Chris Sligh

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Chris Sligh

Background information
Birth name Charles Christopher Sligh
Origin Greenville, South Carolina, US
Genre(s) Rock, Alternative
Occupation(s) Singer

Charles Christopher Sligh was a finalist on the sixth season of American Idol. He was eliminated from the competition on March 28, 2007.

Contents

[edit] Early years

Chris Sligh is the son of Charles (Chuck)[1] and Susan Sligh, Baptist missionaries to American military servicemen in Europe. Chuck Sligh is an accomplished guitarist and passed his love of music to his three sons, of whom Chris is the eldest.[2] Chris Sligh spent ten years with his family in Wiesbaden, Germany and speaks German as well as English. Although Sligh has been singing since high school, as Adam Fisher, the lead guitarist of Chris's band noted, he "grew up listening only to classical music in a regimented upbringing."[3]

Sligh attended Bob Jones University for seven semesters but was expelled before graduation.[4] He then attended North Greenville University.[5] He frequently performed in plays, operas, and musicals while in college, and he now serves with a worship band at Seacoast Church in Greenville.[6]

[edit] Half Past Forever

Chris Sligh with his former band performing "Know" of of 'Take A Chance on Something Beautiful'.
Chris Sligh with his former band performing "Know" of of 'Take A Chance on Something Beautiful'.

Before auditioning for American Idol, Sligh was a member of the band Half Past Forever, which was very close to releasing its first album when he became a contestant on American Idol. Because of AI rules, Sligh was forced to leave the band, but on the album, "Take a Chance on Something Beautiful," released on March 13, 2007, Sligh sings lead vocals and plays guitar, bass, and piano. He rejoined after being voted off American Idol and is trying to get a record deal for them.

[edit] American Idol

Sligh auditioned in Birmingham, Alabama singing "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal, after which Paula Abdul gave a him a standing ovation and said, "I like you very much." Idol judges laughed at his ambition "to make David Hasselhoff cry," a reference to Hasselhoff's crying when Taylor Hicks won season 5.

"American Idol" contestants are prohibited from posting comments on the Internet during the competition. When a "Secret Blog of Chris Sligh" appeared, Sligh was accused of having violated the rules. Sligh disavowed affiliation with the blog and was allowed to continue in the competition.

Sligh was aware of the Vote for the Worst website and had tried to get the attention of the founder Dave Della Terza while on air by saying "Hi, Dave."[7]

Sligh was eliminated from American Idol on March 28, 2007 and is therefore the tenth-place singer in Season Six. While singing his last song, he told Phil Stacey "You owe me 50 bucks," from a bet that he would be eliminated that show.

On the next day, Sligh said that he had not sought to win the competition and that he had considered quitting the show two weeks before, but stayed on the show in order to make it into the top ten so that he could go on tour with the other top ten finalists.[8]

[edit] Performances

Auditions/Hollywood:

  1. Audition - Kiss From A Rose (Seal)
  2. Group Performance - How Deep is Your Love (Bee Gees) (performed with Blake Lewis, Rudy Cardenas, and Tom Lowe)
  3. Final Round Performance - Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman (Bryan Adams)

Semi-Final performances:

  1. Top 24 - Typical (Mute Math)
  2. Top 20 - Trouble (Ray LaMontagne)
  3. Top 16 - Wanna Be Loved (dc Talk)

Finals performances:

  1. Top 12 ~ Endless Love (Diana Ross)
  2. Top 11 ~ She's Not There (The Zombies)
  3. Top 10 ~ Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (The Police) - eliminated

[edit] References

  1. ^ Chuck Sligh bio on church website
  2. ^ Stars and Stripes news article; 1999 missionary prayer letter
  3. ^ Greenville News, March 21, 2007.
  4. ^ "Sligh said he has no hard feelings, even though he was expelled from Bob Jones after attending a contemporary Christian concert featuring the group For Him (sic). 'They kicked me out,' Sligh said. 'It was actually good, because I had been trying to figure out how to leave. My parents had given me the option of going to two colleges, and I chose the less-crazy one, believe it or not....I don't want to throw them underneath the bus. I respect what they do--it's just that their sect of Christianity is not really what I want to be associated with.'"Greenville News, March 29, 2007. "While not on an overt mission to denounce Sligh's participation in "American Idol," BJU spokesman Jonathan Pait said the school has distanced itself from any connection between Sligh's affiliation with the university and the talent show watched by millions. 'One of the reasons he left Bob Jones is he had chosen another direction musically, and he was not going to get that type of training here,' Pait said. The show, Pait said, doesn't represent the values of the university. 'It's not any ill thoughts toward Chris because he made that decision," Pait said. "Chris is a likeable guy. We wish him well in his life.'"Greenville News, March 21, 2007.
  5. ^ Curiously, Cheryl Greene, Sligh's vocal coach at North Greenville is also a BJU alumna. Greenville News article; BJU Vintage [yearbook], 1990.
  6. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/tv_american_idol_sligh
  7. ^ http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/entertainment/music/16993877.htm?source=rss&channel=kansasc
  8. ^ "Ousted 'American Idol' contestant Sligh says he considered quitting before being voted off", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), March 30, 2007.

[edit] External links


American Idol Season 6
Melinda Doolittle | Gina Glocksen | LaKisha Jones | Blake Lewis | Sanjaya Malakar
Chris Richardson | Haley Scarnato | Jordin Sparks | Phil Stacey | Chris Sligh | Stephanie Edwards | Brandon Rogers
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