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The following biography
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Harold Elwin "Bo" Bice, Jr. (born November 1, 1975
in Huntsville, Alabama) is an American singer and musician who came in second in
the fourth season of American Idol. He is well known for his deep baritone style
of singing, his control vibrato, and a unique style incorporating soul, country,
blues and rock.
****
Background information
Born November 1, 1975 (1975-11-01) (age 31)
Huntsville, Alabama
Origin Birmingham, Alabama
Genre(s) Rock
Southern rock
Country rock
Instrument(s) Guitar, harmonica, piano, saxophone,
vocals
Years active 2005–present
Label(s) RCA (2005-2006), StratArt (2006-Present)
Associated
acts SugarMoney
Website BoBice.com
****
Biography
Early
years
Bice was nicknamed "Bogart" by his grandmother as a
child by his family, and it was later shortened to "Bo." He first made his mark
at the age of 13, when he won a local school competition. Bice grew up with his
sisters and brother, mother and stepfather, Earle, Nancy, Jenny and Sharan
Downes, Jon Cochran. The family moved around the South frequently, they lived in
Georgia, Alabama, and Florida; including the metro area of Atlanta. When Bice
was 15 years old they moved to England in 1990, as part of Earle's European
assignment with Coca-Cola in London. Bice spent his teenage years living in the
suburbs of Gerrards Cross and Seer Green. The family were neighbors of Ozzy
Osbourne. Bice attended London Central High School, a Department of Defense
school primarily for children whose parents served in the military or worked at
the U.S. Embassy. He would have graduated in 1994. In high school, he was found
carrying his guitar everywhere, played football, attended proms, and had several
girlfriends. It was around this time when Bice worked with some English
alternative rock musicians. In the fall of 1993, Bice dropped out of high school
just before turning 18 to move back to Alabama, where he earned his GED and
attended classes at Calhoun Community College from November 1996 to May 1997.
Upon graduating Calhoun and spending a semester at the University of North
Alabama in Florence, Bice turned professional and performed in shows all across
the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Europe. He is a veteran of
the nightclub circuit, having performed solo and in rock groups such as Purge,
Blue Sued Nickel (sic), and his current band SugarMoney. Among his credits are
opening for Blackfoot and Warrant as well as performing live and recording with
Johnny Neal, formerly of The Allman Brothers Band.
American Idol
A southern rocker in musical approach and
appearance, Bice did not fit into the normal American Idol mold. However, his
early performance of The Allman Brothers Band's "Whipping Post" drew raves from
the judges and established him as one of the favorites in the competition.
For the 2005 season, Idol producers raised their
required age limit from 16-26 to 16-28. Along with Constantine Maroulis, he was
one of the oldest contestants to audition and participate on American Idol, as
well as being the oldest contestants to have progressed the farthest in the
singing competition. Bice and Maroulis are also notable for being among the
first contestants to compete using the rock idiom. Bo plays 4 instruments.
In June 2005 Bice was quoted in Rolling Stone
magazine that his last thought during the Idol finale was, "Please, God, don't
let me win this thing." [1] In comments during a subsequent appearance on The
Today Show, Bice backed off this stance a bit, saying that he thanked all those
who had voted for him. He then played solo acoustic guitar and harmonica to one
of his own compositions, in addition to singing his Idol songs with a band.
In Alabama, May 24 was declared "Bo Bice Day" by
Governor Bob Riley. In fact, Bice's pride in being an Alabama native resulted in
the adoption of Lynyrd Skynyrd's hit "Sweet Home Alabama" as his "theme" during
his tenure on American Idol.
2005-2006: The Real Thing
Signed to RCA Records, Bice's first single,
released June 21, 2005, was his version of "Inside Your Heaven". The single
debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and #1 on the Billboard Hot Single
Sales chart. Bice's single replaced Carrie Underwood's version of the same song
at #1, the first time in the history of the sales chart. The B-side was his
rendition of the Ides of March hit "Vehicle", featuring an appearance by Richie
Sambora. It was certified Gold in late July 2005. Bice was also invited to the
Bonnaroo Music Festival by Trey Anastasio (formerly of Phish). He sang a song
with Willie Nelson at a Birmingham concert and was invited by Nelson to perform
at Farm Aid. Bice also appeared on Carlos Santana's 2005 album All That I Am on
the song "Brown Skin Girl," which did not appear on his own solo album.
On June 15, 2005, Bice married long-time girlfriend
Caroline Fisher in Helena. The Bices' first child, a son named Aidan Michael
Bice, was born on September 24, 2005.[2].
On July 31, 2005, Bice broke his foot while
performing in concert in Manchester, New Hampshire[3] but carried on with the
tour. On August 18 Bice, who had been suffering from stomach pain for months,
was rushed to the hospital for emergency intestinal surgery to remove a
blockage. The surgery was successful, but he was sidelined from the tour for
several shows. During his absence from the tour, fellow contestants Anwar,
Nikko, Scott, Anthony and Constantine sang "Sweet Home Alabama" and wore Bo Bice
T-shirts. [4] Bice returned to the tour for the final 2 concerts in Syracuse,
New York, September 10 and September 11 (a benefit concert with proceeds going
to the American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Katrina). In addition, to
playing that concert, he also opened his home in Helena to a family displaced by
Hurricane Katrina. Bice continued to have health problems and was re-admitted to
the hospital for complications related to the August intestinal surgery.
Bice's solo debut album, The Real Thing, was
released on December 13, 2005. It opened at #4. The Real Thing has the
seventh-highest opening for a debut album by an American Idol finalist; it is
also noteworthy that Bo Bice is one of several non-winners (along with Clay
Aiken, Joshua Gracin, Katharine McPhee, Elliott Yamin, Kellie Pickler, and Chris
Daughtry) to achieve good success in record sales. Bice's band SugarMoney
appears with him on three tracks on The Real Thing's DualDisc version: "Cinnamon
& Novocaine," "Sinner In a Sin," and "Whiskey, Women & Time."
Bice was the guest host for the The Fairly
OddParents episode, Fairy Idol, on May 19, 2006.
On September 12, 2006, Bice released a cover of The
Chambers Brothers 1968 smash hit, "Time Has Come Today," through various legal
digital music download sites. The tune, which does not appear on The Real Thing,
is the theme song for a new Monopoly commercial. It has been rumored to be
Bice's new single and possibly a track on Bice's second major album. The tune
surprised many of Bice's fans who were not made aware of the song until days
before the release.
On October 5, 2006, Bice underwent emergency
surgery in Nashville, TN to correct a recurring intestinal problem. According to
his official website, the surgery "was not easy or routine." The surgery came
after several rounds of tests and doctors deemed his condition serious enough to
operate immediately. All of his October tour dates were cancelled.
2007-present: See the Light and Other Projects
Bo Bice's second album, to be released on the new
label $ugarmoney/StratArt, is entitled See the Light. Of this album, Bice has
said "It's a star-studded cast, and I'm the only one on there who's not famous
[...] I picked and co-wrote the songs that if I was a guy who would be spending
my hard-earned money buying an album I would want to hear." [5]
Also in 2007, Bice was invited by movie producer
and actor Ben Stiller to sing the title track for the film Blades of Glory
Bice has recently been recording vocals for the
upcoming "Church of Southern Rock CD,"[6] a compilation spearheaded by The
Marshall Tucker Band's George McCorkle who recently passed away from cancer. The
album will feature a number of southern rock legends and a release date has yet
to be announced.
Bice is represented by Strategic Artist Management
(management), and Buddy Lee Attractions (booking).
He currently resides in a suburb of Nashville,
Tennessee.
Discography
Albums
Album Singles
The Real Thing
Released: December 13, 2005
Peak Chart Position: #4 U.S.
U.S. sales: 688,000 (According to USA Today)
RIAA certification: Gold
Singles released:
"The Real Thing"
"U Make Me Better"
See the Light
Released: October 23, 2007
Peak Chart Position: TBA
U.S. sales: TBA
RIAA certification: TBA
Singles released:
"Witness"
Singles
Year Title Album U.S. Hot 100 U.S. Pop 100 U.S. A.C.
U.S. Digital Songs U.S. TRL
2005 "I Don't Want to Be" American Idol Season 4:
The Showstoppers - 85 - 60 -
2005 "Inside Your Heaven" "Inside Your Heaven"
(single) 2 1 - 25 -
2005 "Vehicle" "Inside Your Heaven" (single) - 82 -
- -
2006 "The Real Thing" The Real Thing 56 33 13 55 1
2006 "U Make Me Better" The Real Thing - - - - -
2007 "Blades of Glory" Blades of Glory soundtrack -
- - - -
2007 "Witness" See the Light TBR TBR TBR TBR TBR
Notes:
"I Don't Want to Be", although a fan favorite, was
not actually released as an official single.
"Vehicle" was released as a double A-side with
"Inside Your Heaven".
Notes
1.
^ [1]
2.
^ usa today 6/30/2005
3.
^ msnbc
4.
^ foxes on idol
5.
^ MTV May, 2007
6.
^ Southern Fried Magazine August 1st, 2007
****
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