Alexis Grace isn’t quite 5 feet tall. She weighs less than 100 pounds. But she has a big voice.
And no one should be too shocked by her ability to belt out soul songs. Her father is a bass player in the Memphis area and has backed Ann Peebles, a pretty accomplished singer/songwriter who recorded several popular soul albums in the 1970s.
It might seem like Danny Gokey came out of nowhere to be a frontrunner in this year’s Idol competition, but he’s been singing as music director for Faith Builders International Ministries for a while now.
In fact, he’s one of the featured vocalists on a 2006 independent CD “A New Praise,” available through CD Baby. Danny’s buddy Jamar Rogers, the guy so many believe should also be in the top 36, is a member of the same church.
And Michael Sarver didn’t hop right off an oil rig and onto the American Idol stage. The 27-year-old has been lead vocalist at Harvest Church in Jasper, Texas, since 2003.
The senior pastor there recalls watching a young and more rebellious Michael belt out the national anthem at a Jasper High School football game in an all-black leather suit.
By the way, Michael’s first name is Jeremy.
Slowly but surely, we’re learning more about the singers that will appear on the American Idol stage when the finals begin a month from now.
This week’s three winners of spots in the finals faced the national press for the first time Thursday.
Here’s a little of what they had to say:
Sarver, who has two children, figures working-class Idol watchers can relate to him. He’s repeatedly said offering his family a better life is his prime motivation for participating in the show.
“It’s a chance to see someone rise from the ashes. Not that my life is bad, but things are tough,” Sarver said during a Thursday conference call.
Alexis has a child too, a daughter named Ryan, who she says serves as her inspiration to do well on the show.
More inspiration came Tuesday night, when Simon Cowell said Alexis reminded him of Kelly Clarkson at this stage in the competition. “It’s more than flattering. I mean it just really shook my world when they said that, in a good way. It just pushes me to do better each time now,” Alexis said.
As for Danny, we all know his inspiration by now — his wife Sophia, who convinced him to audition for Idol, but died of a congenital heart defect four weeks before he was scheduled to do so.
“It’s only been seven months since she passed,” Gokey said Thursday. “This is a sob story. I don’t want it, but it is shaping my life and it is causing hope for a lot of people.”
He also promised there’s a fun side of him Idol fans will see when the finals start.
Want to learn more about our first three finalists?
The best place is probably their hometown newspapers, who are talking to their friends and family … when they will talk.
Here are some links.
Memphis Commercial Appeal watches Alexis’ semifinal performance with her friends.
Memphis Commercial Appeal profile of Alexis, with a Q&A at the end.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel covers Danny Gokey winning a spot in the finals.
Beaumont Enterprise covers (Jeremy) Michael Sarver’s Idol journey.
Beaumont Enterprise visits the Jasper, Texas, church where (Jeremy) Michael is the lead vocalist.
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