Beech Tree News Network

Louisville musical group Linkin’ Bridge came out of nowhere to national fame when it finished second on America’s Got Talent in 2016 — and many thought the group should have won before the fan voting placed it second.

The four singers won the hearts of the America’s Got Talent judges with the way they all overcame personal adversity to put their lives back together.

Recently they put on a show at Harrodsburg Baptist Church as part of a fundraiser for the 2017 Mercer County girls state basketball championship team.

Big Rome Kimbrough jokes he’s the biggest sports fan in the group.

“The rest of them probably don’t know as much as I do about sports,” he said.

I wondered if he was a Louisville or Kentucky fan — or maybe a fan of both teams.

““Will I get in trouble if I answer? Will you quote me if I say go Cards? We are from the city of Louisville, so we are going to support the Cardinals,” Kimbrough said. “If UofL-UK play, I am going with the Cards. But if Kentucky plays anybody else, I am pulling for the Cats. That’s us.”

There’s a lot to like about this group. They sang, shared personal testimony and just had a good time at the Harrodsburg performance. They have no regrets about not winning America’s Got Talent and the $1 million prize. They only see what still lies ahead compared to where they had been.

Kimbrough offered insights on several things after the 90-minute performance.

Question: Do you enjoy doing this as much as fans enjoy hearing Linkin’ Bridge?
Kimbrough: “Absolutely. It has been a long time coming. A lot of us have been singing since we were 5 or 6 years old and to finally be where we are and doing what we are and making a living on something you love to do is amazing.”

Question: Is this not what church should be like — laughing, singing, applauding, personal testimony, happiness?
Kimbrough: “Other than secular music, we have to do some thing to have fun with the group but overall it is about the message. I believe God is pleased with what we are doing.”

Question: As good as your music is — and it is great — do you think your message is even better?
Kimbrough: “If you can’t appreciate and look back from whence you came and look at where you are now … it is a blessing. People need to know. You never know what someone else is going through. Never give up. Keep dreaming. Never judge a book by its cover. Everybody love one another. That’s what we want to share.”

Question: With so many personal problems with drugs and other things in this country, does Linkin’ Bridge show that good things can happen if you keep believing and wanting to change?
Kimbrough: “I don’t know if anybody believes in the power of prayer, but we do. When you have tried everything you can try, you need to try God and put it in his hands. You control the things that you have control over. But things you do not, put it in the Man’s hands. That’s what we believe in.”

Question: How much fun was America’s Got Talent for you all?
Kimbrough: “It was fun but it was a lot of work. Thank God we had Simon Cowell behind us. If Simon don’t like you, he don’t like you. If he likes you, he loves you. It just so happened he loved us and we appreciate the platform he gave us so we could be seen and share our story with the world. AGT was fun.”

Question: But shouldn’t you have won America’s Got Talent?
Kimbrough: “You know what, we did win. We got opportunity to go where we want to go when we want to go. If we had won the show, we might not have been able to be here in Harrodsburg. So we did win.”

Question: Was it intimidating on the show with judges like Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Mel B and Cowell?
Kimbrough: “Heidi is beautiful. Mel B is too. When you first got on there, you think the judges would intimidate you. But when you walk out and see 5,500 (people) looking back at you … that is biggest stage some of us have ever been on. So you are looking at the crowd and thinking, ‘Oh my goodness.’ It was awesome.”

Question: Do you think folks can understand the problems you all faced growing up in the west end of Louisville?
Kimbrough: “Sometimes the story won’t reach that far. We try to make sure everywhere we go that we share our story from the suburbs to urban areas. We want to let everyone know. Love one another. Drop the guns. Stop the drugs. Love each other.”

Question: How busy is Linkin’ Bridge?
Kimbrough: “We have seen places we have never seen places. Been to places we never even though about vacationing. Now not only do you get a chance to see these places, but it is a career. You are seeing different places all because of your music. It’s amazing. Hopefully one day we will make it out of the country but we have been from California to New York to Colorado, Florida, Wisconsin. We have seen some beautiful places and it’s all because of music. It’s a blessing.”

Question: How do the four of you always get along?
Kimbrough: “We don’t. If you look at the other three, you might see a little black ring around their eyes where I had to be physical with them. No, anytime you get four talented individuals with different ideas, you do bump heads. We are brothers. If you have a brother or sister, you fall out with people you love but you mend it, apologize and keep working. That’s how we have sustained so far.”

Question: Do you always attract such a diverse audience?
Kimbrough: “Absolutey. We pay tribute to Boyz II Men. They are one of, if not the greatest group that has ever been in the music business. We try to throw in some classic rock and some pop and some rock ’n roll. We take those sounds and make it into our own. We want to entertain everybody. I am in the group myself but sometimes I am like, ‘How did we even come up with this?’ It is all about love and respect.  Music is music no matter how you look at it all over the world.”