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Daughtry
Daughtry
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Bo Bice proved that American Idol could have a rocker as a finalist, but Chris Daughtry proved that the show could generate a successful rocker outside the context of the show. Of course, it helped that Daughtry was the polar opposite of Bice, a shaggy retro-rocker soaked in the South: bold and bald, he was the picture of a modern rocker, living by the rulebook written by Live and Fuel. These were the qualities that helped make Chris Daughtry the most successful new rock & roll singer of 2006.

Like any AmIdol finalist, Daughtry had a long run as an amateur musician. The North Carolina native -- born in Roanoke Rapids, he lived in Charlottesville, VA, before establishing himself in the Greensboro area -- began singing in local rock bands when he was 16 years old. He continued to play locally after his high-school graduation in 1998, marrying his girlfriend Deanna in 2000, a few months after the January 2000 birth of their son Griffin (he adopted Deanna's daughter from a previous marriage). Family man he may have been, but Daughtry didn't let his rock & roll dream die, as he continued to play guitar and sing in a band called Absent Element. He auditioned for Rock Star: INXS in 2005 but was rejected -- a rejection that turned out to be rather fortunate since it freed him to audition for the far more popular televised singing competition American Idol.

Daughtry was featured heavily during the show's seemingly never-ending audition rounds for two reasons: he was telegenic and he capitalized on the rocker promise of Bo Bice and Constantine Maroulis from the previous season. He was bald and handsome, he possessed a terrific smile, and his devotion to his family made for great TV. He sailed through to Hollywood and made it into the final 12, where he was hailed as a standout early on and soon seemed to be a favorite to win. Daughtry mania began to peak in March when his rendition of Fuel's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" caused such a sensation that rumors began to fly that Fuel wanted to hire him as their lead singer -- something that proved no rumor, as the modern rock group, savoring the new press, practically pleaded for his presence after he was voted off the show. But this was still two long months away -- two months where he continued to be one of the top draws in the season, even courting some controversy when he sang Live's arrangement for Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line." This moody reinterpretation was misinterpreted as a Daughtry original, and on the results show he had to clarify where he learned this version. Still, this controversy paled to when he was voted off the show in May: Daughtry was one of the final four and Katharine McPhee just narrowly beat him, a result that visibly shocked the rocker. Daughtry would soon have the last laugh.

After he was kicked off of Idol, he turned down Fuel's standing offer of replacing their lead singer and set off on his own career, signing with Idol's 19 Entertainment group and RCA Records in July of 2006. By the time the album materialized in November, it had turned into a project by a band called DAUGHTRY (spelled all in capital letters) -- the band featured guitarist Jeremy Brady, guitarist Josh Steely, bassist Josh Paul, and drummer Joey Barnes, but they did not play as a band on the finished album; Brady was replaced after the album's release by Brian Craddock -- a matter of semantics overlooked by most, especially in light of the album's blockbuster success. Like many hotly anticipated albums of the SoundScan era, it debuted high on the charts but it didn't drop down quickly: it stayed in the Top Ten for month after month, as did the first single, "It's Not Over." This meant that DAUGHTRY was not only a huge hit by Idol standards, it was one of the few hit rock albums -- period -- in 2006. DAUGHTRY didn't debut at number one, but it climbed to the top in January 2007 (granted, it only sold about 65,000 copies the week it was at number one, but that's still an impressive feat) and stayed in the Top Ten well into the new year, as did the single "It's Not Over." By February, it was evident that his popularity eclipsed those of his American Idol rivals Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music GuideMore

Official Profile

Daughtry
It makes perfect sense that an anonymous online music fan has best described what rocker Chris Daugh...
Songs: 3, Videos: 2, Playlists: 3, Blog Posts: 1, Polls: 0, Battles: 0

Most Popular Music Videos (6)

Over You
(Duration: 3:44)
Jun 23rd, 7:42pm
Feels Like Tonight
(Duration: 4:02)
Jun 29th, 10:51pm
Home
(Duration: 4:16)
Jun 23rd, 7:31pm
What About Now
(Duration: 4:11)
Aug 5th, 7:10am
It's Not Over
(Duration: 3:53)
Jun 29th, 11:09pm
No Surprise
(Duration: 4:10)
Jun 4th, 10:08pm
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Fan Comments

Oct 27th, 8:39am
Hey everyone! We are Young Ones, an independently owned record store in Kutztown, PA.

Enter for a chance to win a pair of "guest list" passes to see CAVO with Theory of a Deadman and Daughtry at the Sovereign Center on November 5th in Reading, PA. One entry per person no purchase required!!

http://www.youngonesrecords.com
Oct 2nd, 10:46pm
OMG I jUst love "No SUrprise" soooooooo much!! Ive been listening to this song for hours over and ovver!! OMG!!! LOVE IT!
Sep 23rd, 10:52am
I love you, Chris...and the other guys, too :D
This band is good stuff.
Sep 21st, 11:11pm
i'm fan of you ...
you are the best in the world ..
i love your songs and i love you...
god bless you :)
Sep 14th, 9:22pm
uR SoNG S NicE ..!!
Sep 13th, 9:45am
love your song No Surprise!!!!! ^0^
Sep 7th, 8:50am Last edited Sep 7th, 8:50am.
Daughtry is pretty great, eh?

love the new album tremendously. kudos ;)
Aug 28th, 11:16am
daughtry is one of my all-time faves! Them or The Used!! I pre-ordered ARTWORK and I can't wait for the new CD this monday!!! They're doing a twitter listening party on release date; check out theused.net for info people!!
Aug 8th, 2:17am
i luv ur music keep giving us good songs tnx n god bless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jul 14th, 8:03am
Yo guys I found all of Leave this Town streaming online at http://www.iheartradio.com/cc-common/ondemand/music.html?apid=5762&cmp=daughtry_danny

I'm downloading the album now, I love loVE lOVE LOVE the album!