Amanda Lindsay Overmyer (born October 26, 1984) is an American rock singer-songwriter who was the eleventh place finalist on the seventh season of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

.''

Biography

Overmyer grew up in

Camden, Indiana Camden is a town in Jackson Township, Carroll County, Indiana, United States. The population was 611 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The post office at Camden was established in 18 ...

, and attended

Delphi Community High School Delphi Community High School is a Public school (government funded), public secondary school located in Delphi, Indiana. The school serves more than 500 students in grades 9 to 12 in the Delphi Community School Corporation district. The students ...

Delphi, Indiana Delphi () is a city in and the county seat of Carroll County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. Located twenty minutes northeast of Lafayette, it is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,893 at the 2010 c ...

. She began singing in bands as a teenager, and followed the styles of

Southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. Author Scott B. Bomar speculat ...

musicians that her dad listened to, like Bob Seger, Kansas, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Led Zeppelin. She often played at biker rallies. She eventually left music, and earned nursing degree from

Ivy Tech Community College Ivy Tech Community College (Ivy Tech) is a public community college system in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the state's public community college system and it has more than 40 locations. It is also the state's largest public postsecondary ins ...

and started to work in healthcare.

''American Idol''

Overview

She tried out for ''

'' to give music one more try. She became known as the "biker chick" and her sound was compared to Janis Joplin. Overmyer was eliminated on the March 19, 2008, episode of ''

'', putting her in 11th place. The ''American Idol'' judges have often compared her sound to Janis Joplin. Overmyer was eliminated on the March 19, 2008, episode of ''

'', putting her in 11th place and just missing out on the tour. After her ouster on the April 23, 2008, episode, fellow finalist

Carly Smithson Carly Sarah Smithson ( Hennessy; born 12 September 1983) is an Irish soul and pop rock singer who was the sixth place finalist on the seventh season of ''American Idol''. In 2001, Smithson released her first studio album for MCA Records called ...

stated in her post-exit interviews that Amanda Overmyer had been her favorite singer of the competition. Overmyer is currently the only contestant from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

to become a finalist in ''American Idol'' history.

Performances

Post-Idol

After her elimination from American Idol, Overmyer made appearances on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was prod ...

'', ''

Live with Regis and Kelly ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...

'', and ''

The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet ''The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet'' was an American syndicated morning talk show. Produced by Fox, the show first aired on January 22, 2007, to a number of markets originally through Fox and MyNetworkTV, most in the Fox Television Stati ...

.'' On May 24, 2008, Overmyer headlined the Women of Rock show at the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boul ...

in West Hollywood, California. On December 10, 2008, Overmyer released her debut album "Solidify". "Play On" was the debut single from the album and is dedicated to her husband. Her biggest show was in her hometown of

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whi ...

during the summer of 2009, where nearly 14,000 fans came out and watched her perform with her band. In 2009, her band went through a lineup change, and Overmyer auditioned a session guitarist from

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

. Overmyer and her band have toured extensively, chiefly in the midwest, since her appearance on ''Idol'' through 2014. She announced on YouTube in November 2013 that, in addition to future live shows, she will be writing new music for an upcoming album.Amanda Overmyer Performs New Song 'Midwest Housewife' "
November 14, 2013.

Discography

Albums

Track listing

# "Fail to Compromise" # "Love Me Like You Want" # "Hole in the Wall" # "Play On" # "Call Your Mama" # "Fight Like a Son" # "Lay It Down" # "Varmint Rifle" # "Iroquois Lane" # "A Long Time" # "Let's Take It Outside" # "Pray"

Singles

*"Play On" (2008) *"Love Me Like You Want" (2009)

References

External links

Official website

Official American Idol profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Overmyer, Amanda 1984 births Living people 21st-century American singers American women rock singers Singers from Indiana Musicians from Little Rock, Arkansas American Idol participants People from Delphi, Indiana People from Carroll County, Indiana Singers from Arkansas 21st-century American women singers