Clark Beckham (born May 15, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He finished as the runner-up on the fourteenth 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 ...

''.

Early life

Beckham was born in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, but grew up in

White House, Tennessee White House is a city in Robertson County, Tennessee, Robertson and Sumner County, Tennessee, Sumner counties in the United States state of Tennessee. The population was 12,982 at the 2020 census. It is approximately twenty-two miles north of down ...

. He is an only child. He graduated from

Lee University Lee University is a private Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was originally the Church of God Bible Training School, a small Bible institute founded in 1918 with twelve students and one teacher, Nora I. Chambers. The school grew ...

with a degree in history. Clark got most of his musical experience playing in church and on street corners. In a ''Christian Post'' interview Beckham noted that he originally wanted to audition for ''American Idol'' at 18 years old, when it came to Nashville, but said that it was not in line with God's will at the time.

Career

''American Idol''

Beckham auditioned for ''American Idol'' singing "

It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" is a song written by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome. Brown recorded it on February 16, 1966, in a New York City studio and released it as a single later that year. It reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B c ...

" by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

. He was the first contestant at the first city,

, to sing in front of the judges. He passed the audition by a split decision: approved by

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

and

Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...

, disapproved by

Harry Connick Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...

During Hollywood week, he sang "

Let's Get It On ''Let's Get It On'' is the thirteenth studio album by American soul singer, songwriter, and producer Marvin Gaye. It was released on August 28, 1973, by the Motown subsidiary label Tamla Records on LP. Recording sessions for the album took pla ...

" and "

Try a Little Tenderness "Try a Little Tenderness" is a song written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, and Harry M. Woods. Original version It was first recorded on December 8, 1932, by the Ray Noble Orchestra, with vocals by Val Rosing. Another version, also recorded ...

". In the

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at ...

showcase, he sang "

Georgia on My Mind "Georgia on My Mind" is a 1930 song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell and first recorded that same year by Hoagy Carmichael. However, the song has been most often associated with soul singer Ray Charles, who was a native of the U. ...

", earning his spot in the Top 24. When asked what one moment stands out for him, Beckham said the time Connick Jr. said, "I don't think you could have done that any better"—after Beckham's performance of

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

's "

Superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...

". "Harry's typically been tough on me," said Beckham. "He's like a coach trying to get the best out of me. And I really appreciate that."

Performances on ''American Idol''

Post-''Idol''

Beckham has been using his post-Idol expertise in the creation of a YouTube video channel about ''American Idol''. In May 2021, he appeared on the Talent Recap show to discuss the nineteenth season finale. Beckham will also appear in the upcoming film ''An Old Song.''

Discography

Albums

* 2013: ''Clark Beckham'' ( EP) * 2014: ''Songs About Her'' (EP) * 2015: ''Champion'' * 2015: ''American Idol Season 14: Best of Clark Beckham'' *2018: Year One (EP) *2020: Light Year

Accolades

References

External links

Clark Beckham
on ''

'' * 21st-century American singers 1992 births American Idol participants Living people Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee People from White House, Tennessee 21st-century American male singers {{Singer-songwriter-stub