Native Minnesotan Alyson Gilbert, who has so far dodged elimination on NBC-TV's "Nashville Star" reality talent show, said this afternoon that a serious vocal cord ailment while she was in college left her fretting for a year that she might never sing again.

Gilbert, 29, who grew up in Crookston and attended Minnesota State University, Moorhead, said that when she was 20 she her voice was losing some of its range and she "got hoarse real easily" and was routinely suffering from tonsillitis and strep throat.

Doctors discovered three nodules on her vocal cords, and that led to surgery and then -- of all things -- no talking for four months.

"That was very tough, especially for me because I tend to do a lot of talking," she said with self-amusement.

This turn of events, she said, left her "very concerned. I've been singing, I think, before I could talk."

Following many months of therapy, "by the grace of God I got my voice back. It was about a year."

Now, Gilbert says, some people tell her that her voice now has "a little smokier quality."

Gilbert's first performance after recovery was at the Grand Forks wedding of a friend. At the wedding, she met the man she would marry.

In March, Gilbert sang "Alligator Purse" on public radio's "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor as one of the "People in Their Twenties Talent Show."

Gilbert has dipped into various genres for her "Nashville Star" performances: "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany; "Every Breath You Take" by the Police; and "Suds In The Bucket" by Sara Evans.

Tonight, Gilbert has chosen Trisha Yearwood's "She's in Love With a Boy," a selection that she hopes will cement her country credentials.

As she pursues her music career in Tennessee, Gilbert also is studying veterinary science at the University of Tennessee, Martin.

She is one of two natives of northwestern Minnesota who remain among the nine contestants as "Nashville Star" enters its fourth week tonight.

Ashlee Hewitt, 20, grew up near Lancaster on a 2,500-acre horse ranch. She now lives in Nashville to pursue her career ambitions, her TV show bio says.

Contestants on "Nashville Star," which spent it first five years on cable, are competing for a major recording contract and a live performance at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. About 45,000 acts auditioned nationwide.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482