LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Clay Aiken: Music Man
built 130 days ago
When it came time to go to college, music wasn\'t Aiken\'s calling per se. He studied special education instead and had dreams of attending William & Mary for a master\'s degree in administration. Before he could further his education, Aiken ended up wooing 21 million television viewers each week from February to May with his sensational singing voice. His rendition of Simon & Garfunkel\'s "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" sewed him a spot among America\'s hearts. Although he finished second to Ruben Studdard, Aiken\'s loss was not taken lightly. He landed a deal with RCA through Simon Fuller\'s 19 Recordings Limited within weeks of the show\'s finale.
Source:
On January 18, 2008 Aiken made his Broadway debut when he joined the cast of "Monty Python's Spamalot", playing one of the leads, Sir Robin, in the Tony Award-winning musical directed by Mike Nichols. In addition to Sir Robin, Aiken plays the 1st Sentry, the 1st Guard and the Brother Maynard roles. Aiken is slated to stay with the production through May 4.[29]
Source:
Aiken will appear in the show, which is based on the film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” through May 4, 2008. The musical’s book is by Idle, an original member of the Python gang, and its score is by Idle and John DuPrez.
Source:
In 2004 Aiken made the New York Times Best Seller List, debuting at #2, with his "inspirational memoir" titled Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life, written with Allison Glock, and published by Random House. Barely mentioning American Idol, in the book he instead turned his focus to the people who had the most influence in his life—his mother, grandparents, siblings, teachers, and friends—and to the importance of religion in his life.
Source:
Clay will be taking part in a special 50 years in in the music industry celebration for Neil Sedaka on October 26, 2007 at the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts in New York City. Other performers announced including Natalie Cole, David Foster and Neil Sedaka himself.
Source:
For his part, Aiken has managed to laugh off the incident. The Associated Press reports that during a concert Saturday night at Tulsa’s Brady Theater, the 28-year-old singer joked on-stage about being beaten up by a girl earlier in the day.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Music Man