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Revision as of 02:24, 10 June 2010
Lee DeWyze |
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Leon James "Lee" DeWyze, Jr.[1] (born April 2, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter from Mount Prospect, Illinois, and the winner of the ninth season of American Idol. After his win, he signed a record deal with 19 Entertainment and RCA Records. In addition to singing, DeWyze is a musician who plays the guitar, piano and drums.
Prior to Idol, DeWyze had a solo career and had formed the Lee DeWyze Band. He had released two independent albums called So I'm Told in 2007 and Slumberland in 2010, both on WuLi Records.
Early life
DeWyze was born in Mount Prospect, Illinois. His father, Lee DeWyze, Sr., worked as a postal carrier in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, and his mother, Kathleen DeWyze (née Donahue),[2] in radiology transcription at a community hospital. He has two older sisters, Sarah and Shannon, and a younger brother, Mike.
He attended Saint James Catholic Elementary School in Arlington Heights, Illinois and Prospect High School up until his senior year. After leaving Prospect High, Lee attended Forest View Alternative School in Arlington Heights, having been inspired both by his teachers and his interest in music to return to his studies.[3] Lee never graduated from either high school.[4]
His musical influences include Cat Stevens, Eric Clapton, Ben Harper, and Simon & Garfunkel. He has some of the lyrics to "Father and Son", a classic Cat Stevens song, tattooed on his arm.[5][6]. He has 3 other tattoos, including a silhouette of the Chicago flag on his right arm.[7].[8] Lee stated on his blog that he owns a bulldog named Capone, is afraid of heights, loves playing Scrabble, and called his family before every performance he did on American Idol.[8] Lee said, "I've been trying to do a Kings Of Leon song, I just haven't had the chance," when he performed at the Arlington Park Racetrack in Arlington Heights, IL.
Pre-Idol career
After leaving school, DeWyze worked as a paint salesman. At the time of applying to American Idol and until the Hollywood rounds of the show, he had been selling paint for six years at the "Mount Prospect Paint" store.[9]
Lee DeWyze started singing at an early age and was discovered by the Chicagoan Louis Svitek who saw DeWyze, then 17, playing guitar and singing at a house party in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. Svitek, who runs the independent record label WuLi Records with Ryan McGuire in Chicago signed him to the label. Dewyze formed the "Lee DeWyze Band". Fellow band members included Louis Svitek, Ryan McGuire and Jeff Henderson. Lee recorded two albums, So I'm Told (2007) and Slumberland (2010) both produced by Ryan McGuire. In 2008, as a favor to Lee DeWyze Band member Jeff Henderson, Lee DeWyze and the band recorded a disc for Square One Organic Baby Food Company, a company owned by Jeff Henderson's wife. Lee DeWyze recorded six songs on the "Square One Organic" promotional CD,[10] also produced by Ryan McGuire.
As a result of touring in the area and performing at many venues, Lee and his band's music were known locally, even getting radio play on WXRT long before him applying for American Idol.[4] The band was featured on The Chicago Huddle hosted by ABC 7's Ryan Chiaverini where Lee sang the composition "Another Sleep Song" from his second album Slumberland.[11]
American Idol
DeWyze auditioned in Chicago at the United Center for the ninth season of American Idol on June 22, 2009 after encouragement from his friend Vincent Ferrara who was also trying out for the contest in Chicago. He auditioned with the song "Ain't No Sunshine". Lee was one of only 13 people from Chicago, the lowest number out of all 7 audition cities, to make it through to Hollywood week. During Hollywood week his group included Aaron Kelly and Crystal Bowersox, all of whom made the Top 24 and subsequently the Top 5.
His closest friend among the competitors was Andrew Garcia. [12] They were roommates throughout the season until Garcia was eliminated in the Top 9. Other contestants he is close to are Siobhan Magnus, Alex Lambert, Lacey Brown and eventually runner-up Crystal Bowersox.
DeWyze was one of two finalists on the show and was the only male contestant in Season 9 to never land in the bottom three. The judges praised Lee for shedding his shy persona throughout the season and showing, with confidence, that he was "in it to win it."
On May 14, 2010, DeWyze performed at the Arlington Park Race Track in Arlington Heights, Illinois with more than 41,000 people attending as part of his American Idol Homecoming day.
On May 26, DeWyze was crowned the winner of American Idol Season 9. [13] As a result of winning the season, DeWyze also won a recording contract. According to the iTunes Store, his debut album is expected to be released on October 26, 2010, containing twelve tracks.[14]
Performances/results
| Week # | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "Ain't No Sunshine" | Bill Withers | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood | First Solo | "One of Us" | Joan Osborne[15] | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood | Group Performance | "Get Ready" | The Temptations | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood | Second Solo | "You Found Me" | The Fray | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 24 (12 Men) | Billboard Hot 100 Hits | "Chasing Cars" | Snow Patrol | 7 | Safe |
| Top 20 (10 Men) | "Lips of an Angel" | Hinder | 10 | Safe | |
| Top 16 (8 Men) | "Fireflies" | Owl City | 1 | Safe | |
| Top 12 | The Rolling Stones | "Beast of Burden" | The Rolling Stones | 9 | Safe |
| Top 11 | Billboard #1 Hits | "The Letter" | The Box Tops | 1 | Safe |
| Top 10 | R&B/Soul | "Treat Her Like a Lady" | Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose | 8 | Safe |
| Top 9 | Lennon/McCartney | "Hey Jude" | The Beatles | 9 | Safe |
| Top 91 | Elvis Presley | "A Little Less Conversation" | Elvis Presley | 4 | Safe |
| Top 7 | Inspirational Songs | "The Boxer" | Simon & Garfunkel | 2 | Safe |
| Top 6 | Shania Twain | "You're Still the One" | Shania Twain | 1 | Safe |
| Top 5 | Frank Sinatra | "That's Life" | Frank Sinatra | 5 | Safe |
| Top 4 | Songs of the Cinema Solo Duet |
"Kiss from a Rose" — Batman Forever "Falling Slowly" — Once with Crystal Bowersox |
Seal Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová |
1 3 |
Safe |
| Top 3 | Contestant's Choice Judges' Choice2 |
"Simple Man" "Hallelujah" |
Lynyrd Skynyrd Leonard Cohen |
3 6 |
Safe |
| Top 2 | Contestant's Choice Simon Fuller's Choice Coronation song |
"The Boxer" "Everybody Hurts" "Beautiful Day" |
Simon & Garfunkel R.E.M. U2 |
1 3 5 |
Winner |
- ^Note 1 Due to the judges using their one save to save Michael Lynche, the Top 9 remained intact for another week.
- ^Note 2 Song selected by Simon Cowell.
Post-Idol career
It was announced that DeWyze had signed with Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment and RCA Records.[16] Billboard magazine announced his first post-"Idol" album will be on RCA Records. Dewyze's major label album is scheduled for a fall 2010 release. [17]
His first single, a cover of U2's "Beautiful Day," was released as a digital single on May 27, 2010.[18] During a press conference held on May 28, 2010, DeWyze said about the song: "I like that song a lot; it's a really good song (...) Is it something that is necessarily in my genre? No. There were songs on the table, and I went with the one I thought would represent the moment the best."[19]
DeWyze performed the national anthem at the Staples Center for Game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals on June 6, 2010.
In popular culture
The American Idol themed 21st season finale episode of The Simpsons included a scene in which an audience member holds up a poster reading “Vote for Lee - It’s ‘DeWyze’ Choice!”
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak | Certifications (sales threshold) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Heat | ||||||||
| 2007 | So I'm Told[20] | — | — | ||||||
| 2010 | Slumberland[22]
|
— | 7[24] |
| |||||
TBA
|
To be released | ||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Digital albums
| Year | Album | Peak | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Heat | |||
| 2010 | Season 9 Favorite Performances | — | 9[26] |
|
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US[28] | CA | |||
| 2010 | "Beautiful Day"[29] | 24 | 27 | non-album single |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Digital singles
| Year | Single | Peak | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US[28] | CA | ||||||||
| 2010 | "Hallelujah" | 44 | 57 | Season 9 Favorite Performances | |||||
| "Falling Slowly" (with Crystal Bowersox) | 66 | 70 | non-album single | ||||||
| "The Boxer" | 88 | 72 | Season 9 Favorite Performances | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Collaborations
- 2008: Square One Organic Baby Food Company promotional CD (6 of the songs are sung by LeeDeWyze).
References
- ^ http://www.lee-dewyze.net/lee/facts/
- ^ http://www.irishcentral.com/story/ent/amyandrews_gossipgirl/las-vegas-odds-say-lee-dewyze-will-win-american-idol-94635424.html
- ^ Cantiello, Jim (March 12, 2010). "Lee Dewyze Profile: What Are The Rocker's 'Idol' Chances?". MTV.
- ^ a b Sheila Ahern. "Lee DeWyze: From Mount Prospect to Hollywood and home again". Daily Herald. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Johnson, Steve (May 11, 2010). "Lee DeWyze: The reluctant 'Idol'". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "Lee DeWyze Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved may 27, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Lee DeWyze, Siobhan Magnus New Tattoos, S9 Idols at the Shrek Screening in Los Angeles". idoltv.com. April 25, 2010.
- ^ a b "American Idol: Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox duet on 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game'". Lee DeWyze blog. American Idol. May 23, 2010.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (May 18, 2010). "Lee DeWyze Worked At Paint Store Right Up Until 'American Idol'". MTV.
- ^ Hoffman, Liz (April 7, 2010). "'American Idol' contestant Lee DeWyze is voice behind River Forest baby food company". Chicago Parent.
- ^ "The Lee DeWyze Band". Lee DeWyze blog. American Idol. May 25, 2010.
- ^ Finalist Diaries: Top 4: Lee DeWyze American Idol May 12, 2010
- ^ Melisurgo, Len (May 26, 2010). "Lee DeWyze is named 'American Idol' 2010 winner". The Star-Ledger.
- ^ a b "Debut Album by Lee DeWyze". iTunes Store. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
- ^ "American Idol Performances". Lee DeWyze Fans. fanstar.net.
{{cite news}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ ‘American Idol’ Finalists Sign Record Deals May 28, 2010
- ^ American Idol Season 9 Winner Lee Dewyze Signs to 19 Recordings / RCA Records June 7th, 2010
- ^ "Beautiful Day - Single by Lee DeWyze - Download Beautiful Day - Single on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 1986-04-02. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
- ^ Lopez, Korina. "'Idol' winner Lee DeWyze: 'I'm free to do what I want now'". Usatoday.Com. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
- ^ DeWyze, Lee. "So I'm Told". CD Baby.
- ^ http://www.lee-dewyze.net/lee/discography/so-im-told/
- ^ DeWyze, Lee. "Slumberland". WuLi Publishing. CD Baby.
- ^ http://www.lee-dewyze.net/lee/discography/slumberland/
- ^ "Slumberland - Lee DeWyze". Billboard.com. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
- ^ "Idol album sales: Carrie Underwood sees album-sales gains after 'Idol' performance". USA Today. June 2, 2010.
- ^ Trust, Gary (June 3, 2010). "Chart Beat Thursday: Lee & Crystal Rock On". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (June 2, 2010). "'Idols' Lee DeWyze, Crystal Bowersox Impact Billboard Charts". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ a b Trust, Gary (June 3, 2010). "Chart Beat Thursday: Lee & Crystal Rock On". Billboard. Billboard Magazine.
- ^ MacKenzie, Carina (May 25, 2010). "'American Idol': Lee's 'Beautiful Day' and Crystal's 'Up On a Mountain'". Zap2It. Tribune Media Services, Inc.
External links
- 1986 births
- 2010s singers
- American Idol participants
- American Idol winners
- American pop guitarists
- American pop pianists
- American pop singers
- American rock guitarists
- American rock pianists
- American rock singers
- American singer-songwriters
- Living people
- Musicians from Illinois
- People from Mount Prospect, Illinois