Scotty McCreery recently returned to the American Idol stage for the Great Idol Reunion on May 2 in celebration of the show’s 20th season. But what about when the “You Time” singer auditioned for the competition back in season 10?
“It’d be too cool to get that golden ticket,” McCreery remarked in a video clip of his Idol audition.
“I’ve been singing country music my whole life,” he told then Idol judges, Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, and Randy Jackson. “I started singing at one-year-old. The doctor told me I hummed a few lines of “Bye Baby Bunting,” it’s a little nursery rhyme my mom sang to me when I was in the cradle.”
McCreery sang a short rendition of the nursery rhyme before auditioning with country singer Josh Turner’s tune, “Your Man.”
“You make me smile,” Lopez said after McCreery concluded his audition. Tyler then asked him to sing something a little higher, and McCreery delivered a cover of Travis Tritt’s “Put Some Drive In Your Country.”
“That’s beautiful,” Tyler said after McCreery finished the song.
“Dude, love you. Love that you’re a throwback country guy singing low like that,” Jackson added.
Following the judges’ vote, McCreery received three yes’s, which sent him to the next round of the competition in Hollywood.
McCreery advanced all the way to the end of the competition, until it was down to just him and fellow country singer, Lauren Alaina, before ultimately claiming victory.
He and Alaina wound up becoming good friends, even putting their own spin on Randy Travis’ song, “I Told You So” during the top 11 results show.
Following his American Idol victory, McCreery has released five albums, including his latest, Same Truck. The album, which was released via Triple Tigers Records, features his top 15 single, “You Time.”
In February 2022, McCreery released a music video for his song, “Damn Strait,” which pays homage to King of Country Music, George Strait.
Strait re-posted the music video on his Twitter feed, which prompted McCreery to say, “Wowww! The 🐐! Glad you like it, @GeorgeStrait!,” later adding #DamnStrait to the post.
McCreery will also be launching his Same Truck tour on May 14 in Hiawassee, Georgia at Anderson Music Hall Georgia Fairgrounds. The tour runs through October 1, concluding in Harris, Michigan.
Prior to kicking off his tour, McCreery played the iHeart Country festival in Austin.
McCreery teamed up with Alaina to sing a duet of Keith Whitley’s classic country hit, “When You Say Nothing At All” during the Great Idol Reunion.
