When her daughter was around the age of two her mom remembers her jumping up on a coffee table and belting out a tune.

Now, at the grizzled old age of 17, Presley Sullivan has her first CD out. I guess starting young paid off. It takes most young people many years to find where their true interests lie. Not Presley. "I've wanted to be a singer for as long as I can remember," she said.

The coffee table gave way to bigger stages and, when Presley won the Loganville Middle School Talent Show, she started to get serious. "That really boosted my confidence," Presley said. Her mother, Sandy Lewis, agreed. "I always knew she could sing," Sandy said. "Winning that talent show gave her a big boost."

Presley started singing anywhere and everywhere she could. At the age of 15 she signed on with a management group to help bolster her fledgling career. The problem was that the company steered Presley away from her country roots and into more of a pop style of music. She and Sandy thought it would be best if they split from the company and since then Sandy has taken over as Presley's manager.

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"It's a fine line being a mother and a manager," Sandy said. " I want to encourage her but I don't want to push her too much. It has to be something she wants to do." Presley spends just as much time with a pen in her hand as she does a microphone. She writes all of her own songs, drawing inspiration from her young life. "My songs come from personal experiences. They speak to who I am."

This past May, Presley had a debut party where her CD, "Full Grown Country," was released. Half of the proceeds from the disc were donated to the Two Day Walk for Breast Cancer. The CD is available on iTunes and CDBaby. Now, it's time to get busy. "I'm going to keep promoting myself and my music," Presley said. The way I see it, Presley has a lot going for her. She got an early start, and she was named after a pretty good singer. Maybe you've heard of a guy named Elvis.

Earl Gray is a freelance writer. Send comments/suggestions to etg_3@hotmail.com.

Earl Gray is a freelance writer.  Send comments/suggestions to etg_3@hotmail.com.