Sunday's Ribfest: 3 Rising Country Stars

Stealing Angels will be among the country bands to perform Sunday at the Ribfest in St. Petersburg. We have the entire music schedule below.

Linda Hersey, Patch Staff

Posted Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 10:45 pm ET|Updated Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 5:11 pm ET

ST. PETERSBURG – With folk hero Daniel Boone as an ancestor, Caroline Cutbirth seems fearless as she pioneers a career in country music.

A member of the all-girl trio, Stealing Angels, Cutbirth was influenced by the twangy tunes she heard growing up in Waco, Tex. She set out for Nashville at 19 to make it as a country singer. The ambitious teen did not stumble but launched a promising career.

This weekend, Stealing Angels performs at the Ribfest in St. Petersburg. The trio plays at 2 p.m. Sunday in Vinoy Park, as part of Country Music Day, the festival's last day. The annual festival is a fundraiser for the Northeast Exchange Club.

Find out what's happening in St. Petefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The group is on a U.S. tour that started 18 months ago, and that Cutbirth hopes "will never end." This is Stealing Angels' first serious attempt to make it to the big time as country music stars.

The members share more than just musical talent. Each has a pedigreed background that originally brought them together. Tayla Lynn is Loretta Lynn’s granddaughter; and Jennifer Wayne is the granddaughter of Hollywood cowboy hero, John Wayne.

Find out what's happening in St. Petefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Cutbirth said she does not spend a lot of time on the tour bus talking about her connection to Daniel Boone, who is a distant uncle.

Stealing Angels is still at the career stage where the three spend long days and nights singing at fairs and festivals and making radio appearances to introduce themselves to audiences.

But they also are getting recognized for their melodic voices and harmonizing as well as original tunes, such as “He Better Be Dead,” about Tayla Lynn's hard feelings toward an ex-boyfriend.

Cutbirth is the lead singer on their newest release, “Little Blue Sky,” which has been described as a Teddy Bear of a country song, a high-fructose tune that seems to have no other aim than to make listeners smile.

It doesn’t hurt that the three singers – all in their 20s – are extremely attractive. Caroline, in a phone interview, said that they switch off singing lead. Tayla plays the guitar, Jenn shakes the tamborine and "her curvaceous behind," Cutbirth said, while she plucks the mandolin.

Unlike old-school boy bands, the women don’t spend too many late nights partyng but eat healthy while traveling together and stay at hotels with gyms, where they hit the weights.

Cutbirth describes Tayla as the "rabble rouser," Jenn as exceedingly sweet but willing to stick up for herself and Cutbirth as the all American girl who loves her family and country.

The three have been invited several times to sing the National Anthem, including at two Major League baseball games.

Cutbirth says she's excited for the future but also just having a great time performing and hanging out with her fellow angels.

"This is the experience of a lifetime and I love it," she said.

If you go

The Ribfest also offers three days of nonstop music. Tickets are $13 in advance; $20 at the gate.

Here is the lineup:

Performers and show times are subject to change without notice.

Friday

TIME

Saturday

TIME

Sunday

TIME

Tampa Taiko

1:00

Savii Hilton

11:30

Sandy Atkinson

noon

Sound Parlor