Singing Lebanon sisters keep sights set on Nashville
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Even though they've been sisters for 13 years and singing for nearly as long, it was only in the past year the idea of singing together came to Makenna Davenport and Shelby Carper.
The two teens — Makenna is 15, while Shelby is 13 — were in the car with their mother, Monica, when they heard a song by one of the favorite bands, the Wreckers, and spontaneously decided to sing along.
"I started doing the high part and Shelby was singing the low," Makenna said. "Our mom looked at us and said, 'You sound great.' "
Even though country singing sister duos are something of a rarity, Makenna and Shelby have big plans to break into the country music scene together.
"I think once we figure out a name for the duo, they'll be on their way," said Scott Caper, Shelby's dad and Makenna's step-father. Even without a name, the duo are well on their way to both local and national notoriety. They perform monthly at the Lebanon Grand Opry House and have been invited to headline the Little Nashville Opry House in Nashville, Ind., this summer. They also recently auditioned for the music competition show "Can You Duet?" on CMT.
"We stood in line for hours," Makenna said. "We had to get there around 7 a.m. and didn't get to perform until after 1."
The sisters were one of thousands of duos trying out for the show and were one of just 300 picked for the second round of auditions. They sang "Nothing Better To Do," by Leann Rimes (one of their favorite performers) and did a yodelling duet.
"Not a lot of people yodel in duets," Shelby said. "Our grandmother taught us how."
"I was a little nervous, just because I didn't know what to expect," Makenna said. "But once we were before the producers, it came naturally."
Makenna is a sophomore at Lebanon High School, where she performs with the drama club and also works at Kings Island. Shelby is in the seventh grade at Lebanon Junior High, where she enjoys art and gymnastics.
While Makenna and Shelby didn't make the television round of the show, they appreciated the experience and remain confident in their future.



Makenna Davenport and Shelby Carper perform at the Lebanon Grand Opry monthly. These country singing sisters hope to break into Nashville one day.