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Samuel Joseph Woolf (born April 19, 1996) is an American singer-songwriter from
Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...
, who finished in fifth place on the thirteenth 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 ...
''. Shortly after his participation on the series, he released the EP ''Pretend'', which reached the top ten on ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''s
Heatseekers Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is radi ...
chart. Since then, he has released several non-album singles and collaborated on several songs with The Como Brothers.


Early life

Sam Woolf was born on April 19, 1996, in
West Bloomfield, Michigan West Bloomfield Township, officially the Charter Township of West Bloomfield, is a charter township in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, within the Detroit metropolitan area. It is one of the most expensive ...
to Mary and Scott Woolf. His great-grandfather, Sammy Woolf, was a well-known Detroit bandleader, his uncle is composer
Randall Woolf Randall Woolf (born August 23, 1959) is an American composer known for his diverse contemporary works for chamber orchestra, chamber ensembles, and solo players, often combined with digital audio, turntables, and video. He studied composition priv ...
, and pianist
Kathleen Supové Kathleen Supové is an American pianist specializing in modern classical music. She has premiered the works of dozens of composers on her Exploding Piano series. Her recitals involve recitation, costume, theatrical elements such as lighting, and ...
is his aunt (by marriage). His great-uncle, Mickey Woolf, was a musician prominent in Detroit's
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
community. Woolf was a student at the Scotch Elementary School in West Bloomfield, but moved to
North Port, Florida North Port is a city located in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The population was 74,793 at the 2020 US Census. It is part of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was originally developed by G ...
in 2006 when he was 9. When he was 13, his mother remarried and moved to another city in Florida, and Woolf and his older sister Emily remained in North Port with their father. Woolf and his father moved to Bradenton just prior to his second year of high school, where he attended Braden River High School. At the beginning of his junior year, he moved in with his grandparents who also live in Bradenton. Woolf's first live public performance was at his sixth grade talent show where he performed
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' "
Hey Jude "Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' first release o ...
." Woolf later became interested in music as a career, took singing lessons from an opera teacher, Bob Lischetti, and performed locally in Bradenton. He also was mentored at the Del Couch Music Education Foundation and went to
Interlochen Arts Camp Interlochen Center for the Arts is a non-profit corporation which operates arts education institutions and performance venues in northwest Michigan. It is situated on a campus in Interlochen, Michigan, roughly southwest of Traverse City. ...
in Michigan for four weeks the summer after his second year of high school. In the summer of 2013, Woolf completed a five-week program at the
Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
and was selected as one of the top four songwriters for their singer showcase, where he performed an original song, "The Same." While he was in Boston, the audition for the thirteenth season of ''American Idol'' was held near Berklee College of Music and at his mother's suggestion, he decided to attend the audition. He attended Berklee College of Music, briefly, before pursuing his full time career as a singer songwriter.


''American Idol''

Woolf auditioned in Boston, singing "
Lego House "Lego House" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released on 11 November 2011 as the third single lifted from his debut studio album '' +'' (pronounced "plus") of 2011. It was released as the second single in the US on 11 ...
" by
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
. He sang "
Waiting on the World to Change "Waiting on the World to Change" is a song by American singer-songwriter John Mayer. It was released as the lead single from his third studio album, ''Continuum'' (2006), on August 1, 2006. The song enjoyed commercial success as a single and won ...
" on the first round in Hollywood, and his original composition entitled "I Tried" in the final solo of the Hollywood Round. * When
Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and '' ...
announced the results in this particular night, Woolf was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe first, as
Ben Briley John Benjamin Briley (born March 19, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter from Gallatin, Tennessee, who finished in 11th place on the thirteenth season of ''American Idol''. During college, he joined a gospel group called "25 Drive", with whic ...
was eliminated. * When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Woolf was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe, as Majesty Rose was eliminated. * Woolf received the lowest number of votes; however, the judges decided to use their one save of the season to allow him to remain in the competition. * Due to the judges using their one save on Woolf, the top 8 remained intact for another week.


Post-Idol

After his appearance on ''Idol'', Woolf deferred for one year an offer of admissions to Berklee College of Music until fall 2015. Woolf performed nationally in the ''American Idol'' season 13 tour, then held a 'Welcome Home' concert in Bradenton, Florida at IMG Academy Stadium on September 27, 2014. He opened a similar homecoming concert for his fellow ''American Idol'' season 13 finalist, Alex Preston, at the Capitol Center For the Arts in
Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...
on November 8, 2014, and on February 28, 2015, he performed in
Lakewood Ranch, Florida Lakewood Ranch is a planned community and census-designated place in southeastern Manatee County and northeastern Sarasota County, Florida, United States, consisting of approximately . It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Met ...
's Winterfest, along with
The Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...
,
War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
,
Jefferson Starship Jefferson Starship is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1974 by a group of musicians including former members of Jefferson Airplane. Between 1974 and 1984, they released eight gold or platinum-selling studio albu ...
, Matt Walden and performers from the Del Couch Music Education Foundation. Woolf wrote and recorded a five-song EP, ''Pretend,'' which he self-released on December 18, 2014. The album was funded in part by crowdfunding, and was produced by
Danny Blume Danny Blume is an American music producer, musician, and composer. He is a Grammy Award winner and multiple Grammy nominee. He operates a studio and lives in Woodstock, New York. Before becoming a music producer, he played as a guitarist and bass ...
who co-wrote some of the songs with Woolf. On September 1, 2016, Woolf released the standalone single "Stop Thinking About It", and on January 1, 2017, he released the standalone single "Fast 'n' Dirty". Music videos were released for both singles. Woolf co-wrote "Fast 'n' Dirty" with Orion Meshorer and Stephen Puthon. Explaining the song, he said, "Never in a million years did I think I'd have a song called 'Fast and Dirty'...I'd just like to say that this song/video is supposed to be a joke, in a way...don't take it seriously." On April 19, 2017, he released the standalone single "Call Me Crazy", which features Christina Galligan. Woolf co-wrote "Call Me Crazy" with Meshorer and Parker James. On August 25, 2018, he released the standalone single "You", on August 12, 2020, he released the standalone single "Ease My Mind", and on October 1, 2021, he released the standalone single "Good Ol Times". On June 17, 2022, he released a cover of "
Danny's Song "Danny's Song" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins, as a gift for his brother Danny for the birth of his son, Colin. It first appeared on an album by Gator Creek and a year later on the album '' Sittin' In'', the debut ...
" by
Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...
. On January 1, 2023, he released the standalone single "Worst Thing", which he described as "the most honest song" he had "ever written", and on February 24 of that year, he released the standalone single, "Light Me Up". ''Live at 89 North'', a 2015 EP by the Como Brothers, features Woolf on a cover of "
Hey Jude "Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' first release o ...
". Woolf and the Como Brothers have since continued to collaborate. In 2018, they released the single "On It" and announced an upcoming six-track EP titled ''Backbeat in the Morning''. Leading up to the release of their EP, they have released three more tracks: "Diamonds on my Chain" in 2019, "Twisted" in January 2020, and "Coming Home" in September 2020. ''Backbeat in the Morning'' was recorded with
Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
-winning engineer Kenta Yonesaka at Germano Studios in New York City. Music videos have been released for all four songs. In 2022, Woolf and the Como Brothers released the song "Give a Little Love". Woolf has opened multiple concerts for
We The Kings We the Kings is an American rock band from Bradenton, Florida. The band's eponymous full-length debut album, released in 2007, included the platinum single "Check Yes Juliet", and went on to sell over 250,000 copies in the US. The group's secon ...
. He has also performed at Dream Fest in Tampa, the Warwick Summer Concert Series in New York, the Boston Arts Festival, and the Riverwalk Regatta in Florida. He often performs at events, both public and private, in Florida, the Midwest, and the Northeast.


Discography


Extended plays


Singles


As featured artist


''American Idol'' digital singles


References


External links


Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woolf, Sam American Idol participants American people of Jewish descent Living people 1996 births 21st-century American singers People from Bradenton, Florida People from West Bloomfield, Michigan Singers from Florida Singers from Detroit 21st-century American male singers