Bryson Quick may only be 17. But there’s already something special about the high school senior that was quickly recognized by American Idol judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.
Bryson says he is motivated by his little sister Kendyll, who “loves music and loves to sing. But she’s got a very rare condition called Gilbert’s Syndrome, which severely limits her motor skills and alters her day-to-day life. But she still lives it with a smile.”
He hopes to win a Golden Ticket in honor of her and he takes center stage in the Idol audition room with a country spin on “Time” by Pink Floyd.
“Whenever I hear someone come in who wants to be a part of the country crowd, I always think about hearing their voice in between the other voices on country radio. And I feel that yours stands out in a good way,” Carrie critiqued Bryson. “I like the fact that you brought yourself into the Pink Floyd song. That was a smart call and you’re pretty darn cute. I mean, that’s not everything but it helps.”
“You’ve got the storyteller kind of voice,” Lionel said. “At first I thought, ‘I’ve never heard this before.’ You don’t fit into the genre of country voice, but the uniqueness is the part that rings the bell.”
“It reminds me of an old friend we had around here a few years ago, old Chayce Beckham,” Luke pointed out. “You’ve got a good powerful voice and a good range and a vibrato under there. You’ve got your own style. We’re excited with you and to see where things go.”
It was three “heck yahs” from the judges and Bryson is going to Hollywood.
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Then Luke got 2021 American Idol winner Beckham on the phone, who was performing at the Grand Ole Opry. He asked him if he could send Bryson over to be inspired by him that night.
“Let’s do it,” Chayce said.
Outside the audition room, Ryan Seacrest told Bryson, “We have a surprise for you. How would you like to play at the Grand Ole Opry? You’re going to do it tonight with someone very special.”
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Cut to that night at the Grand Ole Opry House, Bryson’s first time there.
Chayce Beckham
ABC/Eric McCandless
“When Chayce walked into the room, I couldn’t believe it because I’d heard him on the radio and seen him on the show,” Bryson recalled. “And then learning I get to sing a song with him tonight, that was just incredible. Being up there meant the world to me.”
The two dueted on Chayce’s song “23,” his original winning American Idol song, which went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay charts.
American Idol airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Streams next day on Hulu.
