Danielle Tucker Band wins at Viejas

A Ramona resident’s country music group, the Danielle Tucker Band, walked away with the Viejas Big Country Showdown title, $10,000 cash and a trip to Las Vegas for the American Country Music Awards after being selected the winner in the mega battle of the bands that ran for 5 Sundays.

Each Sunday in November, five new bands would compete to reach the final show that took place on Nov. 30. On the final night it came down to Sara Petite and the Sugar Daddies, Natisha Lyne, Southbound Johnny and the Danielle Tucker Band.

The show was sponsored by the DreamCatcher at Viejas and KSON and was judged by Joey Harris of Joey and the Mentals, freelance writer Edwin Decker and guitar player Richard Smith. Last to take the stage was the Danielle Tucker Band.

The band’s Viejas title comes on the coattails of winning the Oceanside Idol competition sponsored by Arbitron No. 1-rated country music station KSON. Tucker’s performance in that contest earned her the opportunity to open for the sold-out CountryFest North concert featuring Keith Anderson, Carter’s Chord, and Chris Young.

The Danielle Tucker Band is led by Tucker’s vocals and includes highly seasoned musicians Mark Fulton on guitar, Michael Atesalp on drums, Anthony Molinaro on bass and Barry Dubis and Michael Peed on keys. The icing on this wedding-cake of a band are background vocals by Sandi Capel and Gwyn Sanborn of the Ranch Rockers.

The band is now booking shows and events for 2009 and posts regular updates, photos and samples at Tucker’s myspace Web site www.myspace.com/danielleltucker.