C. J. Harris

Curtis "CJ" Harris (January 28, 1991 – January 15, 2023) was an American singer and songwriter from Jasper, Alabama, who finished in sixth place on the thirteenth season of American Idol in 2014. His first and only single, "In Love", was released in 2019. Before appearing on American Idol, he self-released the album Small Town Boy.

Early life and career Raised in Jasper, Alabama, Harris spent his summers working for his grandfather, whom he credited as a mentor. At age eight, he started learning the guitar on a broken one gifted to him from his grandfather; it only had three strings. Harris also played piano. His earliest music influences included Usher, Keith Sweat, and Darius Rucker. His singing was mostly self-taught, and his own musical style was described by AL.com in 2014 as "Earthy roots rock, with blues and country influences." His father died shortly before the start of American Idol 's thirteenth season. By that point, Harris had already recorded an album titled Small Town Boy as an independent musician. For the group rounds, Harris joined with the season's eventual winner, Caleb Johnson for a performance of Alex Clare's "Too Close". Before advancing to the semi-finals, Harris was one of a few contestants paired together for an impromptu sing-off. Harris was paired with Casey Thrasher, and the judges intended to only put one of them through to the next round. The judges were impressed with both performances however – Harris sang "Whipping Post" – and both contestants were put through.

In the semi-finals, Harris failed to receive enough votes to automatically advance into the finals. He was kept in the competition when the judges chose him as a Wild Card. Critics noted that Harris struggled with pitch in some of his performances. Harris received mostly positive attention for his participation on the series though; Mary Colurso of AL.com wrote that Harris was well-liked on the series for his "real-deal authenticity and good-guy appeal", After finishing in sixth and seventh place respectively, Harris and Roberts returned to the American Idol stage for the season 13 finale, where they performed together alongside Darius Rucker.

Common opinion among critics was that Harris gave his best performance on American Idol when he covered "Can't You See" by The Marshall Tucker Band. Michael Slezak of TVLine called that performance "gritty" and "emotionally-connected", Dave Holmes of Vulture called it "lived-in and emotional and warm", and Colurso described it as "Rough-edged and raspy, imbued with real-deal emotion." Doug Gray, an original member of The Marshall Tucker Band, praised Harris' rendition of "Can't You See". Harris himself considered it to be one of his two best performances on American Idol, along with his rendition of John Mayer's "Gravity".

When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Harris was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe, as Majesty Rose was eliminated. When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Harris was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe, as Sam Woolf was saved by the judges. Due to the judges using their one save on Sam Woolf, the top 8 remained intact for another week. When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Harris was among the bottom 2, but was declared safe, as Malaya Watson was eliminated. Harris performing with Jessica Meuse during the American Idol season 13 tour.

Post-Idol Shortly after his time on American Idol, Harris reunited with Darius Rucker for a performance at The Grand Ole Opry, He then moved to Nashville, where he became roommates for a time with his fellow season 13 finalists Alex Preston and Sam Woolf. In a post-Idol interview, Harris said that his preferred musical direction would be "a mix between country, blues, soul and Southern rock." At the time of his death in 2023, he was planning on releasing new music.

Death Harris died at a hospital in Jasper, Alabama, from a heart attack, on January 15, 2023, at the age of 31.

Discography Singles Year SongAlbum 2019 "In Love" Non-album single

American Idol digital singles Year SongAlbum 2014 "Invisible" Non-album single "If It Hadn't Been for Love" "Soulshine" "Free Fallin'" "Gravity" "American Woman"