"I've always believed in heroes," he said. His dream was to be a U.S. Navy Seal. "I loved the idea of saving the world."

Hendricks was born with cerebral palsy; the doctor told his parents that he might never walk. Cerebral palsy, or CP, is a neurological disorder that affects movement and muscle coordination, often resulting in deformed limbs.

Hendricks did learn to walk, but he will never be a Seal. Instead, he picked up a guitar and started sharing his message and his music with people. He wants everyone, especially children with disabilities, to know that anyone can dream big.

"I wouldn't change a thing when it comes to my CP," Hendricks said. "Whether it's me or someone else down the line, there is a need for someone for disabled kids to look up to."

This summer, he will share that message with his biggest audience yet.

In June, Hendricks joins several big-name performers on the two-month Life and Faith Tour. With stops in Richmond, Rockingham and Atlanta, the tour features contemporary Christian artists like Amy Grant, Shenandoah and Hawk Nelson. Organizers said it will attract tens of thousands, raising money for local charities and nonprofit groups.

Hendricks is also working on a full-length album, which may be released this summer.

"We have never played a crowd like this. It's going to be huge," said Hendricks' manager, Aaron Gallagher, 25, who shares an apartment with him in southern Durham.

Hendricks grew up in Durham and attended Immaculata Catholic School. After graduating from Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, he earned a degree in exercise and sports science from Elon University in 2007.

Staying active has always been an important part of Hendricks' life. At Elon, he swam and worked out with weights for hours every day, he said.

Although he uses a cane, he's just like any other 24-year-old, working regular shifts at Best Buy and chilling with friends in his spare time.

He tries not to let his CP get in the way, although he has to sit down when he's performing. It can be hard to balance a guitar, a microphone and a cane, he said.

Because of his disability, Gallagher said he didn't expect Hendricks to be very good when he met him at a Chapel Hill open mic night. He said he changed his mind after seeing Hendricks play. Now, he gets the same response from other people.

"It's really cool for me to just watch Chris," Gallagher said. "You can tell that the one place in this world where he really feels at home is on stage playing for people."

Hendricks said he is aware of the stigmas that disabled people can face.

"People are afraid to approach, engage and get to know them," he said. As a result, some disabled people "have absolutely no faith in themselves."

However, Hendricks is determined to make it in the music business.

"The biggest challenge is getting people to take me seriously," he said.

Even his mom fought him over his music at first, he said. It was rough on their relationship, he said, but he knows she was just trying to protect him.

Now, he said, she's one of his biggest supporters, along with his dad, who taught him his first three guitar chords when he was a junior at Elon.

The Chris Hendricks Band has been playing fund-raisers, private parties and clubs around the Triangle for over a year. These days, you can sometimes find the band, including 28-year-old guitarist Michael Sullivan, at Bailey's Pub and Grille in Chapel Hill, or Falls River Music or The Brewery in Raleigh.

Gallagher said Hendricks also is a hit with listeners of Durham radio station G105.

Last summer, Hendricks and Gallagher were invited to be on the station's "Bob and the Showgram" show.

During the interview, Gallagher said, host Bob Dumas was sad that Chris didn't bring his guitar and couldn't play for the listeners.

"I looked at Chris and kind of smiled, because Chris didn't know what I knew, and that was that I had put the guitars in the trunk the night before," Gallagher said. "It was pretty cool, because that was the station he grew up listening to, and there he was actually singing live. Since then, they've played his songs a couple of times."

Gallagher, who works in pharmaceutical sales and consulting, said he is learning how to be a manager as he goes. Fortunately, he already had a few friends in Nashville and was able to introduce Hendricks to people like Amy Grant and her husband, country legend Vince Gill. They also met Fred Vail, the Beach Boys' longtime manager and an independent producer of major country and bluegrass artists.

Gallagher said Vail has expressed interest in producing Hendricks' album, too, although they're considering their options.

"The whole thing, since the beginning, has been a blessing. It's like a dream," Hendricks said. He wears a ring from his dad to remind him of that dream.

Gallagher thinks the dream may be close to coming true.

"To be honest with you, it's crazy how fast this has taken off," he said. "I've got a lot of friends in Nashville who are in the music industry, and they've been going at it for five, six, seven years.

"It's just there are so many people trying to make it in the music industry, that the only way you can make it is if you're really good or you have an amazing story," he said.