New York (PRWEB) June 1, 2006 -- Taylor Hicks was crowned the American Idol this week in a special 2 hour episode. The final two contestants were Hicks and Katherine McPhee. While both are phenomenal talents, Idol fans were shocked that Chris Daughtry did not at least make it to the final round. His cast-off was controversial to say the least, but with such a huge fan base, he is sure to have a very successful career ahead of him.

The scenario begs the question, "If Daughtry was indeed the favorite, then who will sell the most copies of their debut albums, Chris, Talor, or Katherine?" Always the quickest to provide fans with answers to questions like those, the largest, most respected sportsbook on the web, BetUS.com, posted odds as to who would outsell who.

“The entire cast was so good this year,” stated BetUS.com analyst Matt Ross. “Predicting a winner was very, very difficult. With all the backlash from the Daughtry vote-off however, he seems to have a good chance of having the best career out of the three.”

It's official. As of last week, Daughtry's sales went over the one million mark, making Chris the first non-winner/runner-up to sell platinum. The album had already been certified platinum for units shipped - selling a million is the icing on the cake for Chris and his fans. What's significant, though is that Chris' first week sales were higher than this year's winner. Granted, Taylor's CD topped the 500,000 mark in two weeks, but already fans are concerned that these numbers will drop in the post-holiday sales slump. It is certainly possible that, in the short run at least, the fourth place finisher will outsell the current season winner. Spin this any way you want, but facts are facts.As American Idol 6 gears up, Chris' success presents a bit of a conundrum. On the one hand, he's a platinum selling artist, but on the other, he was not the winner and his success could well send a message that winning really isn't important. Could this affect voting? Might viewers decided that a certain individual might not need to win? Could there be Internet campaigns similar to Vote for the Worst to determine who should not win? It's an interesting concept.To go a step further, look at Ruben and Fatasia - two winners whose recently released CDs have been disappointing. Even Clay's most recent effort has already sold more than both of theirs combined.Commercials for the upcoming season have been running on Fox for weeks. Early on, they featured clips of Taylor's audition and his finale performance of "Do I Make You Proud." This week, however, the commercials seem to have taken a bit of a twist, featuring not only Taylor, but also Chris and Katharine. These commercials appear to me to be attempting to appeal directly to the Chris Daughtry contingent. The producers are not stupid, after all. Still, this strategy could well backfire.Chris will appear on Fox's New Year's Eve special, performing along with Toni Braxton. Taylor will perform at the Orange Bowl halftime on January 2, singing one song from his CD and "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" with Gladys Knight. Expect Taylor to turn up on Idol during the February sweeps period. And don't be surprised to see Chris as well. Remember, Idol is about making money, and ratings increase ad revenue. If TPTB think they can increase ratings by having Chris perform, he will be there. This story is not over yet.

IGN: This time a year ago, you had been selected for American Idol, but the season hadn't debuted yet. What was it like not being able to tell anyone?

Chris Daughtry: It was weird for me, because I was working a day job. I'd been there for three years, and I knew I was about to leave that place. And they knew it, just because they could see it all over my face, but you couldn't tell them anything and you couldn't expose any information. I think the hardest thing was knowing you were getting ready to do this, and you still have to get up at 5:30, 6:00 in the morning, to punch in at work. And you're like, "Man, if this blows up, I'm not gonna have to do this anymore!"

IGN: What was it like going from that situation, to instantly being on the biggest show in television, and suddenly, you're famous?

Daughtry: For me, it was something I wanted to do all my life, so it was about… time. [Laughs] For me, it was like, finally, I'm doing what I've wanted to do forever, and it's my job now. So it feels normal to me because this is what I've wanted to do. It feels like I've finally made it. But now, at the same time, I have to make sure I work extra hard to stay in the game.

IGN: On American Idol, most people obviously don't do your style of music. Did you worry that while it might help you stand out, it did make it a bit more difficult to break through?

Daughtry: Yeah. I thought, okay, this is gonna be a lot harder than people are used to on the show, even with Bo [Bice] before, which I didn't consider the same style at all. So I knew it was gonna be different. I knew it was gonna be, okay, I'm either gonna get kicked off in the first two weeks because people don't get it and it's too hard for the show, or people are gonna go, "Alright, it's about time somebody like him comes along," and I stay on it. So fortunately, I didn't get voted off the first couple of weeks! But my initial intent was to get on the show and get more gigs. And it worked!

IGN: When you got eliminated from the show, the reaction was huge from fans and critics, who were surprised and upset. Did that help soften the blow?

Daughtry: Absolutely. It's good to know that you have people out there supporting what you do and respect you no matter what, and I think it's really cool that they did raise such an uproar about it. It made me feel like okay, you know what, at least I got good people behind me and the fans are still there and they're supporting me.

IGN: How was it doing the American Idol tour last summer.

Daughtry: It was cool. It was 60 days' worth of singing, and we were on the road for almost 90 days. It was nonstop. I think the biggest bummer about it was that every night, I'm singing for all these people, but I'm like, man, I want to be singing my stuff. You're singing covers, but that's why you have to pick covers that you don't mind singing. So it was fun to do a little Led Zeppelin every night. That was cool.

IGN: How did you pass the time on the tour bus?

Daughtry: Me and the guys, we all went out and bought these Razor electric scooters, and rode them down the hallways at the hotels and in the arenas. Just stupid stuff like that, just to have fun and pass the time. We'd watch movies.

IGN: Is it amazing to have gone from that day job a year ago, to holding your new album in your hand?

Daughtry: Yeah. It's definitely very rewarding. But I think more rewarding is how it's doing right now. I was not expecting it to blow up like it did. The first week, number one rock album on Billboard, number two album on the hot 200… It definitely exceeded my expectations.

IGN: What do you enjoy more: recording in the studio, or performing in front of a live audience?

Daughtry: I think I definitely enjoy recording, but I think it's more fun to go out and perform live, because it's like instant gratification, you know? You feel the response immediately. Instead of recording the song, and thinking, "Man, I hope people like this." Instead, you play it [live] and you feel it right away. You're getting the response right then. You're seeing the faces. You're performing in front of your fans and I think that's more rewarding than the CD itself. I mean obviously you have to have the product first, and that's fun to do, but I think I'd much rather be out performing shows.

IGN: How was the process of writing and recording your first album? Did it go pretty smoothly?

Daughtry: Yeah, it was very smooth. I wrote the whole time I was on tour, so all my days off were consumed with writing. And then toward the end of the day, I was flying back and forth to LA, to actually record. Then going back to do a show was really tough. After that, it was finishing recording. It was definitely a lot of work, but I don't recall running into any problems. It was all just smooth sailing.

IGN: Do you have a certain process for writing?

Daughtry: I don't think there's a set formula for it. I think if I try to develop a formula, it ends up not working. For me, you have to not have a formula. You have to not even sit down and say, "I want to write right now." It has to just kind of come out. It's not something you can plan. For me, something will come in my head and I'll either end up calling my cell phone to record it, or I'll just pick my guitar up and see what comes out. Sometimes it sucks, sometimes it doesn't. So there's really no set method behind it

IGN: What do you have coming up?

Daughtry: We'll probably start touring in February. We don't have any set tour dates yet, but we'll take a few days off in January, and then hit the road.

DURING THE LAST SEASON of “American Idol,” hunky rocker Chris Daughtry won fans with his rock sound, enthusiastic performances and manly good looks. With an undeniable talent and fan base, it was the season shocker when Daughtry was voted off a couple weeks before Taylor Hicks was crowned.After months of work, Daughtry is back exactly where he belongs: as a front man in a rock band. The band is DAUGHTRY (yes, it’s supposed to be in all caps, the better to differentiate the singer from the group), who just released a respectable self-titled debut album.DAUGHTRY sounds like a cross between Bon Jovi, Live, Creed and Lighthouse. After the rocker left “Idol,” many feared he would be watered down and stuck in a record deal with a label that didn’t “get it.”Fortunately, Daughtry landed at RCA Records and built a solid band to back him up. “DAUGHTRY,” the album and the band, thankfully, live up to the potential that Daughtry, the singer, showed on “Idol.”THE LEAD SINGLE IS “IT’S Not Over,” which is great rock/pop and fits right in on the radio alongside some of Daughtry’s influences like Fuel. Daughtry says it’s about wanting another go-round to make good on that relationship you previously screwed up. “Used To” picks up the theme of a relationship gone wrong.“What I Want,” which enlists the help of Slash on guitar, should be a successful single with aggressive, driving guitar work (as you’d expect from the former Guns-N-Roses member) and tight vocals by Daughtry.Another standout destined to rock live shows is “There and Back Again,” although due to the gusto Daughtry puts behind the lyrics “Now shine/ Here’s your moment to shine/ Shine,” you might think the song’s actually titled “Shine.” Title confusion notwithstanding, “There and Back Again” is a great song that would also make a successful single.Daughtry is listed as a co-writer on eight tracks, and wrote three of the tracks on his own, including “Home,” which he wrote before “Idol.” Ironically, it captures the road he’s traveled since competing on the show.Daughtry also penned “Breakdown” and “Gone.” The three tracks he wrote alone are among the CD’s strongest, further showcasing his promise as a long-standing artist with real talent.“FEELS LIKE TONIGHT” IS THE one track Daughtry did not have a hand in as a writer, but it’s still a good song. Like many others on the album, the song has a cinematic quality, and you can imagine it on the screen as action plays out or a romantic scene unfolds.Daughtry extols the virtues of being in a band, but the members of DAUGHTRY are not listed in the liner notes of the album.“I began my music career as a songwriter, but I’ve always believed in the power of a band,” Daughtry says. “The great moments are when you’re able to capture that extra special connection between members that you can’t really define. That’s what I’m striving for.”Let’s hope the band members eventually get their due on the road.“DAUGHTRY” is an excellent debut album and holds up to any rockers on Top 40 radio. Daughtry has a solid career in front of him, giving the “American Idol” pantheon its first rock god.He may just be a demigod now, but give him time — Daughtry could be a presence for years to come.

It’s that time of year again, but this season we have more than our usual bunch of Idol releases. That makes me a happy camper. Instead of a song-for-song review, I will single out a few of my faves on each CD and at the end give an overall rating of each CD. Now this is the Idolhead’s opinion, but I think you’ll agree with me most of the way here.Daughtry – Chris Daughtry and his bandThere are 12 tracks on Chris’s debut CD and all are really good. I liken this to real rock ‘n roll, not the pasty imitation stuff we’ve been hearing since the ‘80s. Chris’ voice so shines that even if I didn’t know who he was, I would still stop to listen. Unlike most rockers, Chris has a really good voice and it is evident on every track.The first track, “It’s Not Over,” is already being used as background music for the Fox series Breakout. Very memorable and I’m sure soon to get mucho radio play. Great stuff. My favorite track for no particular reason is “Home.” There are no weak songs on this CD and it is exactly what we would expect from Chris. And yes, that’s a good thing. He gave it to us on the show and he gives it to us in spades on his inaugural CD. People of the world unite. Rock ‘n roll is back and its name is Daughtry. Grade A

At the moment he's trying to force open a hotel window in Hartford, Conn. because the room is too hot.Chris Daughtry son of McLeansville and would-be American Idol, is living the dream. It's the second week of December, and the next night he and his band will play Veterans Memorial Coliseum with the Goo Goo Dolls, Barenaked Ladies and Smashmouth. Then it's back home to Guilford County to spend Christmas with his wife and two adopted children.Big things are happening, although you might not detect that from the matter-of-fact tone in which Daughtry, a former employee of Crown Honda in Greensboro, describes his music career.His debut album on RCA Records, simply titled Daughtry, has been out for a little more than two weeks and is currently ranked No. 3 on the Billboard charts. That's two notches above the Beatles and three notches above Jay-Z. He's made television appearances on "Regis & Kelly" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," not to mention the NC State Wolfpack pep rally in Raleigh and the Southern Sports Awards in Charlotte.The window isn't budging, so the 26-year-old surrenders to circumstances."Busy, very busy" is how Daughtry describes life on the road. "There's not a lot of time to see the places that you're playing. You get to the city and generally play the show and then you're out."Meanwhile, the single "It's Not Over" has been infiltrating the collective subconscious on airwaves across America, his band's melodic virtuosity creating a tempered, hard-rock canvas for the singer's vocal swirl of angst, sensitivity and emotion.I got to see Daughtry with his former band, Absent Element in June 2005, back before "American Idol" made him a household name. I'm somewhat embarrassed to say the encounter made almost no impression on me. It was the last rock show at the Cathedral of His Glory up near Lake Jeanette, and a Christian emo band from Florida was headlining. I might have come in near the end of Absent Element's set. I interviewed the church's technical director up in the sound booth as the band packed its gear. My notes contain only this tiny morsel of information gleaned from a quote of the technical director: "They used to be a bar band and they turned Christian and stayed Christian."I bring it up to Daughtry, and he indicates that he remembers the night but offers no comment. As I recall, the members of Absent Element didn't stick around to watch the headliner.Several months after that show Daughtry and Absent Element parted ways."It's kind of a bittersweet thing," the singer says. "Those are my friends and that's kind of hard to deal with. You wanted it to work out and it didn't."The decision came before his audition in Denver for "American Idol" in January 2006."The label and the management held the auditions and they wanted to make sure they got the right musicians," Daughtry says. "I had to sign off on it that I was okay with everything. [The band] realized it had to be more business than friendship. A lot of times you can let friendship get in the way of business…. The label didn't feel they were ready."A scant four months later, radio personalities and living-room television viewers around the Piedmont Triad were gushing about Daughtry's talent, simultaneously rooting for him and predicting his rise to the top of the fabulously popular contest. The season also elicited comment about how thoroughly the South, and North Carolina in particular, has dominated "American Idol."Chris Kromm, executive director of the Institute for Southern Studies in Durham, noted in his "Facing South" blog that "one theory points to the South's rich music tradition, and the fact that most forms of American music - jazz, blues, country, gospel and their progeny such as rock - can be traced back to the region. The Southern church alone is a crucible that has cast many singers, especially the working-class, small-town kids like those who end up on 'Idol.'"Five days later, Daughtry would be voted off the show.And yet rather than drift back into obscurity, the former Honda service employee cinched his spot in the music industry with a summons from Clive Davis, the legendary record executive who signed Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and others to Columbia Records, and who now heads BMG North America."The week I got voted off Clive wanted to have a meeting with me," Daughtry recalls. "Whether I won or not, he wanted me. We had a meeting. He basically put the ball in my court."The singer brought a guitar with him to the meeting."When I told him I was a writer he was excited," Daughtry continues. "He wanted to hear it. Usually they bring in outside writers. I played him my songs and he loved it, so he gave me a lot of control over the album."And now, from the vantage point of a national tour, the singer has some perspective on the Southern domination of "American Idol.""It's worked out for a lot of people in the South," Daughtry says. "For me it wasn't exactly easy to get in the van and travel. For monetary reasons because I've got a family…. All I can say is there's a lot of talented people in the South, but they don't get to see the light of day because of the area. You're not in LA, where you're exposed to the music industry, or New York. People don't come out to these areas to scout for talent."Playing in bands around Greensboro didn't give Daughtry much exposure, he says, averring that "there's a lot of people out there that are much more talented than me."Then he offers this advice for anyone interested in following the path he blazed out of the North Carolina Piedmont: "I used 'American Idol' as a vehicle. Whatever opportunity is out there, you need to take it. If an opportunity is there, don't be afraid to take it because it will damage your credibility…. If that's what you feel you should be doing, then figure out every possible way to get there."

SEASON/FINISH: 2006, fourthCHART HISTORY: The Billboard 200: Daughtry, "Daughtry," 2006 (No. 2, 1.1 million). The Billboard Hot 100: "It's Not Over," No. 28.I didn't know a lot about the music business as a business, so everything we did was really new information--the royalties and how you get paid on an album, how many people it takes to complete your team and all the people it takes to promote your album. It's just amazing to me how many people you don't see behind the scenes that are working so hard for you. They basically have the option to sign you. That's their choice; you're not obligated to anything coming off the show, especially if you don't win. I was just very fortunate that Clive (Davis) wanted to work with me, and I thought 19 Management did a great job with us on the show, so I decided to stay with them. But my arm wasn't twisted to do anything I didn't want to. Everybody's well aware of the possibilities; they don't blindside us with anything. For me, ("Idol") wasn't about necessarily winning as much as it was, in the beginning, to hopefully get more gigs with my band. It definitely took on a life of its own, and I don't regret it at all. It was a fantastic opportunity to get my face out there and use it to show the world what I was able to do. It's all about taking the opportunities that are in front of you and making the best of them and using them to your advantage. I don't think it's cheesy one bit. I'm glad I didn't win simply because I was able to form a band and come out as a band, not just Chris Daughtry. I was never too keen on being a solo pop artist or a solo guy -- if I won, that's what I would've been, and I didn't want that. All I ever wanted to be was part of a successful rock band.(Daughtry finished third on "American Idol" last year, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming the most successful spawn of the fifth season. As part of the rock band that shares his last name, the artist has been a fixture on The Billboard 200 with his self-titled debut, which has already sold more than 1 million copies. The group just announced a winter U.S. club tour, beginning January 28 in Anaheim, Calif., and its latest single, "It's Not Over," is steadily climbing at a variety of radio formats.)

Daughtry (tickets | music), the rock band fronted by "American Idol" Top 10 finalist Chris Daughtry, has unleashed a slew of tour dates in support of its platinum-selling, self-titled debut.The jaunt kicks off Jan. 28 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA, and continues through April 19. Chris Daughtry is also scheduled to perform the National Anthem solo Sunday (1/21) in Chicago during the Chicago Bears-New Orleans Saints NFC Championship game.Daughry's debut album scored the biggest opening sales week of any new artist in 2006, logging in at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 album chart, according to the group's publicist. After eight weeks on the charts, it sits at No. 4.Daughtry's video for its first single, "It's Not Over," debuted on MTV's "TRL" earlier this week. It was directed by Dean Karr (Damian Marley, Seether) and Jay Martin (Dashboard Confessional).Chris Daughtry, a favorite among "American Idol" fans, was offered the job of replacing Brett Scallions, lead singer of Fuel, after he was voted off the show. However, he turned it down to pursue his own music.

“It doesn’t matter anymore if you win on the show,” Mr. Fuller said, noting that Mr. Daughtry’s new album has been outselling the album released by last year’s winner, Taylor Hicks. He predicted the album would soon pass Justin Timberlake’s as the nation’s top-seller, reaching at least three million in total sales.“You can finish fourth, like Chris did, or fifth or sixth, like Jennifer did, and you can still make hits,” he said.Fuller needs a fact checker–Jennifer Hudson actually finished 7th in Season 3. Interesting that he’s upfront about the fact that a contestant needn’t win to spin a successful career off American Idol. How does an admission like that affect the urgency of the contest and the fans who vote for their favorites? Will there be fewer Cingular Go phones purchased this year when the fans figure out that not only is it not necessary to win, it may be better NOT to win…As far as Idol’s spectacular ratings so far, Fuller makes a good point. He says that Idol’s higher profile, due largely to the awards and accolades Idol graduates have been receiving lately, has even more people tuning into the show:Mr. Fuller pointed out that music fans from many genres were now being exposed to “Idol” performers. “You have Carrie, who is selling millions of albums to country fans,” he said. “You have Kelly, who is a mainstream pop artist. And you have Chris, who is the first real rock artist we’ve broken on the show. There there’s Jennifer, who’s winning every award for ‘Dreamgirls.’ I just think the music is getting out everywhere, and subliminally that has helped.

I didn't want to spoil your enthusiasm, Terri, but I hated for you to go thru all that extra work. ((hugs back))