Harold Elwin "Bo" Bice, Jr. (born November 1, 1975 in
Huntsville, Alabama) is an American singer and musician who came in
second in the fourth season of American
Idol. He is well known for his deep baritone style of singing, his control vibrato, and a unique style incorporating
soul, country, blues and rock.
Biography
Early years
Bice was nicknamed "Bogart" by his grandmother as a child by his family, and it was later
shortened to "Bo." He first made his mark at the age of 13, when he won a local school competition. Bice grew up with his sisters
and brother, mother and stepfather, Earle, Nancy, Jenny and Sharan Downes, Jon Cochran. The family moved around the
South frequently, they lived in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida;
including the metro area of Atlanta. When Bice was 15 years old they moved to
England in 1990, as part of Earle's European assignment with
Coca-Cola in London. Bice spent his teenage years living in the suburbs of
Gerrards Cross and Seer Green. The family were
neighbors of Ozzy Osbourne. Bice attended London Central High School, a Department of Defense school primarily for children
whose parents served in the military or worked at the U.S. Embassy. He would have graduated in 1994. In high school, he was found carrying his guitar everywhere, played
football, attended proms, and had several girlfriends. It was
around this time when Bice worked with some English alternative rock musicians. In the
fall of 1993, Bice dropped out of high school just before turning 18 to move back to
Alabama, where he earned his GED and
attended classes at Calhoun Community College from November
1996 to May 1997. Upon graduating Calhoun and spending a semester at the University
of North Alabama in Florence, Bice turned professional and performed in shows
all across the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Europe. He is a veteran of the nightclub circuit, having performed solo and in rock groups such as Purge,
Blue Sued Nickel (sic), and his current band SugarMoney.
Among his credits are opening for Blackfoot and Warrant as well as performing live and recording with Johnny
Neal, formerly of The Allman Brothers Band.
American Idol
A southern rocker in musical approach and appearance, Bice did not fit into the normal
American Idol mold. However, his early performance of The Allman Brothers
Band's "Whipping Post" drew raves from the judges and established him as one
of the favorites in the competition.
For the 2005 season, Idol producers raised their required age limit from 16-26 to 16-28. Along with Constantine Maroulis, he was one of the oldest contestants to audition and participate on
American Idol, as well as being the oldest contestants to have progressed the farthest in the singing competition. Bice
and Maroulis are also notable for being among the first contestants to compete using the rock
idiom. Bo plays 4 instruments.
In June 2005 Bice was quoted in Rolling Stone magazine that his last thought
during the Idol finale was, "Please, God, don't let me win this thing." [1] In comments during a subsequent appearance on The Today
Show, Bice backed off this stance a bit, saying that he thanked all those who had voted for him. He then played solo
acoustic guitar and harmonica to one of
his own compositions, in addition to singing his Idol songs with a band.
In Alabama, May 24 was declared "Bo Bice Day" by Governor Bob
Riley. In fact, Bice's pride in being an Alabama native resulted in the adoption of Lynyrd Skynyrd's hit "Sweet Home Alabama" as his
"theme" during his tenure on American Idol.
2005-2006: The Real Thing
Signed to RCA Records, Bice's first single, released June 21,
2005, was his version of "Inside Your Heaven". The
single debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and #1 on the Billboard Hot Single Sales chart. Bice's single replaced
Carrie Underwood's version of the same song at #1, the first time in the history of the
sales chart. The B-side was his rendition of the Ides of March hit "Vehicle",
featuring an appearance by Richie Sambora. It was certified Gold in late July 2005. Bice was also invited to the Bonnaroo Music
Festival by Trey Anastasio (formerly of Phish). He
sang a song with Willie Nelson at a Birmingham concert and was invited by Nelson to
perform at Farm Aid. Bice also appeared on Carlos
Santana's 2005 album All That I Am on the song "Brown Skin Girl," which did
not appear on his own solo album.
On June 15, 2005, Bice married long-time girlfriend Caroline
Fisher in Helena. The Bices' first child, a son named Aidan Michael Bice, was born on September
24, 2005.[2].
On July 31, 2005, Bice broke his foot while performing in
concert in Manchester, New
Hampshire[3] but carried on with the tour. On
August 18 Bice, who had been suffering from stomach pain for months, was rushed to the
hospital for emergency intestinal surgery to remove a blockage. The surgery was successful, but he was sidelined from the tour
for several shows. During his absence from the tour, fellow contestants Anwar, Nikko, Scott, Anthony and Constantine sang
"Sweet Home Alabama" and wore Bo Bice T-shirts. [4] Bice returned to the tour for the final 2 concerts in Syracuse, New York, September 10 and September 11 (a
benefit concert with proceeds going to the American
Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Katrina). In addition, to playing that
concert, he also opened his home in Helena to a family displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Bice continued to have health problems and
was re-admitted to the hospital for complications related to the August intestinal surgery.
Bice's solo debut album, The Real Thing, was released on
December 13, 2005. It opened at #4. The Real Thing has the seventh-highest opening for a debut album by an American
Idol finalist; it is also noteworthy that Bo Bice is one of several non-winners (along with Clay
Aiken, Joshua Gracin, Katharine McPhee,
Elliott Yamin, Kellie Pickler, and
Chris Daughtry) to achieve good success in record sales. Bice's band SugarMoney appears
with him on three tracks on The Real Thing's DualDisc version: "Cinnamon & Novocaine," "Sinner In a Sin," and
"Whiskey, Women & Time."
Bice was the guest host for the The Fairly OddParents episode,
Fairy Idol, on May 19 2006.
On September 12, 2006, Bice released a cover of The Chambers Brothers 1968
smash hit, "Time Has Come Today," through various legal digital music download sites. The tune, which does not appear on
The Real Thing, is the theme song for a new Monopoly commercial.
It has been rumored to be Bice's new single and possibly a track on Bice's second major album. The tune surprised many of Bice's
fans who were not made aware of the song until days before the release.
On October 5, 2006, Bice underwent emergency surgery in Nashville, TN to correct a recurring intestinal problem. According to
his official website, the surgery "was not easy or routine." The surgery came after several rounds of tests and doctors deemed
his condition serious enough to operate immediately. All of his October tour dates were cancelled.
2007-present: See the Light and Other Projects
Bo Bice's second album, to be released on the new label $ugarmoney/StratArt, is entitled See
the Light. Of this album, Bice has said "It's a star-studded cast, and I'm the only one on there who's not famous [...] I
picked and co-wrote the songs that if I was a guy who would be spending my hard-earned money buying an album I would want to
hear." [5]
Also in 2007, Bice was invited by movie producer and actor Ben Stiller to sing the title track for the film Blades of Glory
Bice has recently been recording vocals for the upcoming "Church of Southern Rock CD,"[6] a compilation spearheaded by The Marshall Tucker Band's George McCorkle who recently passed away from cancer. The album will feature a number of southern rock
legends and a release date has yet to be announced.
Bice is represented by Strategic Artist Management (management), and Buddy Lee Attractions (booking).
He currently resides in a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee.
Discography
Albums
Singles
- "I Don't Want to Be", although a fan favorite, was not actually released as an official single.
- "Vehicle" was released as a double A-side with "Inside Your Heaven".
Notes
References
External links
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