Scotty McCreery
Scott Cooke McCreery[3] (born October 9, 1993) is an American country singer. He rose to fame after winning the tenth season of American Idol in May 2011.
Scotty McCreery
Scott Cooke McCreery
October 9, 1993
Garner, North Carolina, U.S.
Singer
2011–present
His debut studio album, Clear as Day, was released in October 2011 and was certified platinum in the United States. The album includes the top 20 country songs, "I Love You This Big" and "The Trouble with Girls". McCreery released a Christmas album, Christmas with Scotty McCreery, in October 2012 and it has been certified gold. He released his third album, See You Tonight, in October 2013. Its title track became his first single to reach the top ten on Billboard's Country charts. Setting a new record in July 2017 with his single "Five More Minutes",[4] McCreery became the only country music artist in Country Aircheck/Media base history to chart a song without the backing of a record label;[5] it topped Billboard in February 2018. His fourth album, Seasons Change, was released in March 2018 and became McCreery's fourth top 10 album in the United States.[6] His fifth album, Same Truck, was released on September 17, 2021.[7]
In 2024, McCreery received one of country music's crowning achievements when he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was inducted on April 20 by his childhood hero Josh Turner.
Early life[edit]
McCreery was born on October 9, 1993, in Garner, North Carolina, the son of Judy (née Cooke) and Michael McCreery.[8][9] His parents originally planned on naming him Evan, but changed their minds on their way to the hospital.[3] McCreery is of one quarter Puerto Rican descent; his father, a manufacturing systems analyst for Schneider Electric, was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, to a military father and a Puerto Rican mother from San Juan, both of whom later moved to Aberdeen, North Carolina.[10][11][12] McCreery's mother is a real estate agent for Fonville Morisey.[13][14] She also owns a tanning salon in Clayton, North Carolina.[13] McCreery's older sister, Ashley, attended UNC Charlotte.[12][15] Both were raised in Garner.[12][16][17]
Around the age of five or six, McCreery received a book about Elvis Presley from his grandmother, and Elvis became McCreery's earliest musical influence.[18][19][20] He began learning guitar when he was around nine or ten years old.[13][21]
McCreery attended Timber Drive Elementary School in Garner, West Lake Middle School in Apex, and Garner Magnet High School.[13][22] He participated in all three schools' choruses,[13][17][23] and he also sang at his middle school graduation.[21] He sang tenor as a freshman in high school, where he was named Rookie of the Year. In his second year, he switched to singing bass and began singing in his church.[24] He also starred in a school production of Bye Bye Birdie that year, playing the role of Conrad Birdie.[13] McCreery went on to join a vocal ensemble called Die Meistersingers that was formed by his high school chorus teacher, Meredith Clayton, and with which he performed across the United States.[24]
In 2009, McCreery won a singing contest called "Clayton Idol", which was held by WQDR-FM at the Clayton Harvest Festival in Clayton, North Carolina. After winning, he held several local shows with the radio station, raising money for sick children.[23][25] Later the same year, he was one of thirty-six finalists in a contest called Rip the Hallways, which featured teenage vocalists from across North Carolina.[21] On the eve of Valentine's Day, 2010, McCreery performed in a variety show called Gift 4, which was held by the town of Garner.[26][27][28] In April of that year, he performed at the second annual Boots, Bands, and Bulls benefit concert. Funds from the concert went to Brittany's Battle, a Garner-based nonprofit that supports those affected by cancer. The concert was held in Raleigh, and country singer Jason Michael Carroll also performed.[26][29]
Growing up, McCreery attended First Baptist Church in Garner. He led the church's youth praise band, Audience of One.[30][31] In addition to his musical pursuits, McCreery was a member of his high school baseball team. His coach, Derik Goffena said of him, "He doesn't throw terribly hard. His best pitch is a curveball as far as getting people out. If he had to start he probably wouldn't walk more than one or two in a game."[24] McCreery was working as a bagger at Lowes Foods when he auditioned for American Idol.[12]
Headlining
Co-headlining
Supporting
Philanthropy[edit]
In 2011, McCreery participated in Operation Christmas Child, a program dedicated to donating toys to impoverished children around the world.[131] Every year since then, he has participated in the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game, which raises funds for cancer research.[132][133][134][135] He performed a benefit concert in November 2012, through which he raised $5,000 for World Vision to help with the Hurricane Sandy relief efforts,[136] and the following year, World Vision acted as the charitable sponsor for McCreery's Weekend Roadtrip Tour (2013).[137] Over the course of a 2013 Major League Baseball ballpark tour, McCreery donated $50,000 to various youth baseball programs across the United States, including Major League Baseball's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program.[138] McCreery became a National Goodwill Ambassador for the 12.14 Foundation in February 2014.[139] He has an active role in promoting the Foundation's arts program, supporting their fundraising efforts, and creating awareness for their vision and objectives to help the people of Newtown, Connecticut. On December 4, 2014, McCreery performed a benefit concert which raised $60,000 to the foundation.[140] In December 2017, McCreery and other country artists recorded a charity single, a cover of Alabama's "Angels Among Us," to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.[141] McCreery appeared on "Celebrity Family Feud" on August 5, 2018, and won $25,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.[111]