The first time you try anything new can be pretty nerve-wracking. Even if it’s not a big deal, the strangeness of the unknown can be enough to give you the jitters.
When Landau Eugene Murphy, a car washer from West Virginia took the America’s Got Talent stage, he had no idea what was going to happen.
He’d never sung for a crowd like this before and certainly hadn’t auditioned for anything like this. Based on the way he presented himself before he started to sing, the judges did not have high hopes for this audition at all. They were ready to give him a big fat “no.”
But when he opens his mouth, they completely change their minds at the flip of a coin.
Little did anyone know that this performance would drastically change the course of his life.
Landau did not have an easy childhood. A child of divorce, he dropped out of school before graduating and at one point found himself homeless.
When he traveled to New York City to audition, he really was putting it all on the line. Struggling financially and washing cars for work, he threw a Hail Mary with this audition.
Singing “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” which was popularized by the great Frank Sinatra, he blew the roof off of the place!
His voice is so classic. It really does transport you to a different day and time. It’s so clear that this man belongs on the stage singing classics like this. Folks would pay big money to get dressed up for a fancy evening with a partner and have Landau serenade them with romantic songs.
This audition took place nearly a decade ago, but it still gives you chills!
Since this, Landau won the whole shebang in 2011. Shortly after being crowned victorious on America’s Got Talent, he started his career as a professional singer with a headlining show in Las Vegas.
Soon enough, he released his first album of jazz standards called That’s Life. It included many of Frank Sinatra’s standards, as Landau greatly admired him and his musicality. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard jazz charts – a huge accomplishment for someone who just one year ago had never sung for a crowd!
Do you think that you would pay money to see Landau perform live? Would you want to be transported to a different time with his classic voice? The songs that he sings just give you a warm and fuzzy feeling like no other.
This just goes to show that you absolutely can and should not judge anyone by the way they dress or look. The judges were ready to turn their backs on him based on just that! Can you imagine? The world would have missed out on this talented man’s lovely voice and radiant smile.
The joy in the moments after this performance is enough to make your heart grow a size or two. Don’t you think?
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