Gwinnett 'worship band' is U.K.-bound after winning Hard Rock contest

Grand prize? A trip to London to play in the Hard Rock Calling festival, a three-day music event that draws top talent.

"I never thought a contest would get me to this level," said Vaughn, who met fellow band members at 12Stone Church.

"A lot of people call us lucky. But my definition of luck is opportunity meets preparation. The opportunity came along, and we were prepared."

The band plays weekly in local clubs and as one of several worship bands in their church. Being connected with a congregation of 9,000 helped them win.

They competed in a battle of the bands in Atlanta's Hard Rock Cafe on May 6 to win the regional battle. Hard Rock Cafe posted finalists' performance videos online, and viewers from across the nation voted for their favorite.

That's when the contest took a 21st-century turn — a social networking battle broke out among Vaughn and the other four finalists.

Band members lit up Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, telling everyone they knew to vote and spread the message.

"We let folks know," said Chris Morgan, the worship pastor. "We told them the band had a chance to go to England."

The band got Christian pop star Jaci Velasquez, a friend of Vaughn's, to tweet to her 70,000 followers.

"It was not a casual experience," he said of the work and strategizing.

A Hard Rock spokeswoman declined to release the final vote. "But it was a very close race," she said.

Donna Whitten, director of communications at 12Stone Church, said, "We always knew they were very good and had a certain amount of local success. But I think it surprised everybody that their talent was so widely accepted."

Vaughn's scheduled appearance in London is not set yet. He hopes to open for a major act, like the Dave Matthews Band or Springsteen.

"We are hoping this will skyrocket us," he said. "We have been paying dues for quite a few years. It would be nice to not do that anymore."