Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Johnny Hayes, 29, of Mobile, Ala., auditioned with Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness.” He earned quick chair turns from Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani. Adam recognized Johnny immediately as a returning artist from Season 11. Johnny joined Team Adam.

His background: Johnny auditioned for Season 11 with the Chris Stapleton song “Traveller” and failed to turn a chair. But he said he walked away with a lot of good advice. Alicia, in particular, suggested he select a song that had more to do with his story. Prior to this season, Johnny had been working with his dad’s landscaping company. Johnny also credits wife Meredith for being a constant source of support. As for Alicia’s advice: Johnny says “Try a Little Tenderness” is the song he and Meredith “fell in love to.”

What the show didn’t show:

* In high school, his interests were split between the school choir and athletics, according to his Facebook bio.

* It’s while attending the University of Alabama and performing in nearby bars that he became serious about pursuing music.

* It was also during that time that Johnny released his first EP, a project he recorded in a buddy’s basement. You can head here to listen.

* He’s lead vocalist for Johnny and the Loveseats, which he describes as a “rock and soul band.”

* At 23, he headed to Nashville and began busking as a way to get attention. He eventually released another EP, the four-track “Notes for Her” in 2012. It doesn’t appear to be available on iTunes.

* During that time he also collaborated with Irish singer-songwriter Kurtis Murphy as Folks and Ghosts. They released a song called “Ghosts” in 2013. Again, it doesn’t appear to be available on iTunes.

* He also released an official music video for a song called “Roll Home, Baby” about three years ago. The song features Lynyrd Skynyrd’s lead guitarist Mark “Sparky” Matejka.

* In a conference call with the media, Johnny said since he started watching the show, Adam’s always been the coach he thought he’d pick, though Alicia would be a nice fit as well because of her R&B leanings. When his mom started urging him to pick Adam from backstage, that sealed the deal, Johnny said.

Keeping up with Johnny:
Twitter: @TheJohnnyHayes
Johnny and the Loveseats website
Johnny and the Loveseats Facebook
Instagram
YouTube

“I Can’t Get Enough” (Johnny and the Loveseats)

“Roll Home, Baby” (Johnny and the Loveseats)