Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Craig Wayne Boyd and Blake Shelton celebrate The Voice victory Tuesday night. (NBC Photo)

He was wrong.

After an 11-year career trying to make it in Nashville, Craig Wayne Boyd lost twice on The Voice.

First, he lost a battle round match when Blake Shelton declared James David Carter the winner after they performed “Wave on Wave.”

Fortunately, he was stolen by Gwen Stefani.

But a couple of weeks later, he lost a knockout round match to one of her favorites, Anita Antoinette.

Fortunately, Blake realized the error of his earlier ways and stole Craig Wayne back.

The result: On Tuesday night, Craig Wayne Boyd was the biggest winner, snatching the Season 7 Voice title.

It marked a well-deserved victory for a guy whose Monday night performances landed at number one, number two and number three on the iTunes country chart when voting ended Tuesday.

And that marked the fifth straight week the single dad had topped the iTunes country chart.

He got a little help along the way, of course.

Becoming the first twice-stolen contestant to win the show might have been a blessing in disguise.

After all, he got a makeover from Gwen to broaden his appeal; then landed back on Team Blake.

And Blake Shelton knows how to play this game. Heck, he’s had the winning contestant four times in seven seasons.

Two brilliant song choices, in particular, “The Old Rugged Cross” last week and “In Pictures” this week, certainly played a role in Craig Wayne’s success.

But most of the credit goes to the guy who turned just two chairs when he auditioned at age 35, yet looked like a seasoned pro every time he took to The Voice stage.

At the time of his blind audition, Craig Wayne said this about his career in music: “I’ve busted my head against the wall and gotten so close, and it’s been right there for me to grab, and yet circumstances have caused those things not to happen.”

This time, he got more than close.

It happened.

And he’s very likely to become the biggest chart success The Voice has seen to date.

Craig Wayne Boyd sings a victory song as confetti falls during The Voice finale Tuesday night. (NBC Photo)

Craig Wayne Boyd performs after winning Season 7 of The Voice Tuesday night. (NBC Photo)

Craig Wayne Boyd performs with Lynyrd Skynyrd on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Craig Wayne Boyd performs with Lynyrd Skynyrd on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Craig Wayne Boyd performs with Sugar Joans on The Voice. (NBC Photo)