Danny Gokey signs with 19/RCA Nashville

Naco1776 · 09-02-2009

Danny Gokey signs with 19/RCA Nashville

Danny Gokey has signed a country record deal with 19 Recordings/RCA Nashville, marking the first time in the show's history that Idol's recording arm has signed the entire final four.

"We absolutely love Danny," says Sony Music Nashville chairman Joe Galante, who praises the "soulful edge" in the 29-year-old singer's gravelly voice. "We haven't had anybody like that (in country) since Ronnie Milsap or T. Graham Brown.

"Every time that guy got up to sing, he held my attention. You start thinking about the people he can tour with, the audience that we have out there, I think it's going to be a big win for him."

Though no producer is attached to Gokey's album yet, he'll go into a Nashville studio shortly after the Idols Live tour ends Sept. 15. Galante expects a single in late fall and an album to follow, most likely in March.

When Gokey was on Idol, "I was so wet behind the ears, I didn't know where I wanted to go," the singer says. "But I most related to the message and the music of country."

Gokey sang three country tunes during his Idol run -- Lee Ann Womack's I Hope You Dance, Carrie Underwood's Jesus, Take the Wheel and Rascal Flatts' What Hurts theMost -- and is performing What Hurts the Most and another Flatts song, My Wish, on tour. He counts Wynonna Judd, Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn among his favorite country acts.

Though Danny never presented himself as a country singer on the show -- the way, say, Carrie or Kellie Pickler did -- Galante says what he does from this point on will matter more. "I don't know that there's a natural pedigree you have to get to get into this format," Galante says. "I think it really comes down to what your commitment is once you make the record, not what you say before."

Danny says he had long planned to move to Nashville after his Idol run (in fact, he was in Nashville the day his original audition aired on the show). "Not only do I have family there, but it's a great place for music and great music comes out of there," he says. "It's interesting how everything lined up.

"I'm excited to go to Nashville. I can't wait to see what's going to come out of this."

Danny Gokey signs with 19/RCA Nashville - Idol Chatter: American Idol News, Rumors, & Information

thaifood · 09-02-2009

This gets a big shoulder shrugging who cares from me. I just don't see Country fans lining up for new Gokey material.

scoutfisher · 09-02-2009

i wish it was a shoulder shrug for me. i'm somewhat cowering in fear as to his vocal interpretative skills (or lack thereof) of country music.....oh well, we'll see

UnderwoodGokeyGal09 · 09-02-2009

Finally, I'm So Excited Will Be Buying The Album And Supporting Him

borgjohnson · 09-02-2009

Alhough it took until September, Danny Gokey has finally revealed to the public that he will in fact be recording an album - a country one at that - thanks to his signing with 19/RCA Nashville.

In a story by Brian Mansfield that appeared earlier today on USAToday.com, the exciting news was reported in a manner that raised some points that are worth reiterating. Firstly, Mansfield said this the first time labels under the Sony-BMG umbrella have signed all Top 4 finalists. This is technically not true, considering the Top 4 from Idol's first season all had deals with labels within the Sony-BMG family, with Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini and Nikki McKibbin being signed with RCA and Tamyra Gray signed with Simon Fuller's 19 Records. Putting this aside, it is amazing to think that Idol's fifth season, which is often used as the gold standard, had only three of the Top 4 finalists signed to an Idol-related label (Chris Daughtry, Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee), so this is a big feat for Danny, Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert.

Secondly, the fact that Danny performed songs of the country genre only three times over the course of his run on Idol is enough to raise a few eyebrows. He always seemed more like an Elliott Yamin-like R&B crooner, but he has been getting good feedback for his Rascal Flatts tunes on the tour, so maybe things won't be too weird. Plus it does not hurt that fans of country music are loyal album purchasers, just ask Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler and Bucky Covington.

As for the release date, that should not be of too much concern. It would be ridiculous if Danny were to record an album - a country album mind you - in about a week in order to have it out in time for the holiday shopping season, but it has been done before (just ask Kristy Lee Cook).

Regardless of how each of the eighth season's Top 4 members' albums fare, it is a healthy signal that the four of them have been snagged by labels under jurisdiction of Sony-BMG. Hopefully they're high on quality and short on gimmicks.