Sam Woolf plays post-Christmas show in Bradenton

Sam Woolf has a lot of really talented friends, and you'll get to hear some of them on Saturday at the Manatee Performing Arts Center.

Woolf, of course, is the Bradenton teen who became a national sensation when he reached the finals of "American Idol."

He's in college now, but he'll be home for the holidays and headlining a concert called "Sam Woolf and Friends" at the performing arts center.

The friends include Paige Merriman, Andy Pursell, Billy Rice and Matt Walden.

Bradenton's Merriman is a few years younger than Woolf, but she's already gaining attention for her smooth pop vocals and her keyboard playing. She won the recent Sarasota Rocks for a Cause competition, during which she performed crowd-pleasing versions of songs by Nick Jonas and Beyonce. You may have seen her locally when she's been among the opening acts for the Doobie Brothers, War, Thompson Square and Jefferson Starship.

Billy Rice is an established area pop-country act and Pursell is a local country up-and-comer.

Walden. who's also from Bradenton, released his first single and first EP earlier this year. The EP, titled "Life," debuted at No. 7 on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter Top Album chart.

Details: 7 p.m. Dec. 26, Stone Hall at the Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton. Tickets: $27-$30. Information: 941-748-5875, manateeperformingartscenter.com.

-- Marty Clear

This story was originally published December 23, 2015 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Sam Woolf plays post-Christmas show in Bradenton ."