Coriander Blue Photo courtesy of Leena Dennison

Local talent was shining brightly at last month’s third annual Columbia County Amateur Series, and Coriander Blue was crowned the winner in the finale at the Columbia County Exhibition Center in Grovetown.

The country duo, which also infuses rock and blues into its music, is made up of guitarist and songwriter Brian Pinkston and Donna Jo Carroll on vocals. For the finale Coriander Blue covered Martina McBride’s “Independence Day” and performed an original song called “Carolina.”

“We love being able to share our original music with everybody. It’s humbling to know that people are connecting with our music, and we couldn’t have done it without our fans,” says Brian.

The Top 8 performers from the Amateur Series preliminary rounds competed in the finale. Other finalists included solo vocalists Callie Adcox and Jamiah Hudson, solo musicians Brian Kaye and Davey Marana, spoken word artist Dedric Roberts and bands The Tandem, which finished in second place, and Grace Project.

The winners received $1,000 and the chance to appear before the producers of “America’s Got Talent” or “The Voice.” 

“We’re trying to get to Nashville to record some music,” Brian says. “We think this will help jumpstart our career and get our local fan base going to push us.”

Coriander Blue, which has only been together since May, also won the 2014 Country Showdown in Lancaster, South Carolina in June.