Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Gary Edwards landed a spot on Team Adam Levine on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

His background: Gary says he was 5 years old when his grandmother found him fooling around with her karaoke machine. Her reaction: You might as well sing in church. Years later, Gary works as an IT assistant and sings with two cover bands. He’s also an assistant choir director for the youth choir at his church. “Teaching the kids is one of my favorite things to do,” he tells The Voice. “My goal is to inspire them the say way my grandmother inspired me.”

What the show didn’t show:

* Growing up in a Christian household, Gary says he wasn’t often allowed to listen to secular music. One exception was a TV show called “All That,” which would often feature popular artists. Then, one night, gospel singer Kirk Franklin was the guest artist.

* Says Gary: “To that point, I’d never seen a gospel artist on such a widely syndicated show. That was huge for me. I wanted to be like him. I lost my mind. I remember my mom coming into the room and wondering what’s wrong. I’m like, ‘Mom, I want to do that. I want to be him.'”

* Another formative moment, Gary says, came when he listened to a first album on his own. It happened to be a Stevie Wonder album. Tthat, like, changed life. I was like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know you could feel such a way and express it outside the spiritual realm.'”

* While in school, Gary worked as a janitor, according to his Voice bio. He spent nights in the music room, teaching himself piano.

* Among his other musical inspirations are Phil Collins, Tony Bennett and Nat King Cole.

* Raised in Michigan, Gary says his own music is heavily influenced by Motown. But it was after he moved to Texas that he began performing in a Top 40 band.

* Gary said he was especially appreciative of The Voice for allowing him to bring his grandmother out on stage for an introduction to the coaches. “We started together on a church stage,” Gary said of he and his grandmother. “There we were, in front of millions. That was my chance to say, ‘Thank you, for all you’ve done.'”

On picking Adam: “Adam, to me, is an all-around artist. He’s a musician, he’s a writer, he’s a performer. Working with someone so well-rounded, you’ve got to think you can’t help but grow. Plus he has one of my favorite musicians of all time. P.J. Morton, as the keyboardist in Maroon 5. That added to it.”

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