The first-ever Bluegrass picker on
American Idol
Season 24 Audtion
I went into American Idol kind of a newbie to the music industry. I’ve played my whole entire life, but this is the first real time I have played for any real importance. I went in there and did what I do best; I picked grass. The song I played was “Little Maggie”: an old coal miner’s tune hailing from the hills where I was born. I tried to channel my inner Ralph Stanley when I was singing at the top of my lungs. I am very honored to have been able to represent my community of Hazard and all of Southern Appalachia on a national stage. It still blows my mind to be blessed enough to be the first-ever person to go onto the Idol stage and pick some fast, traditional, and real Bluegrass. Thank y’all<3
Hollywood Week
Surprise: I got a golden ticket! Hell, Bluegrass did the job! I advanced onto Hollywood Week and enjoyed every single second of it. Being able to be around so many extremely talented musicians and vocalists completely changed my view of musicianship. I came into Nashville well prepared and ready to raise hell. I drew a lot from my childhood influences playing “Soulshine,” mixing the styles of The Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule. The judges loved it and so did the crowd (it was crazy playing in front of so many people). Unfortunately, I didn’t make the cut this time around and was sent back to Cleveland. I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world and I appreciate every apart of the show and greatly thank them for this experience. Thank y’all for following my journey!