I remember when this was a question on the minds of everyone. Of course, I was much younger then, and more likely to be going out to celebrate the new year. That is no longer the case, as I am definitely more of the stay-at-home type, listening to some great music. This would include more than one recording of the 1947 song written by Frank Loesser, and recorded by The Orioles, a group that took "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" to #9 on the Billboard R&B chart. It quickly became a favorite of several artists, from Ella Fitzgerald to Patti LaBelle. It was also included on the 2004 album by Clay Aiken, 'Merry Christmas With Love'. I hope you enjoy Clay Aiken singing "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?".
The album remains a favorite of mine to this very day. Aiken has a lovely voice, and also has such a great charm inherent in his work. To learn more about Clay Aiken, visit his official website. You can also 'follow' him on Twitter, and 'like' him on Facebook. You can purchase 'Merry Christmas With Love' from iTunes and Amazon.
In January of 2008, Clay Aiken joined the cast of the Broadway hit 'Spamalot' at the Shubert Theatre in New York, just under three years after the show had opened. It was planned to be a limited run of about four months, and by all accounts, it was a highly successful run, with increased ticket sales as well as delighted fans. In fact, Aiken was brought back in September of that year, and went through January 2010, when the show closed. It seemed like Clay's fans, as well as fans of the show, ate up what Clay had to offer. Take, for instance, the musical number "Not Dead Yet" from the first act of the show. Enjoy this whimsical number, one only the men of Monty Python could have put together.
Perhaps one of Clay's best numbers from the show was "You Won't Succeed On Broadway", heard nightly in the second act. Again, it was pure Monty Python, for the show was inspired by their iconic movie, 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'. The book and lyrics were written by Eric Idle, and the music by John Du Prez, Eric Idle, and Neil Innes. The show was a delightful but irreverent parody of the legend of King Arthur and his Round Table, with the tongue in cheek requisite for Monty Python. Enjoy as Sir Robin, played by Clay, explains to the other Knights why "You Won't Succeed On Broadway".
You can purchase the 'Spamalot' Original Cast Album from iTunes and Amazon, although I will point out it does not include Clay. The original Broadway cast included Tim Curry as King Arthur, Michael McGrath as Patsy, David Hyde Pierce as Sir Robin, Hank Azaria as Sir Lancelot and other roles, Christopher Sieber as Sir Galahad and other roles, and Sara Ramirez as the Lady of the Lake. It also included Christian Borle as Prince Herbert and other roles, Steve Rosen as Sir Bedevere and other roles and John Cleese as the recorded Voice of God. For more about Clay Aiken, visit his official website. You can also follow him on Twitter, or like him on Facebook.
Left: Clay Aiken's first audition; Clay after the first makeover.
Apparently, this past Monday, January 28, 2013, marked the 10th anniversary of the broadcast of Clay Aiken's audition for the second season of American Idol. I do remember the audition, which made me sit up and take notice of that voice. You see, I was on board with Idol from the first season, when I loved Kelly Clarkson, and enjoyed Jim Verraros. This was back in the days when Idol was trying to find their feet, having been so awfully lucky with the first season, and a winner like Kelly, with a true abundance of talent. She had success with "A Moment Like This", her coronation song, and followed it up with "Miss Independent", a song co-written by a favorite of mine, Matt Morris. But we were still a year away from her great triumph, on the release of her second album, and "Since U Been Gone", off the great album "Breakaway". So hopes were high for the second season, with pressure to follow up the success of the first. When this geeky kid from Raleigh, North Carolina, made his way in the room, the show was ready to mock him, you could see it in Simon's eye. But then he sang. Watch as his voice changes minds.
It is very easy to say "the rest is history", but that would be putting a pretty bow on things. Aiken's star would shine all season long, never hitting the bottom three all season long. And while the fans might have been battling, between Clay and Ruben Studdard, both men stayed above the fighting to be friends. Ruben was named the winner, and Clay was in second place. But Clay's first album, 'Measure of a Man' was verified double Platinum, selling just shy of 3 million. When he toured, tickets were hard to come by, and he was a name on Broadway that was selling tickets. He has raised money and awareness for several charities, guest starred on shows like 'America's Next Top Model' to 'Scrubs' to '30 Rock'. He was also the runner up when he appeared on 'The Apprentice', just behind Arsenio Hall. Along the way, he also had a baby with a good friend, which Clay raises. He took time from his busy schedule to post a clip on YouTube to make the occasion.
For more about Clay Aiken, visit his official website. You can also 'follow' him on Twitter, and 'like' him on Facebook. And tonight you can watch American Idol to see how different the show is ten years later as the audition process continues on Fox at 8PM.
As we approach the competition starting up on the most recent season of American Idol, it allows me to do something the other similar shows can't do. That is to look back over the last decade of the show, and visit with the performers I really thought were due another look and listen. Hard to believe it has been a decade, but this summer, it will be 10 years since Fox aired the show that caught the imagination of the viewers.
Season 2 kicked off with quite the bang, while still only in the preliminary rounds of the show. After making it through the Hollywood rounds, the Producers kicked off contestant Frenchie Davis after the discovery of topless pictures take of her that were used on some internet websites. Frenchie, a big, black, and beautiful belter had many fans who were not happy, and the talk continued for some time. She spent a few years on Broadway in shows like Rent, and in 2008, toured in a production of Ain't Misbehavin' with Season Two competitors Ruben Studdard and Trenyce. Last year, Frenchie resurfaced on another musical talent show, this time on the inaugural season of The Voice. They made a bit of a deal about finally giving Frenchie the opportunity to be judged by the public, not the producers. However, she was eliminated prior to the finals. Here is a clip of Frenchie singing Ain't Misbehavin' from the show of the same name featuring the music of Fats Waller.
This controversy was pushed to the back later in the season when Corey Clark was dismissed from the show, and stated it was because of a relationship with judge Paula Abdul. Frenchie recovered quickly, and was cast in the Broadway production of Rent. You can learn more about Frenchie Davis on her official website here. You can purchase her collection of dance hits on iTunes and Amazon.
Josh Gracin proved to be the first enlisted man who managed to compete on the show. He was also one of the first to ever have openly argue with the judges, and Simon Cowell in particular. While on the show, Gracin seem to favor soulful Pop, once the season was over, he took Cowell's advice, and started singing Country. It was good advice, for he was signed as a Country singer, and his sales proved it. His first three singles all landed in the Top 5 on the Billboard Country charts. That includes his second single, Nothin To Lose, which also lodged his first (and only) #1 on the Country chart.
Gracin was also the first contestant to miss the finale, and subsequently the tour, when he was called back to his unit after he went out in fourth place. Once he finished his enlistment, he was able to sign with Lyric Street Records. Last year, Lyric Street closed it's doors, and as signed by Average Joe's Entertainment. He has continued to deliver decent sales numbers, and good music. You can learn more about Josh on his official website here. You can purchase his latest album, Redemption, on iTunes and Amazon.
Kimberly Locke was the girl with a bit of sass. She first came to the attention of people during the Hollywood Rounds where she sang Freda Payne's Band Of Gold in a duet with Frenchie Davis. But once in the finals, she made a statement each week with smart and crisp vocals. After claiming third, she went the indie route, and released One Love. That spawned two Top 40 hits, including Eighth World Wonder, which made it to #19.
Locke also made money working as a plus-sized model signed with the Ford Agency. She was also a spokesmodel for Laine Bryant. All the while, she continued to make music. She also joined another reality television show when she went on Celebrity Fit Club, where she argued with Dustin Diamond, AKA Screech from Saved By The Bell. You can learn more about Kimberly on her official website here and on Twitter here. You can purchase her latest EP, Four For The Floor, on iTunes and Amazon.
The final of the show was quite contentious. The battle between the fans of Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard were growing to full-blown wars, all while the boys themselves seem to have nothing but respect for one another. Clay's bright and cheerful Pop was never in competition with Studdard's soulful R&B, except for the fans and for Fox. But both had been in top form all season long, and kept the boys atop the rest. Despite Simon's distaste for the Raleigh-based singer, Clay made it to the finals as the favorite. But in a finals with the closest voice totals of all ten seasons, he ended in the second spot. The wars continued, and both Ruben and Clay had great sales figures for their first singles and albums after the show. Clay's Measure Of A Man landed atop the Billboard Hop 100, selling over 600,000 units the first week. This Is The Night, his single off the show and the first off the album, went to #1 on the Billboard Pop chart.
Clay followed that up with the hits Invisible and Solitaire. Fans were flocking to see him on tour, and his tour with Kelly Clarkson was big. But he was dropped from the label after a few lame attempts, including an album of cover songs. He also made quite the splash on Broadway with a role in Spamalot, which was perfect for him. I saw it, and he was wonderful! He is now signed with Decca albums, and still makes the rounds on tour. Also, Clay came out a few years ago, after years of speculation and rumors. You can learn more about Clay on his official website here and on Twitter here. You can purchase his latest album, Tried & True, on iTunes and Amazon.
The second season was won by the man nicknamed The Velvet Teddybear, after endless comparisons to the great Luther Vandross. After the win, Ruben Studdard was a graceful champion, gladly sharing the spotlight with Clay. His first album, Soulful, also topped the Billboard album chart, proving their was room for both. His winning single was Flying Without Wings, assigned to him by Simon, who was familiar with it after his group Westlife had a huge hit with it in the UK and much of the world. The big single off the album was Sorry 2004, which made it to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
While the first album sold well, the numbers went down drastically for the follow-ups. Soon, Studdard was dropped from J Records, a division of Jive. He signed with Hickory Records, only to move on the Shanachie Records, which will soon have a new release from Ruben. Ruben also was part of the touring company of Ain't Misbehavin' in 2008, playing Fats Waller. Throughout the years, it seems as though Clay and Ruben have remained friends, and to the best of my knowledge, neither has had a bad word to say about the other. They also had a successful tour together in 2010, and finally got the fans in one place together. You can learn more about Ruben on his official website. You can purchase his latest single, June 28th (I'm Single) on iTunes and Amazon.
Leona Lewis, Will Young, Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Anthony Callea.
On this fine Sunday morning, I thought I would pull some great swing music from unexpected sources. Namely, the Idol programs from around the world. Well, there are representatives from American Idol, the UK's Pop Idol, Australian Idol, and the UK's X Factor. I picked some of my favorites from these series, at least the ones I could find clips on YouTube that might apply. And I could not think of a better way to start this post than with Anthony Callea swinging on Route 66. The song was written by Bobby Troupe, husband of torch singer Julie London. It was first made popular by the great Nat King Cole, but Anthony does an amazing job with it.
In the third season of the UK hit show X Factor, Simon Cowell and company introduced us to a beautiful young lady whose talent was soon heard 'round the world. After winning the season, Leona Lewis was soon releasing Bleeding Love, which topped the charts and earned Lewis fans world-wide. While on the show, she made it through Big Band week singing Summertime, the classic song by George Gershwin.
In late 2001, we were introduced to the series that started it all. Pop Idol crowned the first winner in February 2002. Will Young crooned his way into the hearts of the British public. And, I might add, they had good taste, for Will is so very talented. And he did a lovely version of We Are In Love, a song written and performed by Harry Connick, Jr, for his 1990 album of the same name.
In the second season of American Idol, we were introduced to North Carolina native Clay Aiken. He charmed the fans enough to stay out of the bottom three for the entire season, and finished in second behind winner and good friend Ruben Studdard. When it came time to perform as part of the Final Three, he did an incredible version of Mack The Knife, the famous song by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht from their masterpiece, The Threepenny Opera.
The first season of American Idol ran during the summer of 2002, and in September, winner Kelly Clarkson was crowned. Kelly waded through the musical waters with poise and panache, like when she blew everyone away with Stuff Like That There, the song by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, originally sung by Betty Hutton in the 40s. Kelly took the song and made it her own.
Hope the music got you into the 'swing' of this fine Sunday!
I thought I would take the chance to welcome a new follower, Miss Hunter. She hails from North Carolina, and likes reading and music, and all things North Carolinian. That means Duke and University of North Carolina basketball, and Clay Aiken. Miss Hunter doesn't have a blog herself, but seems to enjoy stopping here from time to time. She also doesn't have a picture of herself, so I had to rethink my now introduction, and this is what I came up with.
Since I welcome Miss Hunter, and all my followers, with open arms, it seems only appropriate in Miss Hunter's case to do the same. So here are the magnificent voices of Clay and Kelly Clarkson singing Open Arms.
Say what you will, but Clay Aiken killed it on his Holiday album, Merry Christmas With Love. I listen to it every year, and it just warms the cockles of my heart. Here he is singing three favorites from his holiday special. He starts with Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, The Christmas Waltz, and finally, the original Merry Christmas With Love.
And here is Clay singing My Grown Up Christmas List on Good Morning America in 2005.
Sure, he may not be the best looking, the slickest, nor the sexiest singer out there, but the boy can sing. You can find out more about Clay Aiken [like the tabloids haven't told us all more than we'd ever care to know, including about his child with producer Jaymes Foster, sister of mega-producer David Foster], you can find his official website here.
