Since he was just a little boy, Shawn Brady has been singing his heart out, and now he is getting a shot at singing on national television by going to audition for the NBC show “America’s Got Talent” in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday.

Brady e-mailed the show about a month ago and got a call on Monday from someone from the show.

“I went to the Web site at NBC and sent in my application. I had to give them my email address, my age and what my talent was. They were very nice. She told me how to dress and what to expect and what to bring,” Brady said.

He said he is leaving his home in the Ararat community sometime Friday morning. He is planning on staying overnight at the nearest hotel to the audition site.

Brady said the woman from the show warned him that he would need to get in line as early as possible for the auditions, which are first-come, first-serve. Auditions officially begin at 8 a.m. at Americas Mart.

Brady said he wants to get in line early to be able to “get in and audition and get out.” He said his audition will last exactly 1 minute and 30 seconds.

“My talent goes way back. It started back with my grandfather, Rafe Brady. He played music ever since he was 9, and I started playing guitar at the age of 16. I started singing around the age of 4 or 5. I guess you could say ever since I could talk. I started playing guitar late, I wish I’d started sooner. But now that I’m doing it, I don’t regret any of it,” Brady explained.

He will be singing the song “He Stopped Loving Her Today” by George Jones.

“There’s no particular reason I picked it. It’s one of my favorites, as far as all-time country music hits. That was one that I thought I knew very well to audition with,” Brady said.

Brady, who just turned 30-years-old, was born four months prematurely and has cerebral palsy.

“It causes the muscles in your legs to tighten up. In other words, I have one leg that is shorter than the other. I walk with a limp because of it,” Brady said.

He said when he was an infant, a shunt had to be put in his head to get the fluid off his brain.

“It’s been what you call a rough go,” said Brady who is rarely seen without a smile on his face.

Kelly Epperson, owner of local radio stations WPAQ and WSYD, spoke of Brady’s family’s love of music.

“Shawn has a rich family heritage. Rafe was a legendary old-time mountain fiddler with his own unique style,” Epperson said.

Brady said he has dreamed of this opportunity his whole life.

“This is something I have wanted to do ever since I guess I could sing. I wanted to show people what I really had. I know there are more people out there better than I, but I just want to show people what I really have,” he said. “Hopefully it will lead somewhere. People like Debbie Cochran (who is a local DJ and city commissioner) and my family and friends have really encouraged me to do this. I’m not doing this for my benefit, but I’m doing it for my friends and family as well.”

Cochran has know Brady for many years. She wished him well before his audition.

“Shawn has raw God-given talent. I’ve seen how his voice touches people. He regularly performs at jam sessions, birthday parties, funerals and at the Twelve Oaks Alzheimer’s unit. He has performed at the Moose Lodge in West Virginia. He puts his heart and soul into his singing. His radio family wishes him well in his audition. I advised him to relax, take deep breaths and stay centered so his voice won’t quiver. And it’s important to feel what you are singing — make the music your own,” Cochran said.

According to the “America’s Got Talent” Web site, www.nbc.com/Americas_Got_Talent/, the show’s producers are still accepting audition submissions.

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.