The Cactus Cuties, a young vocal ensemble made up of Andi Kitten, Baylee Barrett, Blaire Elbert, and Madeline Powell, attracted national attention for their 2008 Texas Tech Lady Raider basketball game YouTube viral video rendition of Terri Caldwell’s Star Spangled Banner arrangement. Cami Caldwell planned, tutored, guided, and served as a mentor for these young women, who were all Terri Caldwell Music students who were 10, 10, 12, and 9. Due to their outstanding YouTube performance, they were invited to perform at major league baseball, NBA, NFL, and NBA games as well as at the White House for President and Mrs. George W. Bush. They also appeared on various national television shows.
The Cuties issued a children’s book, a DVD, a CD, and an EP while they were touring “Oh Say Did You Know created t-shirts, hats, and sheet music for Terri’s rendition of the national anthem. You can purchase some of the merchandise remaining on the market by visiting to the website “Purchasing on this website.
All of the Cuties have grown up and are following their own goals and vocations. Terri and CamI are still working with young talent, managing Caldwell Kids Entertainment with over 100 kids, and mentoring and directing them. They continue to put together young vocal ensembles and solo performers of various ages, train them, develop their music, and record it. Students from Caldwell Kids continue to perform at important occasions and draw attention to the importance and beauty of West Texas performers around the nation through their appearances on TV, radio, theatrical performances, music videos, CDs, commercials, and sporting events.
In the fall of 2017, the most recent Caldwell Kids recording will be made available. It is a complex Contemporary Christian CD that will go down in history as one of the best collections of children’s vocal performances ever assembled. More details are forthcoming.
From what country are the Cactus Cuties?
From Lubbock, Texas, come the lovely females known as The Cactus Cuties. These girls are well-known for their singing, and the Cactus Theatre in their hometown is where they first gained notoriety.
Here are all the females’ details: Cami Caldwell, the artistic director of Cactus Cuties, wrote the article.
Here in Lubbock, Texas, my parents, Don and Terri Caldwell, founded The Cactus Theater in 1994. The theater was built to provide a stage for artists and performers in West Texas and the surrounding area, as well as to foster local support for entertainment in the area. Terri Caldwell, my mother, established Terri Caldwell Music as a mentorship/coaching program to help students realize their full vocal potential while fostering healthy self-esteem and a deeper love for singing. Terri Caldwell Music presents vocal recitals and concerts at the Cactus Theater all through the year, giving students access to a polished stage environment.
I attended the Mike Curb School of Music Business at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, after completing my high school education in 2000. However, after the first semester, I realized that my heart belonged with my family in Lubbock, so I transferred to Texas Tech University, where I started singing in the theater and instructing voice at Terri Caldwell Music.
When I joined in 2001, my mother, who had started The Cactus Kids, a youth performance group, suggested that I choose a younger set of children and call them The Cactus Cuties. So, in 2001, I created The Cactus Cuties by choosing seven gifted children between the ages of four and seven. The first group did not include any of the four Cuties that are now present.
As the Cactus Cuties started playing for local public and private events, additional children started to audition for them, and they were eventually joined to the group. As many as nineteen Cactus Cuties were involved at one point, but over time, for a variety of reasons, the group has changed and morphed into the current four members, Baylee Barrett (16), Blaire Elbert (13), Makenzie Patton (12), and Madeline Powell (age 11).
We started getting requests for The Cactus Cuties to sing The National Anthem together at the beginning of 2008, so my mother set up the parts and we taught the Cuties the Anthem. They perfected the arrangement in about two weeks, and on January 20th, 2008, they gave it its first performance at the Texas Tech Lady Raiders vs. Texas basketball game.
The Cuties’ rendition of the national anthem certainly moved the audience, and we were thrilled with the performance, but we had no idea what would happen next. Pop, Madeline’s grandfather, uploaded the video to YouTube in order to share the performance with a relative in South Texas. The video received more than five million views in less than three months. We started getting phone calls from people looking to hire the Cactus Cuties from all across the US.
The Cuties gave a performance at their first professional game in May 2008. In a crucial NBA playoff game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Hornets, they sang the National Anthem and put on a halftime spectacle. The remainder of 2008, 2009, and 2010 were devoted to touring the nation. They have appeared on various high profile military occasions as well as The Disney Channel, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Rachael Ray, The 700 Club, and The Jerry Lewis Telethon. We were delighted to receive an invitation from The White House in December 2008. The Cactus Cuties were honored to entertain the Bush family at a private holiday brunch held at The White House in Washington, D.C. for the president (at the time) and first lady.
We have been very moved by the countless comments, emails, and letters that individuals have sent us after watching The Cactus Cuties’ rendition of the National Anthem and feeling renewed patriotism. After hearing our own little Cactus Cuties, numerous warriors from all over the world have been in touch with us. After hearing a comment from a soldier who played The Cactus Cuties over the base’s loudspeakers because he was moved by them, we started crying. The number of views on the Cactus Cuties’ YouTube videos has reached over 15.5 million and is still rising. We are all incredibly grateful for these amazing opportunities and are eager to follow God’s leading.