LIMA, OH (WLIO) - A night out at the Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center on Saturday celebrated an Elida graduate who broke into the music business and won an Emmy.
Parrice Smith of Elida's class of '95 received the award last month for his contributions to the re-recording of "People Get Ready," featuring famous musicians like Stevie Wonder. The ceremony was all about recognizing the hard work that it took to become a business owner and award-winning artist.
Smith, his family, and supporters hope to get the word out that many from the Lima region have gone on to have successful careers in music, and that big dreams are worth chasing.
"When he was a kid, I told him that regardless of what you want, what you do, just go get it, period. Just go get it and don't quit," said Joseph Johnson, the father of Parrice Smith.
"There's a lot of kids out there trying to do what he did, write songs and stuff. And he's giving you an opportunity, letting you know what you need to know to do it. Never stop, never quit. Never quit," added Lima's 6th ward city councilman Derry Glenn.
Smith says that the industry has changed in a way that makes it even more achievable for small-town and rural artists to find their own success.
"Now we have social media and all that stuff that we didn't have back then so you can apply your music to millions and millions in real time. Present your music to millions of people digitally online. And you can reach people now in ways that we couldn't reach them 20 or 30 years ago. That's the blessing, you just have to leave no stone unturned and just keep pushing," Parrice Smith explained.
Donations collected at the door during the event will be put towards the Parrice Cares Foundation.
