Guitar whiz kid Ricky Veeneman, 18, is trying something new - singing. He gained national recognition three years ago by winning the 1999 Jimi Hendrix Guitar Competition. His cutting-edge blues-rock sound is far beyond his years. But he just started singing a few months ago, when he recorded songs for his upcoming solo CD, due out next month.

"I wrote some lyrics one time and one day I had a song that kind of went along with them," he says. "And I started singing and things went from there."

He graduated from Eastern Indiana's Franklin County High School in June and has been working in his uncle Ed White's business, Hamilton Custom Molding. But a career in music remains his goal.

He still performs with the rhythm section from his former band, Unsettled. But the 13-song CD, Change, is all Ricky. He plays drums, bass and guitar and takes his new place at the vocal microphone.

- Larry Nager