Elliott Yamin

Vocalist Elliott Yamin first drew notice after finishing as second runner-up during the fifth season of American Idol. Born in Los Angeles in 1978 to a father who painted and a mother who had once sung professionally, he later relocated with his family to Richmond, Virginia, and completed both middle school and high school there. When he reached roughly age 14 his parents separated, ushering in a stretch of personal hardship. Already nearly 90 percent deaf in his right ear, he received a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes at 16. During his sophomore year he left high school, taking a job at Footlocker before moving on to a pharmacy clerk position. Although he eventually obtained his GED, his attention had turned entirely toward a singing career, which led to assorted local gigs, among them appearances with a jazz ensemble broadcast on a nearby radio station under the name E-Dub.

In 2006 he resigned from the pharmacy to try out for American Idol in Boston, Massachusetts. Performing Leon Russell’s “A Song for You”—a number made famous by his idol, soul singer Donny Hathaway—he advanced past the opening audition stage and reached the decisive Hollywood round. A congenial artist known for his affinity with romantic soul ballads and an easygoing manner onstage, Yamin quickly became a viewer favorite and reached the final three alongside Katharine McPhee, who finished second, and Taylor Hicks, the season’s winner. That December he revealed a publishing agreement with Sony and issued a digital version of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas.” His self-titled debut arrived in 2007, followed the next year by the soul-focused holiday collection My Kind of Holiday. In 2009 he unveiled his second studio album, Fight for Love, which benefited from production contributions by Stargate and Dave Tozer. Two years afterward came his third effort, Let’s Get To What’s Real, released in Japan under the alternate title Gather Round.