Chris Daughtry
Christopher Jacob "Chris" Daughtry (born December 26, 1979) is an American singer and musician. He was the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol.
Early life
Daughtry is originally from Lasker, North Carolina, an affluent suburb in the northeastern region of the state. He and his family moved to Virginia when he was a teenager. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the diminutive Daughtry graduated from Fluvanna County High School in Palmyra, Virginia in the class of 1998. [1].
He is the lead singer of the rock band Absent Element, a band based in Raleigh with at least two self-produced CDs, a wide following and airplay on Raleigh's WBBB 96.1 FM contemporary rock station. He works as a service advisor with a car dealership in Greensboro, North Carolina as a day job.
American Idol
Inspired by Bo Bice, Daughtry auditioned for American Idol in Denver, Colorado with Joe Cocker's "The Letter"; he was portrayed as a young rocker with Southern and hard rock influences. He passed the audition by a split decision: approved by Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, disapproved by Simon Cowell.
On March 1, 2006, Daughtry's "raw" performance of Fuel's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" received critical acclaim by all three judges. On March 3, 2006, Jackson stated in an interview that Daughtry had been offered the opportunity to become Fuel's new lead singer. [2] As of March 4, 2006, the band's official website was advertising for a new lead singer and mentioned that Daughtry's performance had impressed them.
Daughtry has also played guitar on Idol in group performances.
Based on judges' critique and independent polling, Daughtry had been considered the frontrunner to win American Idol's fifth season. On May 10, 2006, Daughtry was eliminated from the competition.
Personal life
Daughtry is married with two stepchildren (a seven-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son) from his wife's previous marriage.
In a segment on the 2006 season of American Idol, Daughtry revealed he is balding and maintains a shaved head in an effort to maintain an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
American Idol performances
Semi-finals
- February 22, 2006 - "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi
- The judges praised him.
- March 1, 2006 - "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" by Fuel
- The judges loved this performance. Cowell thought it was the best performance of the night. Jackson said that Daughtry would be on top of the charts right now.
- March 8, 2006 - "Broken" by Seether and Amy Lee
- Jackson and Abdul loved this performance, but Cowell got bored of it.
Finals
- March 14, 2006 - "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder
- Theme: Stevie Wonder
- Roundly praised by all three judges. Cowell said that Daughtry's blend of Stevie Wonder and the Red Hot Chili Peppers was the only "real world" performance of the night.
- Theme: Stevie Wonder
- March 21, 2006 - "I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash
- Theme: 1950's
- The judges strongly praised Daughtry's originality in presenting a version very different from Cash's original. However, many viewers felt that this performance was similar to a version done by the alternative band Live; no reference to Live was made during the broadcast. Many fans of Daughtry have speculated that he may have given credit to Live in portions of the pre-performance interview that were edited out. On the March 28 episode, in a discussion with Seacrest, Daughtry said that it was in fact Live's version. [3].
- Theme: 1950's
- March 28, 2006 - "What If" by Creed
- Theme: Songs of the 21st Century
- Jackson liked the song choice, but thought the singing was sharp and it was not his best performance. Abdul loved it, and said "What if...what if...what if...I am your biggest fan?!". Cowell thought he went too far with the song and that "Creed wouldn't be caught dead on this show." Cowell also advised him that he should try something different from the constant rock archetype which he has performed in for most of the competition, calling it indulgent.
- Theme: Songs of the 21st Century
- April 4, 2006 - "Making Memories of Us" by Keith Urban
- Theme: Country
- Jackson and Abdul liked Daughtry's austere performance and that he showed another musical side of himself. Cowell, however, thought it was a boring song choice, but still liked him showing another musical side.
- Theme: Country
- April 11, 2006 - "Innuendo" by Queen
- Theme: Queen
- Jackson and Abdul, generally fans of Daughtry, both said the performance was great. Cowell did not like the song, and wished that Daughtry had chosen "One of the great Queen songs", but said that the performance was done well. He said it was a little bit indulgent again.
- Theme: Queen
- April 18, 2006 - "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong (Bottom 2)
- Theme: Standards
- All of the judges gave Daughtry's performance rave reviews; Cowell called it "great." Still, Daughtry found himself in the bottom two on elimination night.
- Theme: Standards
- April 25, 2006 - "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" by Bryan Adams (Top 2)
- Theme: Greatest Love Songs
- All three judges liked the performance. However, due to airtime constraints, the judges were only allowed a few seconds to speak. Daughtry was in the top two on elimination night.
- Theme: Greatest Love Songs
- May 2 2006 - "Renegade" by Styx and "I Dare You" by Shinedown
- Theme: Song From The Contestant's Birth Year (Chris - 1979)
- First song: All three judges gave this perfomance rave reviews. Cowell said it was a million times better than the first two performances of the night.
- Theme: Billboard Top 10
- Second song: The judges thought Daughtry's performance was "okay", but it was obvious to them after multiple practice sessions his voice was starting to give out.
- Theme: Song From The Contestant's Birth Year (Chris - 1979)
- May 9 2006 - "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley and "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley (Eliminated)
- Theme: Elvis Presley
- First song: Paula said: "You forget how good that song is, until you hear Chris Daughtry sing it. See you in the finals." Judge Simon Cowell gave positive feedback on the first song, and criticized his second song. Daughtry was in the bottom with Katharine McPhee, and was eliminated.
- Theme: Elvis Presley
External links
- American Idol - Contestants: Chris Daughtry
- Absent Element
- Template:Myspace - promo site courtesy of Fox's americanidol.com with News Corporation
- Chris Daughtry at IMDb
- An Inspirational Essay About Chris Daughtry