It had been a most unusual achievement for one state with two singers making the Top 10 of "American Idol." The Sunday night elimination cut that to one for the Top 8.
McIntosh's Triston Harper now advances to the Top 8 for a Monday night round. Centre's Mia Matthews did not make the cut.
Harper, 15, won by singing Jason Aldean’s number one hit, “She’s Country.” He added energetic movement to his deep, mature country voice, prompting comments from the judges about his new-found animation.
Watch Triston’s performance here:
Harper’s next performance is Monday night at 7 p.m. CT on ABC. The round will cut eight contestants back to six.
Can you believe that Triston’s voice is the voice of a 15-year-old? Such a deep and mature-sounding voice.
Country Music Family's take on Triston Harper's April 28 performance can be found here.
Triston, raised in the small town of McIntosh, is a Choctaw Indian. There is an extended village of Choctaws in and around McIntosh, the MOWA Tribe.
McIntosh is in southwest Alabama about 80 miles north of Mobile. He is a student at LeRoy High School. He is the youngest Idol contestant this season.
Early in the competition, Triston had revealed that his stepdad had been abusive towards his mom. When he was 11, they felt they had to leave McIntosh.
“The lowest part of my life was when me and my mom had got homeless, and we were sleeping on the side of the road," Harper recalled. "I had just turned 12.”
From homeless to Hollywood. We have the makings of a movie.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler writes about Alabama’s people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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