Caleb Chevis Croons His Way to the Finish Line

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – As the old saying goes, “It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.” Caleb Chevis may take some offense to that phrase as he is male and far from obese. But the man can sing, a fact that is well known around the Little Rock Track and Field program.

In fact, Chevis may have as much talent in his vocal chords as he does in his legs. He has been a member of the Little Rock men’s 4x100m relay team that currently ranks 38th in the nation and second in the Sun Belt Conference with a season-best time of 40.39.

When it comes down to it, if he ain’t sprinting then he’s probably singing.

“I can't do track all the time,” Chevis explains. “I can't run all hours of the day because of the physical demand. Singing anytime I choose to. Any time of day, if I just want to open up my mouth and sing some notes, I can. I like that freedom and liberty to do that. I am always singing at track practice or in the athletic training room. It is something that I love to do and so I do it all day every day.”

The auditory hobby of Chevis first began in church as a child, around the age of seven or eight but his real focus on music started in high school when he joined the school choir at Martin High School in Grand Prairie, Texas. That doesn’t mean his repertoire is solely focused on faith-based songs. The freshman has over 2,200 songs downloaded to his phone spanning 11 different genres. 

“I took some vocal lessons my junior year of high school. I did a little bit my senior year but not too much. Just like with a sport - we don't just run around a track, we have to learn the technical aspects of running with proper form and proper mechanics. With singing, there are proper ways to sing and to train your voice so that you can sing more fluidly and better overall.”

While the practicing continues today, it’s now on a more stringent schedule. With a full-time class load, competing as a student-athlete and any extra studying he might need to do, Chevis doesn’t have time for vocal lessons right now. But he continually sings when he can.

“For the most part, it is just something I do on the side,” explained Chevis. “I took lessons in high school because I was in choir and it was a little more available. Right now, I'm always focused on either track, schoolwork or I'm getting treatment in the athletic training room. It's really just something I do in my own free time that I seldom have.”

With his singing whenever he can, especially in downtime around the track, he has already began building a fan base among his teammates.

“My teammates all like hearing my sing by Lamiah George is my biggest fan,” Chevis says, chuckling. “That girl is always wanting me to sing something. She actually sings a little bit too, she is just shy about it. She is just loves listening to me sing, loves singing with me. She actually asked me to help train her in singing.”

More than just singing, Chevis has begun investing time into building a YouTube page with some of his favorite songs. More than just singing in front of a camera, he embarks on a meticulous process of producing full videos for listener and watcher consumption.

“Every part in my videos is me singing and it is a very long process making them,” Chevis explains. “First I take a few days and record all of the different voice parts. This way I have a lead line and then all the accompanying parts. Once I have all that recorded, I play with the volume levels so different parts aren't too loud or too soft. Then I save it and record the video to it.”

“I use the app A Capella where I play the recording back and lip sync the different parts separately,” he continues. “Sometimes there's two or three or even six of me because of the different parts. So I record all of those videos then I go into iMovie and mash them all together and combine the audio and the video. It's a long process but it's definitely worth it.”

There is no doubting Chevis’ work ethic from either a musical or an athletic perspective. Just don’t make him choose which he likes better.

“How do I answer that question?!” Chevis exclaims. “That is such a hard question. I think I love them equally but I think they do different things for me that are essential.  Track is my outlet for exercise. I like running fast and just being able to feel my body move at those speeds. It's an experience that I cannot compare to anything else. Track is how I express my outer-being, my physical body and what I can do with that.”

“But with singing, it is how I express my inner-being like my emotions and my feelings,” he continues. “Whatever I want to say I get to bring that out with singing whereas with track, it is already out here and I'm just expressing what is already out there. I'm not necessarily putting one over the other. They both complement each other in my life and I wouldn’t necessarily pick one over the other.”

While a minor foot injury will prevent Chevis from competing Saturday during the Trojans-hosted Little Rock Open at the Coleman Sports Complex, his talents won’t be laid to waste. Chevis will be singing the National Anthem prior to the start of the main running events.  

For the latest information on Little Rock Track & Field, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockTFXC on Facebook,Instagram and Twitter.

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