Lemont Teen Puts Modern Spin on Union Pacific Jingle for Chance to Win $15K

A Lemont teen is hoping to win up to $15,000 with his remake of the Union Pacific Railroad jingle.

Conor Matthews, 16, recently entered the company's 150th anniversary contest, which will award more than $35,000 in prizes to musicians who create videos that put a modern twist on its classic 1970s commercial, "We Can Handle It."

The award-winning television spot featured Union Pacific employees signing and dancing to the jingle "Great Big Rollin' Railroad," written by Bill Fries.

Contest entries have remade the song in a variety of genres, including blues, reggae, pop, country, hip hop, rap and jazz.

Videos with the most "likes" each month will win $1,000, and will be entered to win the grand prize of $15,000.

Matthews and his friend, Austin Mace, put their own pop/rock twist on the song, and recorded a music video at the Indiana Transportation Museum in Noblesville, IN.

As of Thursday afternoon, their video was in seventh place.

CLICK HERE to watch and vote for Matthews' video.

Matthews, a senior at , has a recording contract with Tate Music Group. His debut album, "It's the Change," was released on Amazon.com and iTunes in May.

In Lemont, Matthews performs regularly at  and  open mic night. 

He is also a standout student at Lemont High School, ranking among the top 5 percent of his class. He participated in the school's production of "Beauty and the Beast" his freshman year, and was cast in a state-qualifying drama production. He has also participated in marching band, Foreign Language Club, Model United Nations and Future Business Leaders of America.

Next year, Matthews hopes to attend Belmont University in Nashville, TN, to study music business.

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