Scotty McCreery

With a surprisingly deep and formidable baritone, as well as his strong sense of self, Scotty McCreery captured millions of votes and won the 10th season of the reality singing competition "American Idol" (Fox, 2002-16). He was born Scott Cooke McCreery on Oct. 9, 1993 in Garner, NC. Of Puerto Rican descent, the future singer learned to play guitar and piano at a young age, and impersonated Elvis Presley in front of his schoolmates. McCreery continued to sing in local productions and church choirs all the way through high school at Garner Magnet High School, and was a member of a vocal ensemble that performed across the United States. He first sang tenor, but when his voice dropped dramatically at 13, McCreery switched to singing at a lower register. It was his deep baritone twang that helped him win the regional singing contest "Clayton Idol" in Clayton, NC, as well as impress the judges when he auditioned for the 10th season of "American Idol" in Wisconsin, singing Josh Turner's "Your Man" (2005) and Travis Tritt's "Put Some Drive In Your Country" (1990). McCreery earned a spot in the semi-final rounds held in Hollywood, where he stood out with his deep and undeniably country voice and a small-town charm.