John Rich Funds Nashville Talent Hunt

Big and Rich's John Rich photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

March 21, 2008 — Singing contests are the rage on television, from "American Idol" to "Nashville Star," but John Rich is taking the idea off the small screen and bringing it to a Music City nightclub.

Beginning March 31, John plans to hold a talent competition the last Monday of every month at 12th & Porter, a small venue in downtown Nashville. The format allows 10 unsigned acts to perform for celebrity judges, with the winner taking home a $300 grand prize donated by John himself.

The Big & Rich singer-songwriter remembers that Nashville had similar competitions when he was a teenager, but they've all gone away, leaving it very difficult for newcomers to get exposure in the town where they need it most.

"If you think about it, there's a kid in town right now waiting tables or parking cars who is the next big thing in our business," John told The Tennessean. "But they don't have the money to put a band together and rehearse the band, and even if they did, they wouldn't know where to play or who to invite to see them. So I thought, 'It's been almost 15 years since I can recall any talent contest like this going on in Nashville, and I want to reinstitute one.'"

There must be interest: More than 200 people signed up to play March 31.

If you can't make it to Nashville — or to the club — to see John, you can catch him live on Sunday when VH-1 airs last month's benefit concert for victims of the 2003 fire at the rock club the Station in Rhode Island. John's joined in the special by Gretchen Wilson, Dierks Bentley and a bevy of rockers.