance to Steve Holy's manager, WIBK, and Cotton-eyed Joe's. In his letter to Holy, Mullins only asked for Holy to make his son’s dream come true by allowing him the opportunity to meet Holy while in Knoxville but when Holy viewed young Mullins’ rendition of “Brand New Girlfriend,” he enjoyed it so much that he invited the boy to visit with him and his entourage on the tour bus, and finally, to sing with him on-stage.

Kathi Fahrbach, resident of Jefferson City and a fellow Steve Holy fan who witnessed the performance said afterward, “I met [Tanner Mullins] outside the club and he was so polite and you can tell he was really thrilled and in amazement.”

Mullins’ father remarked that it was a wonderful thing that Holy did, being such a big star, to allow a young kid up onstage with him like that, not knowing what could happen. The fact that the boy actually got up there and sang before such a large audience many would consider to be a feat unto itself but Mullins’ senior knew he could do it. When asked, Mullins said getting on-stage wasn’t hard and that he’d gladly do it again.

Holy made his final stop for the Tennessee leg of his “Brand New Girlfriend” album tour at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville on New Year’s Eve.

Tanner Mullins visits with Steve Holy on his tour bus. Photos by Kathi Fahrbach.