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Clockwise from far left: Foley performs a sound check; hundreds in the audience cheer for Foley in an effort to see him awarded the top prize; the Montgomery Blair student is embraced by friends and classmates after tying for the grand prize; while Foley and ayanna Witter-Johnson wait, the emcee and executive producer confer on who will be the winner.


ald. As it was for James Brown. As it was for — ” “Michael!” chimes in Kathy Jor-


dan Sharpton, the Amateur Night coordinator. “It does not define your tomorrow,


win or lose,” Caffey says. The competitors hold hands in a circle


for a prayer lead by Tauler. “God is on the stage,” he says, “God is in the audience.” Separately Tauler says to Foley,


“Leave no prisoners. Have fun.” “How could it not be fun?” Foley


replies. Showtime. The emcee, a comedian


known as Capone, riles up the audience. He tells folks to cheer or boo as though they really mean it. The nine performances proceed


relatives and family friends; students, teachers and parents from Blair. Winners are declared by who gets


the loudest applause. In a theater of 1,500 seats, it would be hard to swing the vote, but every set of vocal cords helps. The other competitors also have brought cheering sections. David Tauler, a saxophone player and


music teacher at the Montrose Christian School in Rockville, hops off one of the buses. He was eliminated in an earlier round. “I’m here to support Nathan and the friends I made,” Tauler says. At the sound check, Foley pays atten-


tion to one Ayanna Witter-Johnson and her cello. She advanced through a differ-


ent bracket, so he has never seen her. Witter-Johnson, 25, raised in Lon-


don, is a master’s student in classical composition at the Manhattan School of Music. She wrote a song based on Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, which she sings and accompa- nies with an earthy jazz-blues cello part. The ornate hall begins to fill with a


racially mixed audience. Foley’s parents take seats six rows back. Down in the Green Room, one of the


last rituals is the speech in which ex- ecutive producer Marion Caffey passes on Apollo wisdom and history. “Know that this is but one dot on your journey,” Caffey says, “as it was for Ella Fitzger-


in turn. Singers, dancers, a ukulele player. Several are booed but survive without being terminated by Lacey, the Executioner. A female vocalist is less fortunate. Lacey prances gleefully from stage left and the singer flees stage right, as the siren blares. Witter-Johnson and her cello earn


roaring approval. Foley performs last. He stands almost still as he plays. The


slow opening chords of “Maggot Brain” draw a few impatient boos. The boos die and the cheers swell as he conjures screaming tragedy and keening solace with violently bent strings and electronic overdrive. He looks down at his fingers, then off into the Apollo’s invisible dimen- sions, posing questions with his gaze to which his guitar might hold answers. But something is wrong. The sound is muffled. The sound check was perfect,


november 28, 2010 | The WashingTon PosT Magazine 23


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