Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Who is Thomas Luther Bryan?

Who is Thomas Luther Bryan  Bryan? The entertainment and country music world knows him as Luke Bryan.

2007-2008: I'll Stay Me

He born July 17, 1976.  and raised in Leesburg, Georgia. At age fourteen, his parents bought him his first guitar, and after learning to play it, he joined various local bands and began to play in local clubs.[3] After graduating high school, Bryan planned to move to Nashville, Tennessee; however, this move was delayed, due to the death of his brother, Chris, on the same day he planned to leave. Luke attended Georgia Southern University, and is a member of the Eta Zeta chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.[4]He moved to Nashville on September 1, 2001 and landed a deal as a songwriter within two months.[3] Among his first cuts was the title track of Travis Tritt's 2005 album My Honky Tonk History.[5] An A&R representative at Capitol Records saw Bryan perform at a club, and signed him to a recording contract. His debut single, "All My Friends Say", was released in early 2007,



 just as country music artist Billy Currington was climbing the Hot Country Songs charts with "Good Directions", which Bryan also wrote. "Good Directions" spent three weeks at Number One on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Songs charts in May 2007, while "All My Friends Say" reached a peak of #5. In August 2007, Bryan's debut album for Capitol, entitled I'll Stay Me, was released. The album's second single, "We Rode in Trucks", peaked in the Top 40 in early 2008.



 A third single, "Country Man", was released in February 2008 and became his second Top 10 hit. Bryan also charted in late 2008 with a cover of "Run Rudolph Run" which peaked at #42 based on Christmas airplay.

2009-2010: Doin' My Thing

In March 2009, he released an exclusive EP to iTunes titled Spring Break With All My Friends that featured two new songs, "Sorority Girls" and "Take My Drunk Ass Home," as well as an acoustic version of "All My Friends Say." After this EP, he released his fourth single, "Do I", which is included on his second album, Doin' My Thing. Bryan wrote the song with Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood of Lady Antebellum, whose lead singer Hillary Scott also sings backing vocals on it.[6] It debuted at #53 on the country singles charts dated for May 9, 2009 and reached #2 in December, having been held from the Number One spot by Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now." "Rain Is a Good Thing" was released as the second single on January 25, 2010, and in July it became his first Number One on Billboard. The third single, "Someone Else Calling You Baby", was released on August 2, 2010, and also reached Number One in February 2011.



Bryan presented at the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on November 10, 2010.[7]

2011-present: Tailgates & Tanlines

Bryan released his seventh single, "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)", to country radio on March 14, 2011.



Also co-written by Bryan and Davidson, it served as the lead-off single to his third studio album, Tailgates & Tanlines, which was released August 13' 2011. The album debuted at number 1 on the Top Country Albums and number 2 on the Billboard 200. "Country Girl" peaked at number 4 on the country charts and number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Bryan co-wrote the album's second single, "I Don't Want This Night to End", with Davidson, Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip, who are collectively known as the Peach Pickers.



 In early 2012, this song became Bryan's third number 1. "Drunk On You" is the album's third single.



On March 6, 2012, Bryan released his fourth Spring Break EP entitled Spring Break 4 ... Suntan City. Along with the title track, which Bryan co-wrote with Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip, the EP includes "Spring Breakup,"Little Bit Later On" and "Shake the Sand."[11]

Personal life

Luke Bryan married Caroline Boyer, a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, on Dec. 8, 2006. They welcomed a son, Thomas Boyer "Bo" Bryan, on March 18, 2008.[8] Their second son, Tatum Christopher Bryan, was born on August 11, 2010.[9]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US Country
[14]
US
[15]
CAN
[16]
I'll Stay Me 2 24
Doin' My Thing
  • Release date: October 6, 2009
  • Label: Capitol Nashville
  • Formats: CD, music download
2 6
Tailgates & Tanlines
  • Release date: August 9, 2011
  • Label: Capitol Nashville
  • Formats: CD, music download
1 2 6
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Extended plays

Title Details Peak chart
positions
US Country
[14]
US
[15]
Luke Bryan EP
  • Release date: October 31, 2006
  • Label: Capitol Nashville
  • Formats: music download
Spring Break with
All My Friends
  • Release date: March 10, 2009
  • Label: Capitol Nashville
  • Formats: music download
Spring Break 2...
Hangover Edition
  • Release date: March 2, 2010
  • Label: Capitol Nashville
  • Formats: music download
Spring Break 3...
It's a Shore Thing
  • Release date: March 1, 2011
  • Label: Capitol Nashville
  • Formats: music download
6 23
Spring Break 4...
Suntan City
  • Release date: March 6, 2012
  • Label: Capitol Nashville
  • Formats: music download
2 9
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
Album
US Country
[20]
US
[21]
CAN
[22]
2007 "All My Friends Say" 5 59
I'll Stay Me
"We Rode in Trucks" 33
2008 "Country Man" 10 74
2009 "Do I" 2 34 66 Doin' My Thing
2010 "Rain Is a Good Thing" 1 37 57
"Someone Else Calling You Baby" 1 56 84
2011 "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)" 4 22 50 Tailgates & Tanlines
"I Don't Want This Night to End" 1 22 48
2012 "Drunk on You"A 6 23 42
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
  • ACurrent single.

Other charted songs

Year Single Peak chart
positions
Album
US Country US Bubbling
2008 "Run Run Rudolph" 42 Country for Christmas
2010 "Wild Weekend" 17[29] Spring Break 2… Hangover Edition
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

Year Video Director
2007 "All My Friends Say" Shaun Silva
"We Rode in Trucks"
2008 "Country Man" Luke Bryan
"Run Run Rudolph"
2009 "Do I" Shaun Silva
2010 "Rain Is a Good Thing"
2011 "It's a Shore Thing" Potsy Ponciroli
"Country Girl (Shake It for Me)" Shaun Silva
"If You Ain't Here to Party" Michael Monaco
"I Don't Want This Night to End" Shaun Silva
2012 "Suntan City" Michael Monaco
"Drunk on You" Shaun Silva

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Result
2010 Academy of Country Music Awards Top New Solo Vocalist[30] Won
Top New Artist[31] Won
CMT Music Awards USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year - "Do I"[32] Won
Country Music Association Awards New Artist of the Year[33] Nominated
2011 CMT Music Awards Best Web Video of the Year - "It's a Shore Thing"[34] Nominated
Nationwide Insurance On Your Side Award[35] Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice Music: Country Single — "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)"[36] Nominated
Choice Music: Country Male Artist[36] Nominated
American Country Awards Artist of the Year: Male[37] Nominated
Single of the Year: Male — "Someone Else Calling You Baby"[37] Nominated

 

 

 

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Friday, May 25, 2012

Who is Terry Wayne Fator?


Who is Terry Wayne Fator? The entertainment and comic world knows him as Terry Fator, he is a ventriloquist, impressionist, comedian, and singer from Mesquite, Texas. Fator is capable of doing over 100 ventriloquial impersonations,[2] and uses 16 different puppets in his act. He was the winner of Season 2 of America's Got Talent, and received the million dollar prize.[3] The following year, he was signed on as the headliner at The Mirage hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.[4]

 Early life

Terry Fator was born June 10, 1965 in Dallas, Texas. Terry's second cousin is Chris Sligh, an American Idol season 6 finalist.[2] Terry Fator says in his audio commentary of Terry Fator: Live from Las Vegas (2009) that he went to college at Liberty University in Lynchburg VA. The beginning of Fator's ventriloquism career dates back to when he was in fifth grade.[2][5] While searching for a book for an assignment on Valentine's Day, he came across a book about ventriloquism[5] titled, Ventriloquism for Fun and Profit, by Paul Winchell.[6] Fator checked out the book and started learning about ventriloquism.[2] A few weeks later, Fator purchased a Willie Talk dummy from Sears[2] and soon won a $25 prize for a performance at a church picnic.[5][6]
Fator got his first ventriloquism dummy when he was ten years old.[7] Throughout his childhood, Fator entertained family and friends with his ventriloquism and did impersonations of singers and actors.[2] When Fator was in sixth grade, he appeared on a popular children's show in Dallas called Peppermint Place that starred "Mr. Peppermint" Jerry Haynes.[citation needed] Fator was able to save his money and got his first professional ventriloquism dummy when he was eighteen.[7]
Fator says he found he had the ability to impersonate singers by practicing ventriloquism while driving his car. "One of the reasons I learned how to sing as a ventriloquist was because I like singing in the car," Fator says. "I’d see other people singing in the car, and they looked goofy, so I’d do it without moving my lips."[7]

Band membership

Fator got his start touring as the lead singer of a band called "Freedom Jam" in 1987-88, produced by Young American Showcase. They performed at over 200 high schools and middle schools across the United States, averaging three performances per school day.

In mid 1988, he was the lead singer of a show band called 'Texas the Band'[8] when he was 20, and incorporated his puppet Walter T. Airedale into his shows. Fator's band at one point was about to sign with a major record label and one of the label's representatives came to hear the band. Fator sang the songs impersonating the original vocalists. "He told me 'you gotta stop doing those impressions,' and wanted me to sing in my own voice," Fator says. "I tried it for a few weeks, and absolutely hated it. We told the record company 'no thanks.'"[9]

Combining singing and ventriloquism

Fator left the band and did a solo act combining comedy and ventriloquism but for many years had little success. "Fairs would stick me on a little stage in the back of fair and have me do three shows in the hottest part of the afternoon," says Fator. "I had heat stroke a couple of times, almost passed out."[9]
In May 2007, before appearing on America's Got Talent, Fator was performing at a fair near Houston, Texas and the only spectator was a 12 year old boy. Discouraged, Fator contemplated pursuing another career, but his family encouraged him to hang in there. Terry entered the America's Got Talent competition with the hope that the exposure if he made it to the Top 20 might help his career and cause people to want to attend his shows. But Fator says the low point of his career was when he appeared at a 1,000 seat theater and had only one customer.[5]
Fator's success stems from combining singing and ventriloquism. Fator had been the lead singer in a band and often did impersonations of singers Garth Brooks, Etta James, James Taylor and Dean Martin while ventriloquism was just a comic side gig for Fator. In 2005 Fator decided to join his two talents, ventriloquism and impersonations.[2] "I had one of my characters sing Garth Brooks' "Friends in Low Places" and the audience went bananas," Fator says. "Boy, that was where my life changed." After his initial success Fator revamped his act. "It took me six months and I completely rewrote the show," says Fator. "It was then that people really noticed and I started getting standing ovations at the end of every show."[10]
Prior to winning America's Got Talent, Fator was an opening act for Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Neal McCoy, and Styx. Fator also made corporate appearances at General Motors and AT&T.

Success on America's Got Talent

Before appearing on America's Got Talent, Fator had almost given up on achieving success in show business as a ventriloquist. "It wasn't easy trying to keep going all these years, and by the time I was in my late 30s, I wasn't sure it was ever going to happen," says Fator.[11]
On June 19, 2007, Fator made his first national appearance on America's Got Talent. Fator never dreamed that he would win the show. "Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would win that show," says Fator. "Essentially I auditioned because the guy that was the ventriloquist the first season got on ('The Late Show with) David Letterman.' ... So I figured I'd do three episodes like he did and end up on 'David Letterman.'"[12] After winning the show Fator actually had to turn the Letterman gig down four times before he could appear. "My schedule got so packed, and it broke my heart every time I had to turn him down," Fator says.[7]
When Fator first came onstage judge David Hasselhoff said "Oh, no, a ventriloquist."[11] "I was thinking, there's no way I would win," Fator says. "I gave myself zero percent [chance]." The judges, Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and David Hasselhoff loved Fator and he won the competition.[5] Judge Piers Morgan told Fator "You’re a great impersonator, a great singer and a great comedian." "You put a twist on the whole being a ventriloquist thing," added Judge Sharon Osborne.[13] Even Simon Cowell approved. "Simon Cowell said I was one of the top two entertainers on the planet," says Fator. "And getting a compliment from Simon Cowell, well, not many people get a compliment like that."[12]
After Fator won the $1 million prize, he bought his wife an expensive wedding ring and a dream house in Trophy Club, Texas near Dallas, Texas.[5]

Performances/Results

Week Song choice Original artist Puppet Result
Chicago
audition
"At Last" Etta James Emma Taylor Advanced
Vegas Verdicts N/A N/A N/A Advanced
Top 20
Group 2
"What a Wonderful World"
(Kermit the Frog
impersonation)
Louis Armstrong Winston the Turtle Safe
Top 10 "Unforgettable" Nat King Cole Emma Taylor Safe
Top 8 "That's Amore"
"I Left My Heart in San Francisco"
Dean Martin
Tony Bennett
Johnny Vegas Safe
Top 4
Judges' Choice
Contestant's Choice
"Friends in Low Places"
"Crying"
Garth Brooks
Roy Orbison
Walter T Airedale
Winston the Turtle
N/A
Finale "You've Got a Friend" James Taylor Johnny Vegas
Kermit the Frog
Winner

Life after America's Got Talent

It was announced on the show that in conjunction with winning, he was to appear at the Jubilee Theatre at Bally's. However, the spots were only going to be 15 minutes long, and in complete mutual cooperation with his management team and Bally's, the plan was dropped. Fator performed at Christian rock legend Larry Norman's 60th birthday party in April 2007.[14] Later Fator flew Larry to tapings of America's Got Talent and also to his debut show at the Las Vegas Hilton as an honored guest. Norman told friends shortly before his death that it was one of the most fun years of his life
On October 14 and 15, 2007, after winning America's Got Talent, Fator took the stage of the Las Vegas Hilton (formerly the International, the same stage that Elvis Presley performed on for many years.) Both shows were sold out to standing room only. Another show was added for December 3 to satisfy the demand for tickets.
In early December 2007, Fator signed a contract for $1.5 million with the Las Vegas Hilton to do 3 shows a month from January 2008 to May 2008. Fator also performed a 6 p.m. early family New Year's Eve show on December 31, 2007.
In 2007, Fator became an official supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities and is a member of their celebrity board, called the Friends of RMHC.[15]
On March 17, 2008, Fator appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show along with American Idol Judge Simon Cowell. To the amazement of Oprah, Cowell referred to Fator as one of the "two most talented people on the planet." Fator performed with three of his dummies; country singer Walter T. Airedale performed a Garth Brooks song and Winston the impersonating Turtle sang a Bee Gees song. Julius performed a Marvin Gaye song; Julius was a favorite when he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show.[7] "As soon as I brought out Julius, she had this look on her face, wondering what I was about to do," Fator said.[7] "Once I started into Marvin Gaye, she fell out of her chair."[7]
On May 13, 2008 it was announced that Fator had signed a five year deal to perform nightly at The Mirage in Las Vegas. He replaced headliner Danny Gans and the theater was renamed the Terry Fator Theatre. Reportedly the deal is worth an astounding $100 million with an option to extend another five years making the entire deal worth over $200 million. This would be one of the largest entertainment deals in Las Vegas history.
Fator announced in July 2008 that he was at work on a book. "I never thought in my whole life I would write a whole book. It's called 'Who's the Dummy Now?'"[12] Fator announced at the 2008 Bloomsburg Fair on the week of September 20–27, 2008 that he finished his book.
On September 10, 2008, Fator reappeared on America's Got Talent's Top Twenty Results Show as a guest. He brought back a larger Winston the Impersonating Turtle to sing Marvin Gaye's song, "Let's Get It On." Maynard Thomkins was also brought on to sing Viva Las Vegas. Winston was not the only puppet that was reconfigured, on an August 1, 2008 ABCNews Now interview, he brought a reshaped Emma Taylor to sing "At Last."[6]

Getting ventriloquism taken seriously

Fator has fought to be taken seriously as a ventriloquist. "There have been so few good, successful ventriloquists - Edgar Bergen in the 1940s and Paul Winchell in the 1960s were respected and successful," says Fator. "And in the 1970s, I used to watch Willie Tyler and his Lester as well as Jay Johnson and Bob. But over the years, there have been so many bad ventriloquists - and most of them doing corny shows for children - that people began to think of us as a bad joke."[11]

Puppets

This is an incomplete list of the character names for the puppets that Terry Fator uses in his act.
  • Walter T. Airedale - Airedale, a country singer, is the puppet that Fator has had the longest.[12]
  • Winston the Impersonating Turtle - Winston was inspired by Kermit the Frog. "Originally I had a Kermit the Frog puppet and I would have (him) sing Rainbow Connection," says Fator. "When I called up the Muppets to see if they would let me do a Kermit the Frog impression (on national TV), they said I could do the impression but I could not use the Kermit puppet. Necessity is the mother of invention, so I said, OK, I'll have a turtle do an impression of a frog singing with Louis Armstrong."[12]
  • Emma Taylor - "Emma Taylor is a lady who sang with me on 'America's Got Talent,'" says Fator. Fator says that Emma is his "best puppet friend." "I kind of like Emma. She's really cute," says Fator.[12]
  • Maynard Thomkins - "Maynard Tompkins is an Elvis impersonator --the only impersonator in the world who does not know any Elvis songs," says Fator.[12]
  • Julius - Julius is the soul singer. People are sometimes initially shocked by Julius as an African-American puppet. "Obviously, it’s going to be shocking. People look at me a little nervously," Fator said. "But when I start singing, all objections fade away and they love it." Julius was a favorite when he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show. "As soon as I brought out Julius, she had this look on her face, wondering what I was about to do," Fator said. "Once I started into Marvin Gaye, she fell out of her chair.".[7]
  • Johnny Vegas - a lounge singer, often impersonating Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, etc.[11]
  • Duggie Scott Walker - Introduced as Fator's annoying neighbor, he is a heavy metal music lover. Loves AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and others. He partied so much at concerts he always thinks there are strobe lights flashing.
  • Vikki the Cougar - a 49-year old (she keeps turning 49, so her actual age is unknown) female singer, singing songs from the Pussycat Dolls as an example. As her name implies, she prefers dating younger men, between the ages of 21 and 24, as she revealed in an interview on Las Vegas CBS affiliate KLAS-TV. Vikki is apparently Duggie's mother.
  • The Fifth Beatle - Patterned after Paul McCartney, he was kicked out of the Beatles.
  • Wrex - A crash test dummy that sings automobile-themed songs.[17]
Fator is constantly creating new characters. "I've got several new ones I'm creating for the Mirage. We're going to be constantly creating new characters for the show," says Fator.[12]

Other characters

Fator has often impersonated singers himself alongside his puppets and/or volunteers from the audience. Michael Jackson has been a regular figure Fator impersonates alongside his Walter T. Airedale puppet. Fator also has incorporated audience members into his act via a remote-control mask. A volunteer wears the mask and the remote allows Fator to move the mask's mouth with Fator providing all of the conversation and singing. Fator usually dresses the volunteer as Cher and performs the duet "I Got You, Babe" with Fator as Sonny Bono.

Charitable work

In July 2007 Fator appeared in Montana to help raise funds for the Kidsports Sports Complex in Kalispell and said he wanted to come back in 2008 to do another show. “We thought, we bet he wants to, but we bet he won’t have time,” said Nancy Manning of Rotary Club of Kalispell. “He made time because it’s so important to him.” All proceeds from Fator’s show went towards the field.[18]
In 2007 Fator did a benefit performance for miners' families in Huntington, Utah.[5]
In 2008, Fator performed at the Palace Theatre in Corsicana, Texas. Proceeds benefited the Navarro Council of the Arts and the Mildred Drama Club. Fator is a native of Corsicana.[19]
On September 3, 2007, Fator made a special appearance in the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, thanking the crowd for the support. His acts were a repeat of the acts he made on America's Got Talent. He brought back Emma Taylor to sing "At Last" and Winston the Turtle to sing "What a Wonderful World" again. He returned to the Telethon on September 1, 2008 and brought Julius to sing "Only You" from The Platters, Marvin Gaye's song, "Let's Get It On," and "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. Maynard Thomkins was also brought on to sing "Viva Las Vegas" to finish the show. Fator made his 3rd consecutive telethon appearance(this time via satellite from his showroom during a performance of his show) on September 6, 2009 with puppets The Fifth Beatle and Vikki The Cougar with special guests The Commodores, who joined Fator performing "Brick House".
On September 24, 2008 Fator announced at the Bloomsburg Fair that all proceeds for his song "Horses In Heaven" will go to a Research Center For Childhood Diseases.[citation needed]
In 2010, Terry did a doodle for a charity celebrity doodle auction for Neurofibromatosis, more commonly known as NF. 100% of the profit from all the doodles went to help families with NF.

DVD

On September 1, 2009, Fator's first DVD, Terry Fator: Live from Las Vegas (recorded during a performance at the Mirage), was released just less than a week after its debut airing on CMT (originally aired on August 28, 2009) and copies sold at Target stores include footage not shown on the CMT broadcast. On January 7, 2011, at Terry Fator's show at the Las Vegas Mirage, he announced that all proceeds from his "Horses in Heaven" CD would be going to St. Jude's (Children's Hospital).

 

 

 

 

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Who is Mandisa Lynn Hundley?

Who is Mandisa Lynn Hundley? The entertainment and music world knows her as Mandisa, she is an American gospel singer and was the ninth-place finalist in the fifth season (2006) of American Idol.

Early life

Born Mandisa Lynn Hundley on October 2, 1976, she grew up in Citrus Heights, California, area.[2] After graduating from El Camino Fundamental High School, she attended American River College in Sacramento where she studied Vocal Jazz.[2] Then she studied at Fisk University in Tennessee and graduated with a bachelor's of music degree with a concentration in vocal performance.[2]

American Idol

She auditioned for the United States reality/talent show American Idol in Chicago. She referred to herself as "just Mandisa", and was billed simply as Mandisa, without a last name. She was a backup singer for famed Christian author and speaker Beth Moore. She has stated her musical influences run the gamut from Whitney Houston to Def Leppard.
Idol judge Simon Cowell made several comments about Mandisa's weight after her successful audition. He first quipped are we "going to have a bigger stage this year.[3] Then, when Paula Abdul commented that Mandisa had a "Frenchie" growl to her voice, Cowell responded that a more apt comparison would be to France itself.[3] These were among comments that drew the ire of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, (NAAFA) and would be one of the reasons Mandisa would entitle her 2007 album True Beauty.
When Mandisa presented herself to the judges prior to the final cut-down to the season's 24 semi-finalists, she told Cowell: "what I want to say to you is that, yes, you hurt me and I cried and it was painful, it really was. But I want you to know that I've forgiven you and that you don't need someone to apologize in order to forgive somebody. I figure that if Jesus could die so that all of my wrongs could be forgiven, I can certainly extend that same grace to you.[4] Cowell told Mandisa that he was "humbled" and apologized to her immediately.[4]
On the March 7, 2006, Idol show, she stated in her pre-performance video that she sucked her thumb until she was 24 years old. She performed a rendition of Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" which drew praise from all three judges. She was among the 12 contestants chosen on March 9, 2006, as a finalist in Idol's fifth season.
Mandisa was eliminated from American Idol on April 5, 2006, in the Top 9, having never previously been in the Bottom 3 (she was there with Paris Bennett and Elliott Yamin, neither of whom had been in the bottom 3 either). Mandisa revealed that, when the first group of Taylor Hicks, Kellie Pickler and Chris Daughtry was sent back to safety, and Mandisa, Elliott and Paris were on the stage on one side and the other group of Ace Young, Katharine McPhee and Bucky Covington on the other side, she told Paris and Elliott that it was most likely their own group in the bottom three, as she remembered how the same thing had happened in American Idol (season 3), when the three divas landed in the bottom three, and was sure that it would probably be a "shocker" like that one as Ace, Katharine and Bucky had all been in the bottom three earlier. She, like most eliminated contestants, appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno one day later.

Performances

Week # Theme Song Choice Original Artist Order # Result
Audition Free Choice "Fallin'" Alicia Keys N/A Advanced
Hollywood Group Performance "Band Of Gold" Freda Payne N/A Advanced
Top 24 (12 Women) Free Choice "Never" Heart 1 Safe
Top 20 (10 Women) Free Choice "Cry" Faith Hill 10 Safe
Top 16 (8 Women) Free Choice "I'm Every Woman" Chaka Khan 7 Safe
Top 12 Songs of Stevie Wonder "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" Stevie Wonder 4 Safe
Top 11 Hits of the 1950s "I Don't Hurt Anymore" Dinah Washington 1 Safe
Top 10 21st Century Hits "Shackles (Praise You)" Mary Mary 5 Safe
Top 9 Country Music "Any Man of Mine" Shania Twain 2 Eliminated

Professional career

Mandisa performed the song "I Don't Hurt Anymore" at the TV talk show, Live with Regis and Kelly. Mandisa sang with Gladys Knight at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and collaborated with tobyMac and Kirk Franklin on tobyMac's recent album, Portable Sounds.[5]
Her book IdolEyes (with Angela Elwell Hunt) was published by Tyndale House in May 2007. She performed on American Idol Extra with her song "True Beauty".
Mandisa's first full-length album True Beauty was released on July 31, 2007. She released her first single, "Only the World," on May 22, 2007. The song had a successful debut on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart, which tracks commercial single sales, debuting at #2 and reached #1 the following week. It is also getting major airplay on Christian radio stations. The track is available for purchase on ITunes along with the album track "True Beauty". Written by Matthew West, Sam Mizell and Clint Lagerberg, "Only The World" captures Mandisa’s joyful spirit well. “We all have difficult days we wish we didn’t have to go through, but it gives you so much peace and joy when you realize that it’s only the world we’re living in, and one day we’re going to go to a much better place,” she says of the song’s theme. West would go on to co-write three of the songs on True Beauty, as well as Mandisa's highest-ranking single to date, "Christmas Makes Me Cry".
True Beauty debuted at #1 on the Top Christian Albums charts, making it the first time a new female artist has debuted at #1 in the charts 27 year history.[6] It also debuted at #43 on the Billboard 200, an unusually high debut on that chart for a Christian artist. She also garnered a Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album nomination for True Beauty in December of the same year.[7] Showcasing Mandisa’s stylistic range was the task set before the five sets of producers who lined up to work with her on the album—top-notch names like Shaun Shankel (Beyoncé, Natalie Grant); Brown Bannister (Amy Grant); Christopher Stevens (TobyMac); Drew Ramsey and Shannon Sanders (India.Arie, Johnny Lang); and Double Dutch, the team of Robert Marvin and Josiah Bell (Matt Kearney, Matt Redman). Mandisa also spent personal time with the album’s writers before the songwriting process began, sharing her vision for the project and what she hoped to communicate through the songs. The end result is a seamless flow of tracks that create a diverse landscape for messages of hope, inspiration and faith.
Mandisa's cover of "Shackles" features a horn section provided by LiveHorns.com with Tommy Vaughan on trumpet, Rodney Mills on trombone, and Shane Philen on sax. They also appear on Mandisa's performance of "The Right Thing" on the VeggieTales soundtrack for The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything.
Her second single "God Speaking" was released to Christian radio in October 2007. A third single, "Voice of a Savior," written by West, was serviced to Inspo radio in mid-2008, where it peaked in the Top 5 of Radio and Records' Soft AC/Inspo chart.
In November 2007, Mandisa released a holiday EP, Christmas Joy EP, which features the song "Christmas Makes Me Cry", a duet with frequent collaborator Matthew West. Earlier that year, Mandisa also recorded "Christmas Day," a duet with Christian recording legend Michael W. Smith. "Christmas Makes Me Cry" peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot Christian AC chart, stopped from reaching #1 by her duet with Smith,"Christmas Day." It was the first time in the history of the Christian singles chart that a solo female artist was featured on the top two singles at the same time.
On October 14, 2008, Mandisa released a full-length Christmas album, It's Christmas. All songs from the Christmas Joy EP were featured on It's Christmas, as well as several new tracks.[citation needed]
Her second album, Freedom was released on March 24, 2009.[8]
There have also been reports that Mandisa will be releasing "We Are Family" which is a Bonus Track on Napster on April 14, 2009. The song was available for a short time on Amazon.com added to Freedom labeled as "Freedom + Bonus Track."
Her third album, What If We Were Real, is slated to be released on April 5, 2011. In March 2011 she will be on tour with comedian Anita Renfroe promoting her new album. The first single from her new album is entitled "Stronger".

Personal life



Mandisa currently resides in the suburban Nashville community of Antioch, Tennessee. Since her appearance on American Idol in 2006, Mandisa has made efforts toward health and weight loss. The title of her second album, Freedom, was inspired by her experience of overcoming an "addiction" to food.[9] As of March 2009, she had reportedly lost 75 pounds and hoped to lose a total of 100 or more. As of February 2010, she has reached her goal and lost 100 pounds. [9]

In popular culture

When The Daily Show parodied President Bush's decision-making abilities by featuring him in a superhero comic book by R. Sikoryak called "The Decider," one of his decisions in the comic book was to vote for Mandisa because "she's a sure thing."[10]

 Awards

  • 2008: Grammy Award for Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year (for True Beauty) – nominated
  • 2008: GMA Dove Award for Female Vocalist of the Year – nominated
  • 2008: GMA Dove Award for New Artist of the Year – nominated
  • 2009: GMA Dove Award for Female Vocalist of the Year – nominated
  • 2010: Grammy Award for Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year (for Freedom) – nominated
  • 2010: Dove Award for Female Vocalist of the Year - nominated
  • 2010: Dove Award for Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year, for My Deliverer - nominated
  • 2010: Dove Award for Short Form Video of the Year for tobyMac's Lose My Soul - nominated

Studio albums

EPs

Bibliography

  • IdolEyes – published on May 9, 2007

 

 

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