Danny Gokey Signs with 19 Recordings/RCA Nashville

Congrats to Danny. This sounds like a good and fitting situation. He does have a good voice, but can benefit from the direction of a label. I look forward to hearing what they do together.

OHMYGOD CONGRATULATIONS DANNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! O….M…D!!!!!!!!!!!! I’M SO HAPPY 4 HIM!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Country fans are harsh–example Jessica Simpson…

He did not even want to do country..it just seems like a last resort..and he does not even know what the Grand Ole Opry was…

If country fans see that he is not in it for the music, he is done

Congratulations Danny, I am so happy for you.

Really. Danny. Am I being punk’d? Where are the cameras? Ashton, get out here!

that’s a good one, 19E, lol. Almost had me there.

19 Recordings, eh? Looks like the conventional wisdom got this one completely wrong!

Well congats to Danny and his fans.

Yeah, not feeling it, yo. But best of luck to you, even with no twang!

I wish only the best for Danny’s future but I think a career in CCM would have been a better route for him to have gone that country but I hope it works out for him.

If I were a fan of Danny I’d be a little upset. He didn’t sell himself as a country artist, I’d be expecting R&B/Soul/Adult Contemporary, not country.

I may not be a Danny fan but I am really happy for him and his fans. He and Adam are now labelmates. The more the merrier. Hopefully, 19R will also get the Matt signed. I have a feeling though that Anoop has some offers too that’s why he is looking for a place in LA. Nice going Season 8.

Wow, I’m surprised. I can’t believe 19R ended up signing him after all.
What took so long? Possibilities: it took them months to convince him to go country? there was a bidding war with Word?

This is a real surprise. Even though I’m still pissed 19R passed on Elliott, I can’t be mad at Danny for getting a deal. He’s a talented guy.
No wonder he’s been smiling for awhile. 19R didn’t pass on him after all.
Who’d a thunk it? :0

I am stunned that he is signing with 19, they must have had some lenghty discussion to only announce it after the first contract was expired.

Good luck to Danny, there are a number of Idols who were successfull in the country world, he will face some obstacles but being signed to a major is definetly a good start.

This is great news for him and his fans. I am happy he got the deal. This really shows they had a strong group this year with the top 4 getting record deals for 19. I have a feeling we will hear more about more signings shortley. (Matt, Megan, Michael)

Congratulations Danny.

I posted on the headlines thread that I think it’s unusual and interesting that he signed with 19Alphabet this late in the game.

Country fans are harsh’“example Jessica Simpson’ ¦

Eh. I defy you to find a format that wouldn’t harsh on Jessica Simpson. She’d probably get pacifiers chucked at her head if she attempted to do children’s music. Everybody is on to her no talent a$$ by now.

Country fans had no problem accepting Josh Gracin (Season 2) and he only developed a twang half-way through his Idol run. He was some R&B dude before he realized what would help him stand out (backstory can only get you so far). I’d have less confidence in Danny’s future if they were still going to make him release this fall (KLC, anybody? I’m sure Sony Nashville has crates of rejected songs they could have made Danny record in 4 days). But, they are letting him release in March, so that gives him some time to find his song. An early single (in the fall), is good strategy to let him build up some country cred. If anybody at Sony has any sense, they’ll also be setting up daily PR sessions with the dude. I expect to hear more about his truck-driving soon.

Congrats to Danny! I actually was hoping for the Word label, as I don’t necessarilly know that 19 will invest in Danny properly. Who knows?

I hope they can get Danny some good inspirational ballads because that is Danny’s strong point. He’s never gonna be straight up “country” in the classec sense, but the songs he chose to sing on Idol, such as “I Hope You Dance, What Hurts the Most, and Jesus Take the Wheel, are very believable coming from him. These types of songs fit him as a singer and a person. And of course if 19 is sincere in there willingness to invest in Danny, then I would assume he will have more promotion than he could get from the Word label.

At any rate, good luck Danny. I look forward to the album.

Congrats to Danny he deserves it. Really, really glad it was from 19. Those of us that love what Danny does with his music and his message will welcome him with open arms. Can’t wait to get the CD!!!

YAY. I wish Danny nothing but success. He’s such a nice guy. I sounds like he’s gonna finally be able to define himself as an artist. It seemed like he was always trying to duplicate what other people on the show did. He’s not really the “jacket removing, chain wearing, recipient of thrown bras” that he seemed to want to emulate. I like the Nashville vibe for him.

PS I met him at one of the shows and he smells fabulous. My camera wasn’t working and he waited around for a few minutes while i got my cell phone ready to snap a picture. NICE GUY.

YAY. I wish Danny nothing but success. He’s such a nice guy. I sounds like he’s gonna finally be able to define himself as an artist. It seemed like he was always trying to duplicate what other people on the show did. He’s not really the “jacket removing, chain wearing, recipient of thrown bras” that he seemed to want to emulate. I like the Nashville vibe for him.

PS I met him at one of the shows and he smells fabulous. My camera wasn’t working and he waited around for a few minutes while i got my cell phone ready to snap a picture. NICE GUY.

MATT FANS DONT BE SAD!!!!!! I’m REALLYsure he’ll be signed but I never thought it would be with 19. He will DEFINETLY be signed though :D

YAY. I wish Danny nothing but success. He’s such a nice guy. I sounds like he’s gonna finally be able to define himself as an artist. It seemed like he was always trying to duplicate what other people on the show did. He’s not really the “jacket removing, chain wearing, recipient of thrown bras” that he seemed to want to emulate. I like the Nashville vibe for him.

PS I met him at one of the shows and he smells fabulous. My camera wasn’t working and he waited around for a few minutes while i got my cell phone ready to snap a picture. NICE GUY.

Congratulations to Danny and his fans! The first time 19 signs all the final fours.

Hope good news of Matt and Anoop will come soon.

YAY. I wish Danny nothing but success. He’s such a nice guy. I sounds like he’s gonna finally be able to define himself as an artist. It seemed like he was always trying to duplicate what other people on the show did. He’s not really the “jacket removing, chain wearing, recipient of thrown bras” that he seemed to want to emulate. I like the Nashville vibe for him.

PS I met him at one of the shows and he smells fabulous. My camera wasn’t working and he waited around for a few minutes while i got my cell phone ready to snap a picture. NICE GUY.

Yay!!!! Happy dance! I am so glad that he is signed and glad that he is happy. I think he is going to be very successful.

Good stuff! Congrats Danny. I really hope it all works out for him

Congrats to Danny’s fans! But I cannot help but think there is something a little off about this whole deal. Sony Nashville could have signed Danny 3 months ago. Why would they wait until now to announce the deal?

He could have been working on his record during the tour like Kradison.

Maybe 19 can offer up Slezak an exclusive Allison interview in exchange for “losing” that Idolatry interview where Danny says he never heard of the Grand Ole Opry. ;)

Sorry for the duplicate entries….LOL. Computer was being funny and it didn’t look like it got posted.

If anyone else was gonna be signed by 19, I was hoping it’d be Matty :( poor matty. he is just.. so.. much better.

:(

Oh wow. I’m shocked. We were so sure that the long wait meant that 19 had passed on him.

So, my theory for now: Danny was talking about two record companies “bidding” over him. Perhaps 19 wanted to sign him directly after the show, but he refused because he didn’t like their terms?

Oh wow. I’m shocked. We were so sure that the long wait meant that 19 had passed on him.

So, my theory for now: Danny was talking about two record companies “bidding” over him. Perhaps 19 wanted to sign him directly after the show, but he refused because he didn’t like their terms?

Congrats to Danny. I wonder if Jason Castro’s deal with Atlantic, made 19E rethink letting their top peeps go free. I hope Matty G and Noop are next. Then we can get a Kris, Matt, Noop tour. How great would that be?

Castro’s deal has been official for months. I’m sure it had nada to do with Gokey. The oddest part is the 3 month wait. Obviously they were ready to sign him immediately – he must have been the hold out because of the country angle. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

Then we can get a Kris, Matt, Noop tour.

If any of them tour, it will be by themselves or with an established act, not with other new Idol acts.

If he held out, then he really hurt his possible album sales, because now he can’t do a holiday release.

Obviously they were ready to sign him immediately ‘“ he must have been the hold out because of the country angle. It’s the only thing that makes sense

I think so too. At first Danny must have been reluctant to go country and then when he saw that there was very little interest in his RnB with salsa flavor music he decided to accept the proposition.
I think it was a smart choice, country is probably the only way he can achieve mainstream success.

“MATT FANS DONT BE SAD!!!!!! I’m REALLYsure he’ll be signed but I never thought it would bE WITH 19″

Awww. Man I hope you are right!
COngrats to Danny he deserves it and I wish him good luck.
But I am bummed about Matty G! I hope ehe gets a deal soon. I mean he’s been amazing on this tour and even MTV and EW were expecting him to sign next.
Hopefully some other major label like Atlantic has their eyes on Matty G.
I agree a Kris/Matty G/Jason Castro tour would be awesome

So happy for Danny. He has a great voice – just needs some direction. Hopefully Matt gets something soon.

I mean, I wish danny success..but I wanted manoop signed

To the person who said they hope Matt and Anoop are next, I totally agree. I REALLY think something will happen for Matt, and I hope something will materialize for Anoop.

Sherena, I actually thought about that earlier in the summer. The only reason I did was because very early on, in late May or early June, Danny said that he was getting good vibes from 19 and then later in the summer I read an article that said that 19 was one of the three labels that were looking at him. Never knew whether to believe the article or not. And I thought it was possible that Danny was reading 19 wrong. I still don’t necessarily believe that’s the case, it was just a thought.

I know Danny sounded so happy about the possiblity of working with Mark Bright from Word, so I REALLY thought he would go in that direction. Since Danny did not sign with Word, can he not still work with the guy? I know Carrie Underwood was working with him and she’s not with Word.

MANOOOOOOP B4 GOKEY.

I can’t even……… :( seriously. whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. seriously. Come on. He’s like.. one level. No depth. He can’t even speak well. I hate Gokey. I would rather no one be signed instead of Gokey.

:((

Well, I don’t like country music, and I don’t like him, so for me it’s a good fit. Congrats Danny!!!!

This is great news for Danny. RCA Nashville is a major label (represent Martina McBride, wow, not much bigger than that in country music these days).

I think the timing of this will work really well for Danny. Once the tour ends, he will have the huge benefit of being able to collaborate in person with the people helping him with his album in Nashville throughout the process; they will be able to explore a lot of ideas to be sure they get it right for him.

I don’t think it’s been the best situation for the 3 previously signed to have been dashing into recording sessions for a day here or there to put down vocal tracks.

Congrats Danny! That was a heartbreaker that you still weren’t signed. You can make country your own.

#signmattgiraud.

Good luck Danny.

Well this sorta answered why they didn’t sign him when they were pimping him so hard. They saw something all along, and it is being displayed every concert. He’s been getting alot of praise, from reviewers and concert goers as well. I think he’s been the hold out, not them. They’ve wanted him all along. He also gets time to work out the kinks, understand that country isn’t just twang. There is soul in country, so he just has to find the narrative to support him going country, a personal link, a tweak to the backstory that will make it more palatable for those who doubt. I would rather him go country than nothing. He’s been sorta growing on me so I am glad for him.

I would not mind if they sign Anoop as after Adam, he is the person whose Itunes I bought most, and still listen to. I started off this year hating almost everyone, and now truthfully I could see my buying at least a song or two from each of their cds, well the jury is out on Megan, she’s a work in progress, and I am not sure how far she can get.

will
September 1, 2009 at 10:19 pm

Well, I don’t like country music, and I don’t like him, so for me it’s a good fit. Congrats Danny!!!!

_______________________________________________________

LOL, so true.I wont be in any danger of having to listen to him, since I absolutely hate country music. But I’m happy for him, hope they can hone is vocals into something believable, since I rank him up there after Adam and Allison as the top 3 voices of this season, despite my not liking him

I’m happy for him. With some direction from people who know the industry he could be really good. He just needs to find a niche. Right now he is all over the place.

This actually fits with the way he was overly praised during the show. It will be interesting to see which of these four (Gokey, Allison, Adam & Kris) actually gets enough support from the label to be considered a “success”.

I’m happy for Danny, I really am!

The fact of the matter is that country music isn’t what it used to be. Country music (Nashville that is) had a hard time accepting Alabama and then Rascel Flatts.

Ricky Scaggs was at one time Entertainer of the Year, but decided to get back to his bluegrass roots when Country music wanted to take this away from him.

It will be interesting to see what happens from here….

I find it hard to believe that Danny was holding up the deal with Sony Nashville because he did not want to sing country. He has stated numerous times that he did not want to sing CCM. What other options did he have?

Danny was also talking about going into country music as far back as the comcast chats with the top 10 before the tour.

Here’s a quote from Danny from the June 16th chat, “Ideally, I would like to do my own little fusion of R&B and Latin… but I would be open to do a modern-soul country.”

http://www.comcast.net/tv/eyeonidol/66318/idoltop10chat/

Now that he’s signed maybe he will have proper PR, cos the guy just shouldnt be allowed to open his mouth at will

Now that he’s signed maybe he will have proper PR, cos the guy just shouldnt be allowed to open his mouth , without proper supervision…ever!

Hate to be a downer but I think 19 is done signing folks from S8. Four is pretty amazing and matches the number they signed in S5.

I think Matt and Anoop will have to find deals elsewhere. I think if Danny had tried to go R&B, 19 would have passed on him. That’s the same problem Matt and Anoop have – very tough genre to make it in.

Matt’s not wanting to do r&b, is he? I thought he wanted to do a type of rock, like the Fray song he sings.

Anoop will have a harder time in r&b, because Jpfan is right, it’s a very tough genre to make it in.

Can’t eta. Ricky Scaggs actually called Country Music the wilderness…

Congratulations to Danny! I was a mad for Adam fan during the season, beginning with the audition episode.

But Danny blew me away during the concerts I saw. He’s great and I will definitely buy his album.

Good luck Danny!!!!

Congrats to Danny, it’s been a long wait and I wish him good luck. Maybe Ricky Braddy can write a song for him. Ricky should have some compensation after getting the shaft during the Top36 shows. He has done the writing rounds in Nashville before. There is not a shortage of singers and song writers hanging around Nashville looking for a break.

Yay!!! WooHoo!!! Hip-Hip-Hooray!!!! I am so excited.

Danny was my favorite until Adam overtook him but I have continued to really like Danny and absolutely love when he sings “What Hurts the Most.” I wish him the best with country music and think it probably suits him better than he even realizes yet. It suits the way he thinks.

Now if Matt can just get a contract my AI8 experience will be complete.

Seems to me that the 3 month delay was likely due to 19s difficulty in finding a label (since 19R itself licenses the recordings) that was interested in. Danny. Jive and rca obviously passed, danny said he wasn’t interested in christian contemporary and the they finally convinced him to go country andhe convinced potential labels that he really was interested in country (hence all the visits to nashville this summer)and rca nashville stepped in and a deal was done. Unfortunately I think he did himself a disservice by not striking while the iron was hot, thus being left out of all of the kradison publicity hoopla, and will miss the holiday buying season. But good for. Danny for getting a deal. He is not my cup of tea but I wish him luck

Looking back I think 19 has always been considering signing Danny, however they do need to put him in a genre that is marketable, and after they signed Adam, Kris and Allison, they felt country might be a good fit for Danny. Of course this had to be discussed with Danny and the details had to be worked out. In the meantime, there were other labels also interested in Danny, I wouldn’t want to say who approached who first but in the end there were more than one label wanted to sign him, and perhaps after some serious thoughts Danny chose 19, I think that was a good decision.

I hope even you are not a Danny fan, you would realize the significance of this signing. Danny is the first ever third place finisher on AI who got signed by a major label. And with him signed by 19, he also helps make the history of having all Top 4 signed by 19. In addition, I think he is the only idol (shortly after the AI competition) who have serious talks with 2 or even more record labels that are interested in signing him, hence the mention of a “bidding war”.

I am also glad that 19 seems willing to take the time to make the record, they will release the single in the fall, and the album next March. I am really thrilled that things turn out so well for Danny.

Congratulations, Danny!

It took a REALLY REALLY long time, the idol’s contract with 19 went off and THEN 19 signs him. So weird. I’ll never understand these music business people.

But, what gets me is that Danny never seemed enthusiastic to go the country route…It was more of a last resort type deal.

I hope I’m not reposting these tweets from Kris and Anoop regarding Danny’s signing:

KrisAllen4RealCongrats to my boi @dannygokey on the deal!
about 1 hour ago from TwitterFon

AnoopDoggDesaiAtta boy! RT @dannygokey: Exciting News ~ Its official Ive been signed! Read the official article http://bit.ly/42Nme
about 1 hour ago from TwitterFon

“Now that he’s signed maybe he will have proper PR, cos the guy just shouldnt be allowed to open his mouth at will”

(What happend to B-quote???)

Anyway, totally agree. He does seem to ramble and act frantic. I am no public speaker myself so I feel sorry for him. I’m sure he’ll get some help!!!

I think the timing of this will work really well for Danny. Once the tour ends, he will have the huge benefit of being able to collaborate in person with the people helping him with his album in Nashville throughout the process; they will be able to explore a lot of ideas to be sure they get it right for him.

I don’t think it’s been the best situation for the 3 previously signed to have been dashing into recording sessions for a day here or there to put down vocal tracks

If RCA Nashville decides to really invest in Gokey then the extra time could work for him.

What do country music fans think?

I’m not into country, but from seeing the occasionally country singer, it seems like an odd fit. Where’s Danny from? Michigan? But a country singer with an Australian accent is a complete misfit, and Keith Urban is doing okay.

Good luck to him.

I think 19E’s done for the season, proabably a wrap on signings. So the likes of Matt and Anoop will be looking elsewhere. I personally cant see any major Indies picking them up, but who knows…………

YAY Danny! I’m so happy for him!

I meant major labels, not indies! Cant edit…………………..grrrrrrrrrrr

good news 4 danny and his fans. congrats . hope he becomes the male carrie and represents idol in nashville.

This 19Recordings/RCA and 19Recordings/RCA Nashville are just the labels company. They’re in the same RCA Music Group.

I don’t think Danny is under 19E / Simon Fuller management. Otherwise Simon Fuller will do the press release.

Q3 – could you please give us some insight about these 19Recordings/RCA and 19Recording/RCA Nashville?

Ohh… Congrats Danny!!

Salsa/Country/Christian record. um yay?

I have no idea how country fans will accept Danny, but I will say that where I live, country is King. I live in SC, and Danny was an EXTREMELY popular idol in these parts. I don’t know how that will translate, but I’m just putting it out there.

I have a tendency to think it will come down to the quality of the song and the amount of promotion they give to Danny. Then again, I could easily be wrong.

I am really happy to read this. I thought Danny had a good voice on the show – but in concert last Sunday – he totally blew me away!! He definately needs to work on stage presence – but vocally is great and connects with the audience.

Now I will keep my fingers crossed for Anoop and Matt.

LOL, so true.I wont be in any danger of having to listen to him, since I absolutely hate country music. But I’m happy for him, hope they can hone is vocals into something believable, since I rank him up there after Adam and Allison as the top 3 voices of this season, despite my not liking him

I don’t have any interest in hearing him either but I do have to admit that vocally I’d put him third behind Adam and Allison too.

Wow!! I’m happy for him. And he just broke the 3rd place finisher curse. I believe he’s the first 3rd placer to be signed by 19, or a major label for that matter.

Kris tweeted congrats from backstage:

KrisAllen4Real

Congrats to my boi @dannygokey on the deal!
about 2 hours ago from TwitterFon

Vindication for Danny fans. He said early on that there was more than one label interested in him, and the delay in time seems to me to verify that.

FYI, I’m a big country fan AND a big Danny Gokey fan, so make of that what you will.

That’s AWESOME! Congratulations Danny!

Gratz to Danny. I want Matt Giraud signed…he’s freakin’ awesome.

The deal makes reasonable business sense. Danny has a clearly distinguishable voice suited for country music and has demonstrated a sizable loyal fanbase. 19/RCA Nashville must expect to profit off at least his first album, assuming they negotiated a tight contract. Danny doesn’t have a passion for country music but maybe he meditated on it and decided it was his best option.

I think Danny will do very well in country. He may end up being the male Underwood and surprise us all.

Good for him.

I have a feeling the fact that Danny wanted his foundation wrapped up in his music delayed the deal signing. good for him though and his fans.

I’m not a Danny fan at all, but congratulations to him. I really disliked him on the show, but now I mostly see him as a lost soul. I would never have pictured him as a country singer, but given his lack of knowledge about contemporary music, I think the country route, backed by a strong label, is probably his best shot for success in a relatively mainstream market. He apparently did not want to be restricted to the CCM market. So good luck to him, and I mean that sincerely. Not every country singer has to have a twang.

Kudos to Danny.

Considering, he did not know ANY of the songs he performed on AI. (Reference: Slezak’s Idolatry video); coming in 3rd was an INCREDIBLE feat! He definitely earned his place for sure. He’s got a great voice and hopefully this deal will guide him to great career. Much success to him and his foundation!

Matt and Anoop should be soon …

Congratulations Danny!! I was meh on Danny after a while during the season, but I have always loved the sound of his voice. I like the gravellyness (?) of it and I hope he’ll get some great mentors and collaborators that will bring out the best in him.

He got such a great response in concert and I know his fanbase will support him. Thrilled for him!

Now….Sign Matt!

Is Danny the first 3rd place finisher to be signed by 19?? Wonder if he’ll be included in the Kradison promo stuff now?

Good for Danny. I’ll have to let my friend know. She’s a huge Danny fan and loves country.

Danny is known to have been in talks with Sony Nashville since late June or July, I think, when he visited Nashville after a previous meeting in LA with a senior official at 19. And as someone posted above, Danny’s been on record in interviews as thinking about a country recording avenue going back at least to June.
It seems they have been interested in Danny for quite a while–possibly even before or around the time the show ended when you think that he had to select his tour set with the multiple country songs well before the tour started.
They may have needed time to decide which of the several labels under Sony Nashville would be best for Danny, or there may have been another label with interest since he has said that there were at least two or three he met with.
Sounds like it is working well for him to get a great start into this next stage of his musical career.
I don’t think it makes much sense to say this could have been Danny’s last resort. He’s clearly had very impressive country music options all through the timeline I mention above, plus by most people’s accounts he would be warmly received were he to have chosen instead to go CCM or gospel.

I’m a country music fan (like both the traditional country, and the more modern country, and watch CMT/buy CDs in both sides of the country market).
I hadn’t initially considered Danny in the country music range, but I saw it suggested at another site by a very smart fan, and the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. There are a lot of country music styles that would make no sense whatsoever for Danny (don’t see him wearing a cowboy hat singing about beer and his tractor, lol). But country is much broader than that these days with a lot of different ‘wide open’ sounds and types of stories. Danny’s voice is excellent, and very adaptable although that’s confused some of his detractors who want to see a very clear ‘genre’ line.
To me, I’m already hearing a few areas where he is adding some touches in his vocals that should help him in the country music environment, while still very much keeping to the strengths he has shown all along.

Ho. Ly. Shit!!!

Good luck to Gokey b/c he’s going to have to work VERY hard. He just chose to be Country after the matter. Country, I think, is a way of life. He needs a crash course pronto regarding this.

And good luck to 19R b/c they’ll need to hold his hand throughout the process. And this’ll cost them because he’ll need to go through a LOT of stuff (e.g. PR Training, Image Consulting, Music Ed, etc.)

People just don’t know what they’re getting into these days…

RCA Nashville could be a good fit for Danny. They are probably the least country label of the Sony country labels. Many of their big names have extensive crossover appeal. Danny may get to do a good amount of non-country songs on his first album.

Way to go Danny. If Keith Urban can sing pop/country so can Danny. Also, Shania Twain had a helluva time in Nashville before she hooked up with Mutt Lang and then went through the roof. She loved rock and also had to be persuaded to try country.

First off, good for Danny. Congrats to him. I mean that sincerely. I don’t have much emotion invested in him either way, but I wish him well.

That said, I have to disagree with the idea that there was a bidding war for him. 19 has the first right of refusal. He basically HAS to sign with them if they want him, as far as I understand it. Maybe a lawyer type can shed some light on this, but that’s how I understand it. They hold all the power and they can sign him and leave him hanging and not release anything ever if they want.

That said, I doubt they want to do that. No doubt they want to at least try to make some money off him. I just don’t think there was a bidding war.

As for country embracing him, I’m not so sure. I wasn’t around in the Josh Gracin days, but I think he was the first Idol doing country? I think things kinda went sour for Idols doing half-assed country when Idol produced some authentic country artists… Carrie, Kellie, and Bucky were all true country and they are the ones that still have careers today. Phil and KLC both went country half-way through and they both flopped. Jessica Simpson is another example as someone else mentioned, but not as appropriate to Idol.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Danny.

Congrats to Danny. I’m thinking he may be able to pull this off. Time will tell!

Way to go Danny. If Keith Urban can sing pop/country so can Danny. Also, Shania Twain had a helluva time in Nashville before she hooked up with Mutt Lang and then went through the roof. She loved rock and also had to be persuaded to try country.

The difference being is that both Shania and Keith pursued country music from the start. Danny has eschewed it in the past and is now embracing it. Like I said, who knows.

steph, you are right regarding Danny and the CCM or gospel route. He always had that option. In fact, Chris Sligh wrote that he thought if Danny had gone that route he would have been the break out star this year in that genre.

However, when you think about the fact that the type of country songs that Danny is interested in, would crossover well into the CCM area, maybe it makes more sense to sign with the big country label and also market those songs on Christian radio as well. I mean, I am not a listener to Christian radio, but I would assume that the type country songs that Danny wants to sing could crossover.

“Phil and KLC both went country half-way through and they both flopped. Jessica Simpson is another example as someone else mentioned, but not as appropriate to Idol.”

IA with Phil but KLC was country the whole way to me, her story was all about having to sell her horse to get to the audition and every time that she could she did a country song or arrangement.

I don’t mean to sound bitter or petty but when the fuck did Danny–who has already publicly professed to not knowing nearly a THING about music other than the church stuff he sang, who pejoratively spoke of country as a genre you needed a twang for–suddenly come up with Wynonna Judd, Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn as his country faves? Did someone feed him that list or are those really artists he knows?

And this quote: ‘I was so wet behind the ears, I didn’t know where I wanted to go,’  he said of his time on Idol. WAS so wet? Who is writing this stuff for him?

I will agree that maybe now that he is signed he will be managed and thus not be so apt to stick his foot in his mouth or irritate the hell out of me.

I do wonder how he’ll play with country fans outside the AI bubble, especially if they somehow get the sense that this seems a desperation deal. Just seems insincere.

But oh well. Good luck Gokey, hope I’m completely wrong about you. I was never going to buy your album, country or not, so I’m not your target market anyway.

Bitter, petty rant over. Whew!

So excited for Danny. Yes, yes, yes!

I cannot wait to see what RCA do with that golden voice.

Congratulations to Danny. He already has the voice and I think he’ll grow in the other areas, i.e. song interpretation and stage presence. He could end up doing quite well. Best of luck to him.

And yay for Season 8 and for the top 4 being signed by major labels!

I think Danny might do well. Congrats to him!

Awww. Poor Matty G! I sure hope someone grabs him quick! He is so talented and special to fade away after tour.
#signmattgiraud!

I’m wondering why this wasn’t announced before the WI concert. Wouldn’t that have been prime time?

On a more mundane level, anyone know why I can’t read any older posted comments?

‘On a more mundane level, anyone know why I can’t read any older posted comments”

I can’t either!!!

IA with Phil but KLC was country the whole way to me, her story was all about having to sell her horse to get to the audition and every time that she could she did a country song or arrangement.

You make a good point about KLC. She was actually signed to a country label before Idol, I believe. However, I remember at one point Simon told her to go country and all her performances after that were kind of desperately country… like 8 Days a Week. I think they signed her thinking she’d be the next Kellie Pickler, but she didn’t have the charisma.

canuck, at the bottom of the page there should be a link to “Older Posts”.

aek, I think this is the best thing that could have happened. Having the credibility of being picked up by 19 (as with the other 3), as well as having Danny as the 1st top 3 finisher to be picked up by 19 is really exciting for fans, but I think the really big deal is the whole world this opens up in terms of resources and support for his career. It’s so great!

I also hope that Matt is next. I really do think that he is going to have a successful career in music.

Weird, once I posted I couldn’t read any older comments, “Older Comments” appeared. Now I can.

Phil and KLC don’t have the voice Danny has.(and Jessica Simpson is a joke) At the Memphis concert, Danny and Adam had the most fans. Memphis has a huge country music following.

He has a good backstory for CM. (widower,religous,truck driver) I think they can sell this.

He has a great voice and it’s unique. If the CM world takes him in, he could end up outselling and definately outlasting some of the others who are signed. Country music fans are fiercely loyal.

Congratulations Danny fans! It’s been a long summer for some of you.

I’d disagree about Danny having a better voice than Phil. That’s subjective, so whatevs.

BUT… Phil had a great backstory, too. Family man. Christian. Military. “Country” loves that stuff. Yet it didn’t work for him. Hopefully, the Christian music route will.

And yes, I put “country” in quotes because I’m a country music fan of sorts and all that means nada to me.

I’m wondering why this wasn’t announced before the WI concert. Wouldn’t that have been prime time?

————————-
It was announced on the radio in WI and I posted it here a week ago.

Congrats Danny!
Its great to get the official news, even tho your fans have known you’ve been signed for a while.
Country, hmmmm- well, he can certainly really, really, really, sing like Randy Jackson said so technically, no problem.
Will his fans stick by him- I’d say yes. Danny fans are probably the most loyal because of the abuse he’s taken this season online.
Personally, I don’t care for country, but haven’t disliked anything he’s done (except live scream on) and trust him to infuse his soul and unique style into whatever he sings.

Congratulations to Danny. Now just get the album out as soon as possible. Don’t let to much time pass, since AI fans can be fickle.

I’d like to hear good news from Matt too. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for him.

This recording deal could not happen to a nicer guy! A new CD by Danny Gokey with a solo tour to promote it would be awesome! Congratulations Danny!!!

This recording deal could not happen to a nicer guy! A new CD by Danny Gokey with a solo tour to promote it would be awesome! Congratulations Danny!!!

This recording deal could not happen to a nicer guy! A new CD by Danny Gokey with a solo tour to promote it would be awesome! Congratulations Danny!!!

Guys.

I so bet that the next person signed, if there is one, is Michael.

If I’m wrong I’ll change my shiny avatar to an avatar of gloom.

Hopefully they just tell Danny to shut up and sing. Don’t think, don’t speak, don’t suggest, don’t try to write. Just stand in front of the mic with the lyric sheet and do it exactly like they tell him to do it. It’s the only way to handle Danny, who has no clue how to present himself to country fans. The PR dept at RCA has their work cut out for them.

***Sherena says:
September 2, 2009 at 2:12 am

Guys.

I so bet that the next person signed, if there is one, is Michael.

If I’m wrong I’ll change my shiny avatar to an avatar of gloom.***

Sherena, I bet that Michael is already signed or will be signed any moment due to final negotiations. But, anyway, I feel certain he has a country deal in the bag.

Sherena, I bet that Michael is already signed or will be signed any moment due to final negotiations. But, anyway, I feel certain he has a country deal in the bag.

You are not talking about a major label here, right?

Valentin432
September 2, 2009 at 3:12 am

Sherena, I bet that Michael is already signed or will be signed any moment due to final negotiations. But, anyway, I feel certain he has a country deal in the bag.

You are not talking about a major label here, right?

I don’t think it is a major label but I do believe it is in the bag.

I don’t think it is a major label but I do believe it is in the bag.

Well I really hope it happens for Michael, it sure would suck for him if he had to go back to the oil rig.

OK, I am really really thrilled for Danny. He has a golden opportunity with this signing and I think it’s the best that could have happen to him.

I think that his disinterest in going the christian route is a good sign.

I think Danny will do well. Great job! Good luck!

YES!! Danny was my favourite this year and I’m glad to know he chose the country music route. I think it could work out really well for him.

It’s awesome that my entire top 4 are signed under 19. Now I just hope that Matt gets a contract too.

Any word on if he will be going for a thanksgiving release or if he will wait and release the album later?

I remember reading somewhere on this blog that Matt was in talks with RCA but I guess my brain was making that up or it would have been the main topic around here.

Wow. I thought 19 passed on him? Well, I am looking forward to Danny’s music. He is 3rd best vocalist of season 8 after Adam and Allison.

Now I just want a record deal for Matt G.

I’m so happy for Danny! He deserves it! :) Now for Matt G!! Someone sign that boy!!

Hip Hip Hooray!! Congratulations Danny Gokey!!

You are my personal AI HERO and I couldn’t be happier for you. My wish is your music career will bring you much happiness & success along your new path!

Good news for Danny & his fans! And I agree about Matt G. If Danny is signed Matt should certainly be signed!

I don’t think that Matt will get signed. He seems like a really nice guy, and is a good live performer, but there are tons of great live performers/piano players around, and how is he different than them? His voice is good but not unusual, he never did anything really creative on the show, and don’t forget (because the record companies won’t!) that even with the pimping he had to get wildcarded and saved, and was in the bottom 3 several other times. Combine all of that with no clear path, and it’s a high risk-low reward proposition.

Congrats Danny!
I’m really happy for the guy. After all the shit this guy got this is a nice way to shut up the haters.

I think he has a really distinctive voice, he’ll just need the right material. Good luck to him.

Well, I’m on for the ride! This should be fun!

I know i’ll buy it,Ilove him singing What Hurts the Most, And My Wish. And when he sang I hope you dance. And he was tied with Allison as my 3rd favorite after Kris #1 And Adam #2. Am really happy for him and I love Counrty music. Even thou I don’t listen to it very much anymore.

This should be interesting….I agree. Danny, who says he has never written a song, should sing, which God knows he can do, and let the label take care of the rest.

Good for Danny, but I disagree about Matt. I think he is really coming into his own, and I hope he gets really soon. He can write and has a nice recording voice (I heard his early, pre-Idol tracks). Lots of Idol music to look forward this fall into the spring!

Ok, late to respond here (though I heard about it last night).

Congrats to Danny – he definitely has huge support from the tour, has gotten strong reviews, and has a large fanbase (despite what the blogosphere might indicate).

It still seems weird that he’s going country – a friend of mine who LOVES Danny even thought it was weird of him to do country, and his lilttle blurb makes it sound like he’s turning all PC to make it seem like he ALWAYS wanted to go country…hmm, ok….

Still, I wish him the best. Interesting to note that, iirc, he is the only 3rd place finisher to get a deal with 19 – and he’s on Adam’s label too (RCA – though I guess the Nashville arm would be completely different – or at least I would certainly HOPE there would be no overlap between Danny and Adam ;-) )

And now he has to wait a lot longer than the others to release, which kind of sucks, but at least it won’t be in such a cluttered time period.

congrats to Danny, so good to know that he’s finally going to record his own songs

I don’t think that Matt will get signed. He seems like a really nice guy, and is a good live performer, but there are tons of great live performers/piano players around, and how is he different than them?

I disagree. I would almost bet money that Matt will get signed. If Michael Johns and Jason Castro can get signed, then Matt should too. I enjoyed MJ last year, but Matt is a better performer imo. And I never enjoyed Jason on the show, or thought his voice was very good, so yeah, Matt has gotten rave reviews, and definitely deserves to get signed based on his live performances. I think he really got stuck in the AI game, in terms of trying to please everyone, trying to find the right song, etc. He clearly struggled with those things on the show. But now that he’s more on his own, he’s definitely stepping it up.

If anyone in the business is reading these reviews and recaps Matt will get signed. He seems to have almost universal appeal in concert. He is also very talented in different ways than most of the others– remember he arranged his own music on AI and is gifted on the piano. I would really like to see him signed by a major but I know he can handle the indie route if he must.

Wow, I just checked out the Sony Nashville site, and they don’t have very many artists on each label, do they? Like 5 or 6 for each label. Seems like Danny will get a lot of attention.

I would almost bet money that Matt will get signed. If Michael Johns and Jason Castro can get signed, then Matt should too.

I thought MJ wasn’t signed– he went indie and negotiated some distribution deal. Also, I LURVE Matt and have from the beginning, and really hope that he gets signed next, but Jason went further than Matt without a save, had a huge dedicated fanbase, and was able to carve out a very distinct image and sound for himself on the show. Matt, even though in my mind, has more raw talent, didn’t do as well on the show (as much as I loved Human Nature, So Small and Let’s Get it On, he never had a Hallelujah or Somewhere Over the Rainbow moment), and he also failed to portray himself with a clear musical direction because he was so all over the place stylistically. He’s more similar to MJ in that sense, since MJ was a bit all over the place with his wannabe rocker performances, except for when he went soulful with Dolly week. I dunno, I’m hoping the best for Matt, but outlook hazy.

I am thrilled that Danny got signed. He really deserves this because he has an amazing voice. I am hoping Matt gets signed. I think he can do really well also and you can really, like with Adam and Allison feel his passion for music and entertaining during his performances.

Hopefully they just tell Danny to shut up and sing. Don’t think, don’t speak, don’t suggest, don’t try to write. Just stand in front of the mic with the lyric sheet and do it exactly like they tell him to do it. It’s the only way to handle Danny, who has no clue how to present himself to country fans. The PR dept at RCA has their work cut out for them.

THIS should be the case. 19R/RCA will need to act like a parent that’s taking care of a 5 y/o. They will need to invest it PR Training, Image Consultation, Contemporary Music Ed and How to be a Country Artist 101. Oh, and they better bribe those publications that have published the awkward things Gokey has said about country music.

He has a good backstory for CM. (widower,religous,truck driver) I think they can sell this.

This will matter if you’re on a reality TV show, not if your a recording artist. They will just need to focus on the music.

He has a great voice and it’s unique. If the CM world takes him in, he could end up outselling and definately outlasting some of the others who are signed. Country music fans are fiercely loyal.

If he outsells the first 3 signed, this’ll reflect badly on the music industry. It just shows that you could become successful even without knowing your stuff and paying your dues. And given that he has a vibe of someone singing country songs well rather than a country artist, I won’t be surprised if he gets called a poser by country fans.

I would almost bet money that Matt will get signed. If Michael Johns and Jason Castro can get signed, then Matt should too. I enjoyed MJ last year, but Matt is a better performer imo. And I never enjoyed Jason on the show, or thought his voice was very good, so yeah, Matt has gotten rave reviews, and definitely deserves to get signed based on his live performances. I think he really got stuck in the AI game, in terms of trying to please everyone, trying to find the right song, etc. He clearly struggled with those things on the show. But now that he’s more on his own, he’s definitely stepping it up.

Totally agree. It will take more time maybe but I bet also that Matt will get signed by a major. He’s too good and has tons of potential to not to.
he deserves it so much after what he’s proven on this tour. Heck even MTV and EW said he should get signed before Danny. Did not happen.
But he will get signed. I am thinking he will pull a Castro. I am so anxious but positive of some good news for Matt soon.

Idol is all about not paying your dues. Some of them come through and some don’t.

Believe me I know zero about country but I think Danny would do fine with some nice inspirational songs. He’s not a poser. He comes across as clueless and lacking social skills but sincere (at least to me).

If Danny gets one song as good as some of the songs on Carrie’s first album, he’ll do fine. Especially if Mark Bright produces his album. If that happens, he could do very, very well.

I may no predictions at all but it could happen. By the way, I just saw the feature which lists how many posts you have. OMG, I’m scaring myself.

Danny has made very much the good decision because his life story may not be country, but it resonates well with country fans. It is so much the message that is now the prevailing theme in country music for male artists. Even though, the divorce rate for marriage among Evangelical Christians is higher than that found in liberal Massachusetts and the rest of the American population, for most women who love country music Danny’s very public references of his great love for his dead wife really moves them. This really is, so much, what these women want from their own husbands.

So the message in country songs by male singers often have the theme of the “sinner husband” sorry for his indiscretions. Also, the agony of how much these meanderings have hurt their wives. So “born again” religion, family values, and super patriotism are the themes that dominate everywhere in country music. Women country artists seem to be able to have much more fun and “runnin” around without remorse, in their music than the men.

I may no predictions at all but it could happen. By the way, I just saw the feature which lists how many posts you have. OMG, I’m scaring myself.

And what on earth are you talking about? What feature?

I was talking about myself. A new feature shows how many posts a poster has. I have posted here ahem alot. (I meant the generic you not you.)

Boy do I miss the edit feature.

THIS should be the case. 19R/RCA will need to act like a parent that’s taking care of a 5 y/o. They will need to invest it PR Training, Image Consultation, Contemporary Music Ed and How to be a Country Artist 101. Oh, and they better bribe those publications that have published the awkward things Gokey has said about country music.

LOL! Some tough love here, joeschmoe, but I actually kinda agree with you ;-)

I’ll reiterate that I think Danny is a nice guy, a sincere guy, but he is a very clueless guy. He is basically the anti-Adam in terms of lacking any self-awareness or much focus in terms of music goals, or much understanding of music history, past and present (some may call this an arbitrary skill to learn, but I think it’s pretty essential if you really want to make a serious career as a musician – it’s a tough business, and it requires a LOT of commitment and dedication to really make it).

If he outsells the first 3 signed, this’ll reflect badly on the music industry

The other three aren’t going into country music. It’s a different world than the pop world. However, if Kris had gone the CM direction,(and I’m still supporting his decision not to) it would be a different story.

He has a good backstory for CM. (widower,religous,truck driver) I think they can sell this.

Actually, country music fans are kind of like AI fans. They love the life stories. Have you ever heard of fanfare in Nashville? It’s like 3 days of AI concerts. It’s a huge meet and greet. There are booths set up with merchandise and you wait in lines for autographs and photographs of your favorites. Garth Brooks signed autographs for 15 hours straight one year. I can see Danny fitting in well here.

Danny may come of as clueless and competative but I think he has also shown a lot of nice personality traits. I think he is sincere and I also think he is very warm hearted. I also think he is very handsome and in that way commercial. I think country is a good choice since he seems more like a balleder than a pop artist. If he gets a good producer and good songs and can find respect as a country artist I think he will do very well.

Actually, country music fans are kind of like AI fans. They love the life stories. Have you ever heard of fanfare in Nashville? It’s like 3 days of AI concerts. It’s a huge meet and greet. There are booths set up with merchandise and you wait in lines for autographs and photographs of your favorites. Garth Brooks signed autographs for 15 hours straight one year. I can see Danny fitting in well here.

Interesting to hear about that. It may surprise no one to learn that I know next to nothing about country music (the one genre I’m not really fond of, though I listen to pretty much anything else). But reading this almost makes me want to be a country fan :-) I like that kind of M&G spirit with the fans and artists, very cool. And Danny is very sweet at the M&G’s (he touched me – sigh!!) so I think he would do well in that kind of situation.

A new feature shows how many posts a poster has. I have posted here ahem alot.

Where do you see this, jpfan? I’m (morbidly) curious about my own stats.

Boy do I miss the edit feature.

Ditto. Happy to see the page numbers back though!

Danny may come of as clueless and competative but I think he has also shown a lot of nice personality traits. I think he is sincere and I also think he is very warm hearted.

Yeah, I hear you. He’s kind of like a big-pawed puppy. I just can’t hate on him even when he pees on the floor.

It still seems weird that he’s going country ‘“ a friend of mine who LOVES Danny even thought it was weird of him to do country, and his lilttle blurb makes it sound like he’s turning all PC to make it seem like he ALWAYS wanted to go country’ ¦hmm, ok’ ¦.

It is going to be totally awkward for Danny when the country publications and blogs start reposting all the dumb stuff he’s said about country music-from not knowing what the Grand Ole Opry is to “twang” to “message!!111eleventy!” Not to mention that it was just a couple months ago he was bound and determined to make an album of some sort of salsa/r&b mismash and didn’t have a thing in the world to say about country music. For his sake, RCA better be bribing every publication and station programmer to pretend it never happened.

I can see Danny fronting little women chorus line, him dressed in lightly soiled jacket and them with ostrich feathers out their butts… a la Tony Clifton style.
Or surrounded by dancing gypsies. Gypsies swinging their enormous skirts, coins clacking, breasts wiggling, Danny’s opening his heart to strangers behind restaurant’s tables… Everything is very loud, a bit disorderly and tacky, but so much fun and soul. He can reuse his red shirt and boots.

Good for Danny. Hopefully he makes a good album and wins me over. He is growing on me, but I have yet to hear a song from him that I actually really like.

And yeah, when is Matt going to get signed?!?!?! Anoop too.

The more I think about the timing of this, it seems like it was handled very well. If Danny had been signed and announced right after the show, even people outside the internet hate bubble would understandably scratch their heads. But now, he has done 40ish shows, getting a huge crowd response and good reviews for ‘What Hurts the Most’  and ‘My Wish’ . So now, people who care enough about it to pay attention are far more likely to nod and think ‘yeah, I guess that makes sense’ . So I think it was very smart for them to wait. And if the delay was less a strategic plan than it was a result of competing negotiations from other labels, I guess that’s just serendipity.

I am not worried about comments that Danny made in the past about interest in other genres or that he is new to country music. He loves the themes of country music and will feel very comfortable with fans of country music. I don’t believe that new potential fans who hear him talk about this would feel that he is being disingenuous about this, that’s not credible to me. That’s not even that huge of a factor I don’t think, people will buy his music because they hear a song on the radio and love it, not because they think he is a good old country boy. But the company will be building his credibility. I’m sure he will have the opportunity to associate with other artists under 19 and welcomed into the family, so to speak. Danny is not always a smooth talker, but I don’t see that as a negative at all here. He has a good heart, and that comes across when he speaks. He is open with people which is endearing, and he is good at joking around and making people laugh. He’s going to do just fine.

Congrats to Danny!! It’s well deserved

Success is the ultimate form of revenge. :)

Congrats to Danny!
I think he will fit in extremely well in the country scene; even his personality which is very naive and honest; he speaks from the heart, which the country crowd likes. He also is no Diva, loves people and comes from a humble working class background with an interesting life story already; which the country crowd also loves.
I don’t think anyone cares what he said about country before- if he puts out good music they will buy it.
The guy can sing anything (except hard rock,lol), why not country? He doesn’t have to worry about the religion part he’s been criticized for either in this genre.
Country is my least favorite, but I’m anxious to hear what he puts out and will buy the album.
It would be interesting to know why the deal took so long-Phil Stacey told an interviewer that Sony Nash wanted Danny in May. Was the delay because he resisted? Complicated contract with Sophias Heart involved? Or a bidding war like some have suggested?

Congratulations to Danny. I am very happy for him and wish him lots of success. I will definitely be looking forward to the music he puts out and will buy his music. I am definitely rooting for him.

Ditto. Happy to see the page numbers back though!

What page numbers?

Wow this is really wonky. Pages are disappearing and I can’t see the posts I put in page 1/2.

It would be interesting to know why the deal took so long-Phil Stacey told an interviewer that Sony Nash wanted Danny in May. Was the delay because he resisted? Complicated contract with Sophias Heart involved? Or a bidding war like some have suggested?

I think it was very clever not to announce it until now and let some of the negative attention on Danny fade away and also let him gather some good press from the tour. Maybe they didn’t plan it this way but I think it was a good move anyhow.

TESTing- Do I have a blank avatar now? Also, I feel like I’m driving on the wrong side of the road with the info on the right side and the comments on the left.

Good news on Danny. Now if only we would hear some news about Matt!

Good for him! I’m a HUGE Adam fan, but I really like Danny’s voice, he was great at the concert I went to, and I enjoyed him on the show.

I’d sign Matt and Anoop, too. I’m not sure where they’d fit.

Danny’s got the best chance, Country’s a great market.. with a lot of money, and it’s easier to get a hit.

HEY GUYS, I WAS THE FIRST TO SAY THAT. DANNY TOLD ME THAT HE WAS EXPECTING A SINGLE IN NOVEMBER AND AN ALBUM IN MARCH. REMEMBER IN MY RECAP. THATS SO COOL THAT I KINDA ANNOUNCED IT FIRST HERE ON MJSBIGBLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Pete, yes, I remember telling you that I hadn’t seen that info before. Hey, you got your first scoop!

I hope that Megan announces good news about her plans soon too!

Looks like I’m gonna prepare for fucking armageddon!

Then again, at the end of the day, he is his own worst enemy. He will need 19R/RCA a lot more than they need him. And this echoes my sentiments perfectly:

It is going to be totally awkward for Danny when the country publications and blogs start reposting all the dumb stuff he’s said about country music-from not knowing what the Grand Ole Opry is to ‘twang’  to ‘message!!111eleventy!’  Not to mention that it was just a couple months ago he was bound and determined to make an album of some sort of salsa/r&b mismash and didn’t have a thing in the world to say about country music. For his sake, RCA better be bribing every publication and station programmer to pretend it never happened.

Success truly is the best revenge.

I think it’s a good thing that Danny never tried to pretend that he was all about country music. He’s simply been honest all along. He was on idol and really exposing himself to new and different types of music that he had not really experienced that much before. In the process he found that there were certain types of inspirational ballads that he felt drawn to, perhaps in part because of the traumatic experience he had recently been through. Artists always (or at least should) look for songs to sing that they can connect to emotionally/personally. It so happens that this type of song fits in the country “box,” because you know everything has to be in a “box.”

And Joe, to my knowledge, Danny never said he was bound and determined to only make an r&b/latin cd, he simply said that he would love to make that kind of album, and then followed up that he would also consider making a modern country album. He has been saying this since June, at least.

So 19 didn’t pass on Danny after all. Good for him! Still don’t quite see him as a country singer, but I hope it’ll work out for him. I wish him the best. I’d love to see him continue to prove his detractors wrong.

I was trying to think back on the dates. Danny’s first country song on Idol was actually way back in February (?) with I Hope You Dance, by a more traditional country artist even than he adapted songs from in his later country experiences with Jesus Take the Wheel, WHTM, and My Wish. Danny also did really well with the Lionel Richie tunes which have been covered by country artists.
I think it’s very believable to most people that Danny had to find his way, especially coming from a background where he’d been most immersed in church praise and worship music. Many country fans will be familiar with that type of music, and recognize it doesn’t exactly have an exact match in the mainstream music world.

And Joe, to my knowledge, Danny never said he was bound and determined to only make an r&b/latin cd, he simply said that he would love to make that kind of album, and then followed up that he would also consider making a modern country album. He has been saying this since June, at least.

Thing was, he said “…but I will be open to do a modern country soul thing.” or something to that effect. This means that was pretty much second priority. His first was the soul-Latin shiz.

Success truly is the best revenge.

Seriously… STFU. And don’t worry about the hater, worry about the person being hated. Like I said, he is his own worst enemy, not the haters. If he does some slip-up or social booboo, that his fault, not the haters’. Just go pray that they will treat him like a child learning how to walk for the first time.

I’ve actually been impressed with how steady Danny has been in pursuing his goals despite the negativity thrown at him from some directions. I don’t think I could ever handle that. Danny can come across as naive and gentle, and in some ways that strikes me as the case. But he’s also pretty tough to throw all that hater-stuff off and keep his focus on where he wants to go.
Thinking about it, he also seems pretty streetsmart in marketing himself through twitter (now approaching more than 99,000 peeps), building relationships with people in the business and sports world to help him grow his charity, and so forth. All pretty much without a lot of obvious professional PR push behind him until just now.
His efforts there won’t do much for those who dislike him, but it’s kept him in touch with his fans, and brought in some new ones along with a noticeable number of haters who are converted by seeing him in person or observing how he relates so personably with the AI fans.

PJG – Yes. Danny has already achieved so much, and of course he has a lot of work to do to make his dreams come true, but this is a huge milestone and very exciting for his fans.

aek and steph6449, I agree with you about Danny’s honest approach. I grew up among country fans and I don’t think they will have trouble understanding where Danny is coming from. His passion and sincerity in singing the songs is what they will care about, not some old quote where Danny was trying to figure out what he was going to do. I think he will find a receptive audience there.

The timing is probably good for Danny. He won’t have the pressure to put out an album quickly. If his album comes out in March, he will have the benefit of a new AI season to go on the show to promote it. Congrats!!! to Danny