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« Claymania »
Name: Clayton Holmes [Grissom] Aiken
Nickname: Gonzo
Age: 29
Birthday: November 30th, 1978
Eyes: Green
Hair: Naturally red, dyed brown
Height: 6'1
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Favorite song: "Unchained Melody"
Family: Mother (Faye),
Clay is the son of Faye and her first husband Vernon Grissom.
Clay changed his last name from Grissom to Aiken, which was his mother's family name when he became an adult.
Faye and Vernon Grissom were only married for about 2 years, before he left.
Faye and Ray Parker married when Clay was about 6. They had a son, Brett Parker - (Clay's half brother).
Faye and Ray were married about 17 years before he died in July of 2002.
Ray Parker had 2 kids from a previous marriage, Amy and Jeff - (Clay's Step-brother & Step-sister)
Clay missed
the "American Idol 2" title in 2003
by only 134,400 votes.
In 2003, Clay Won
the Fans Choice Award
at the American Music Awards.
- and -
bestselling Single of the Year for
'This Is the Night'.
at the Billboard Music Awards
- and -
Named the Years'
'Best-Mannered' Person by the
National League of Junior Cotillions
Clay covers the Rolling Stone
Clay wins 2 Groovevolt Awards
Groovevolt.com announced their
2005 Music and Fashion Award winners
-- Clay wins --
for Best Album - 'Measure Of A Man'
and for Best Song Performance - 'Invisible'
See the list here.
Clay has received the
Worldwide Pageants Service Excellence Award
He was chosen based on his work in furthering the education of exceptional young people leading challenged lives, and for creating the Bubel/Aiken Foundation.
He is the first recipient of the award.
Clay Aiken
has sold millions of records and made countless fans, but his rise to the top was a tough struggle.
He details it all in his book:
"Learning to Sing:
Hearing the Music in Your Life"
- a truly inspirational memoir -
In Learning to Sing, Clay details what his astonishing success has meant to him. He writes from the heart about his life before and since his instant stardom on American Idol, how he has changed, and how he continues to struggle to adapt to life in the public eye.
He describes his new high-profile life in Los Angeles and what it takes for him to stay true to himself. He shares his struggles to remain a man his mother can be proud of and writes about the faith that sustains him today just as it did when he was an awkward, unpopular outsider.
"I believe God has a direction for me. He did not give me this life just so I could buy a big house and an SUV. My job is to give back and to be a decent human being no matter how many people cheer my name."
Clay speaks candidly about his often troubled childhood in his new book including his working-class North Carolina upbringing, his abusive, alcoholic birth father, the school bullies who tormented him, the friends and teachers who–more than they ever knew–kept him going and his fascinating, strong-willed mother, his source of comfort and inspiration.
Clay says he wants readers to understand that "the greatest glory never comes from winning, but from rising each time you fall. A person is defined by what he chooses to do with his life, not by what happens to him." Due to his successful singing career, Clay says he wants "to try to be able to share a little bit about some of the stuff I've learned. Writing this book was a chance to tell stories about people who I knew and experiences I had growing up, and what I believe kind of shaped me into who I am today.
"So it was kind of a chance to share some stories that I think other people would be able to relate to. I got picked on when I was in middle school and had a strained relationship with my biological father and not the sunniest one with my stepfather, and I think some people also have that same type of situation.
"My mom always told me to learn from everything you do, otherwise it's not worth going through it. So, if I had not done that, then it would not be worth it. So I think, maybe if I can share what I learned, then maybe somebody going through the exact same thing can learn from it as well."
Clay also tells in the book how his mother believed in him from the beginning, "She believed in me more than I did." Clay adds that doing the book, "was really an eye-opening experience, and very therapeutic, almost like a psychologist's session … As I was telling Allison Glock, who wrote it with me, as we got to the end of the book, we decided to do a chapter that wrapped it all up and said this is all that mom had told me all along, because she's the thread that runs through everything."
Order the book here.
in Hardcover, 272 pages
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« Clay Aiken NEWS »
♫ Clay Aiken ... new CD information ♫
RCA Records released
- Clay's third album -
"A Thousand Different Ways"
* on September 19, 2006 *
Clay's first album since 2004,
has 10 cover versions of well-known songs
from the '70s, '80s and '90s
along with four brand-new songs.
The album is a follow-up to his debut set, "Measure of a Man,"
which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album charts and is certified triple-platinum,
as well as the platinum-selling
"Merry Christmas with Love,"
(the best-selling holiday album of 2004.)
Those who have come to expect Clay to belt out a song won't be disappointed. The album shows off Aiken's vocals in a big way with songs like the Bad English hit "When I See You Smile" and Harry Nilsson's "Without You."
But Clay will surprise his fans by singing in a more relaxed style on some tracks than they've heard before, showing a different, sexier side.
The "Here You Come Again," song that was a hit for Dolly Parton in 1978, stands out for Clay. "I've always loved that song," he says. "But for this album, we didn't use a country arrangement. It's a ballad version now. Adam Anders produced the most amazing arrangement and
I couldn't wait to sing it."
Aiken fans will also be glad to know he was personally involved with the selection of every track and participated in every aspect of it.
"For the first album, most of the songs were chosen ahead of time. I was less of a participant in its process. The 2nd album was a Christmas album, so we naturally chose songs of the season. This album has much more of me in it."
♫ "A Thousand Different Ways" ♫
Track Listing:
(with original artist in parentesis)
"Right Here Waiting" - (by Richard Marx)
"When I See You Smile" - (by Old English)
"Without You" - (by Harry Nilsson)
"Sorry Seems To Be ..." - (by Elton John)
""Everytime You Go Away" - (by Paul Young)
"Everything I Do (I do for you)" - (Bryan Adams)
"I Want To Know What Love Is" - (Foreigner)
"Because You Loved Me" - (by Celine Dion)
"Here You Come Again" - (by Dolly Parton)
"Broken Wings" - (by Mr. Mister)
... and the new songs are ...
"Lonely No More"
"These Open Arms"
"Everything I Have"
"A Thousand Days"
- The Measure of a Rising Star -
"Anybody in this business has a responsibility. I know this is going to sound cheesy but, when you get in a position where people are watching you on TV or listening to you on the radio, you have a responsibility not just to entertain them but to society, too. The most important responsibility a celebrity has is to set an example and be a role model. I want to make sure that no matter how long I go through this, I don't fall into the trap of changing and modifying how I do things that aren't a positive example. I want to remain somebody that the entire family can listen to or watch. I have no problem saying I want to be a role model.''
A Quote by: Clay Aiken
Clay's Christmas CD,
titled, "Merry Christmas with Love"
According to Billboard magazine
Clay has set yet another record
Its sales of 270,000 copies,
in it's first week - makes it
the biggest debut EVER,
of any holiday album!
(it sold 753,000 copies in four weeks)
- Clay's single -
'I Will Carry You', was the fourth release,
from 'Measure of a Man'
Voted Sexiest Singer
by readers of 'In Style' Magazine
Did You Know?
In February 2006, Clay Aiken was voted
the "Favorite American Idol" by
People Magazine with 69% of the vote.
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Many websites are available that offer a wide range of ringtones that are based on the latest songs. You can easily download ringtones, usually for free. To use the music ringtones on your cell phone has become a trend. The technology is advancing at a rapid speed. It's not hard to imagine what will be next with the pda already in your pockets.
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« Chart Watch »
Clay TOPS THE CHARTS !!!
His debut CD on Oct. 25, 2003
"Measure of a Man"
was the 2nd-biggest debut EVER,
* of all-time! *
'Measure of a Man'
was No. 1
2 Weeks in a Row !
The album is - TRIPLE platinum -
(over 3 million copies sold)
First Week Sales:
In comparison of debut albums sold,
Clay's 'Measure of a Man' - 612,859 copies.
Ruben Studdards' 'Soulful' - 416,500 copies.
Kelly Clarkson's 'Thankful' - 297,000 copies.
Clay's 'Merry Christmas with Love' - 270,000
Fantasia's 'Free Yourself' - 240,000 copies.
Justin Guarini's 'self-titled' - 57,000 copies.
Diana DeGarmo's 'Blue Skies' - 47,000 copies.
and, comparing debut singles:
Clay's, 'This is the Night' - 393,000
Ruben's, 'Flying w/o Wings' - 286,000
Kelly's, 'A Moment Like This' - 236,000
Fantasia Barrino's, 'I Believe' - 144,000
Clay's First Single:
"This is the Night" went from a No. 406 sales ranking to No. 1 in less than 3 hours.
Over 1 Million Copies SOLD
Clay's single, "This is the Night" went platinum after just 37 days-- meaning it sold more than a million copies.
"This Is the Night" was the best-selling single of 2003.
11 weeks at No. 1
Clay's first post-Idol release, This is the Night/Bridge Over Troubled Water, spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Sales chart and was the ONLY single from 2003 to be certified platinum.
Clay's third single
"Solitaire" / "The Way"
Debuted # 1 on the Sales chart
for the week ending 3- 21, 2004
with sales of 100,500 copies.
* 3 weeks at No. 1 *
It debuted # 4 on Billboard Singles Chart
Clay's, 'This is the Night'
was the No.1 song
2 Weeks in a Row !
Stories of interest:
Clay's a Good Guy:
On July 30 in Atlantic City, Clay proved to his fans and to one Pennsylvania family what a good guy he really is. Six-year-old John Martin of Yeadon was born with a congenital heart defect that has resulted in an enlargement and thickening of the heart muscle as well as a variety of other complications caused by the disease. Ever since he first saw Clay on American Idol, John's dream has been to sing with him. On that night, in front of a packed house, John's dream came true as he and his idol sang "This is the Night" together. Clay also paid his family's hotel bill and provided a limousine as transportation to and from the concert.
Clay helps discover boy:
Jacob Perkins was invited to perform on stage with Clay during his concert at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, N.Y.
The 12-year-old boy chose to sing "This is the Night." Well, Jacob not only wowed Clay and the packed audience, but a music industry professional who was in the audience as well. According to the boys' mother, Jacob has been given an opportunity to make a demo CD and perform at the New York State Fair.
Clay battles with RCA:
to keep the
sexual edge out of his CD.
About Clay's Historic Debut:
According to Billboard News:
Clay Aiken's "This Is the Night" was the
first song to debut at No. 1
on the Hot 100 Singles Sales Chart
since 1998, AND the first, since chart rules were changed to allow airplay-only tracks to appear on the chart alongside commercially released singles. Those new chart policies make it almost impossible for a song to enter the chart in pole position, or in the top-5.
In comparison, most No. 1 singles don't sell more than 20,000 copies in their first week, but the massive sales of Clay's new single made his historic debut possible.
"This Is the Night" had the biggest debut since Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" tribute to the late Princess Diana.
It sold 3.5 million its first week in 1997.
Did You Know?
You can get a Clay buddy icon
for your AOL Instant Messenger.
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