Osborne Earl "Nikko" Smith Jr. (born April 28, 1982) is a singer-songwriter who was the ninth-place finalist of Season 4 on ''

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 ...

''.

Biography

Nikko Smith, the son of Baseball Hall of Famer

Ozzie Smith Osborne Earl Smith (born December 26, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Oz", Smith played shortstop for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball, winning the National ...

, is currently working on an album entitled ''The Revolution''. On October 26, 2006, Smith performed "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the ...

" prior to Game 4 of the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...

, at the home field of the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

for whom his father had played 15 seasons.

''American Idol''

Smith auditioned for ''

'' in 2005 with the song "All I Do" by Stevie Wonder. Smith made it to the third round of the semi-finals, but was voted off on March 9 along with Travis Tucker. Days later, Smith got a phone call from the producers asking him to come back in place of

Mario Vazquez Mario Adrián Vázquez (born June 15, 1977) is an American singer from The Bronx, New York City. He competed on American Idol's fourth season, which aired on the FOX network in early 2005. Biography Early life Raised by his single mother, A ...

, who left for "family reasons". After returning, Nikko was dubbed "The Comeback Kid" by judge

Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographe ...

after a performance of "One Hand, One Heart". However, in the same week, Nikko was voted off the show, placing ninth overall.

''American Idol'' performances

: Nikko was originally eliminated in a semi-finals results show, He was called back after Mario Vazquez withdrew from the show and he replaced Mario on the final 12.

References

External links

nikkosmith.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Nikko 1982 births Singers from Missouri American Idol participants American rhythm and blues musicians Living people People from St. Louis County, Missouri 21st-century African-American male singers