Harold Elwin "Bo" Bice, Jr.
(born November 1, 1975) is an American singer and musician who became a runner-up in the fourth season of American Idol
.
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BO BICE TICKETS
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Biography
Early years
Bice was born in
Huntsville, Alabama to Nancy and Harold Elwin Bice. Music is in his family; his mother was a gospel singer (as were his grandmother, great-grandmother, and aunts). His father played guitar.
Bice's birth name was Harold Elwin Bice, Jr., but he was
nicknamed "Bogart" as a newborn by his grandmother ("Granny Madge") because she thought he had "
Humphrey Bogart eyes". His family continued to call him Bogart, but when Bice was in kindergarten he shortened it to "Bo" because he didn't think Bogart was cool.
Bice's parents divorced when he was very young, and his mother remarried years later. Bice grew up with his mother and step-father, Nancy and Earle Downes (a Coca-Cola manager), step-sisters Jenny and Sharan Downes, and half-brother John Cohran. Bice has two other half-siblings, Candice and Matthew, on his biological father's side. The Downes family moved around the
South frequently. They lived in
Georgia,
Alabama, and
Florida, including the metro area of
Atlanta. He first made his mark at the age of 13, when he won a local school competition. In 1990 when Bice was 14 years old they moved to England, as part of his step-father's European assignment with
Coca-Cola in London. Bice spent his teenage years living in
Gerrards Cross. The family were distant neighbors of
Ozzy Osbourne.
Bice attended
London Central High School, a
Department of Defense school primarily for children whose parents served in the military or worked at the U.S. Embassy. In high school, he was found carrying his
guitar everywhere, played
football, attended
proms, and had several girlfriends. It was around this time when Bice worked with some English
alternative rock musicians. He formed his first band, Spinning Jenny, while living there.
Bice would have graduated in 1994, but in the fall of 1993, Bice dropped out of high school just before turning 18 to move back to Alabama, where he earned his
GED and attended classes at
Calhoun Community College from November 1996 to May 1997. Upon leaving Calhoun and spending one semester at the
University of North Alabama in
Florence, Bice turned professional and performed in shows all across the United States, the United Kingdom,
Ireland, and Europe. He is a veteran of the
nightclub circuit, and also an experienced
songwriter, releasing his first CD in 1995 with his band
Purge.
[1] His other pre-Idol bands include
Blue Sued Nickel (sic) and
SugarMoney. Among his credits are opening for
Blackfoot and
Warrant as well as performing live and recording with
Johnny Neal, formerly of
The Allman Brothers Band. Bice had recorded other albums prior to his stint on
American Idol
, which included "Ex Gratia" (1999) with his band Purge, and "Recipe for Flavor" (2000) by Bo Bice & SugarMoney.
Personal life
In 2001, Bice was charged with purchasing
cocaine at a
strip club. In 2003, Bice was arrested for possession of
marijuana,
drug paraphernalia and
public intoxication. He avoided jail time, however, by agreeing to enter a
drug program.
[2] [3] [4]
While working as manager of a guitar store, Bice met Caroline Fisher who was working her way through college as a waitress in a nearby diner (in
Hoover, Alabama). During that same period of time, Bice became a very active and devoted member of New Hope Cumberland Presbyterian Church in
Birmingham, Alabama.
After two years of dating, Bice married Caroline Merrin Fisher (born 1980) on June 15, 2005 in Helena, Alabama.
[5] Son Aidan Michael Bice was born on September 24, 2005.
[6] Second son Caleb James was born on August 5, 2008.
[7] They reside in
Nashville. They are expecting their third child, due on January 31, 2010.
American Idol
For the 2005 season,
Idol
producers raised their required age limit from 16–26 to 16–28. In August 2004, Bice’s mother dared him to go try out, since he was within the eligible age limit (he would turn 29 in November 2004). He dared his mother to come along, and she took him up on that dare.
Along with
Constantine Maroulis and
Taylor Hicks (winner of Season 5), Bice was one of the oldest contestants to audition and participate on
American Idol
. Bice and Maroulis are also notable for being among the first contestants to compete using the
rock idiom.
A
Southern rocker in musical approach and appearance, Bice did not fit into the normal
American Idol
mold. However, his early performance of
The Allman Brothers Band's "
Whipping Post" drew raves from the judges and established him as one of the favorites in the competition.
During the final three performance show, Bice took the enormous risk of performing without the benefit of a band or backup singers. This was the first time in the history of the show that anybody had ever attempted to sing a cappella at this stage in the competition. He sang "In a Dream", an obscure song recorded by 1990s metal band,
Badlands. Throughout the season, Bice had been known for his sweeping command of the stage. This time, however, he stood alone and motionless, his long hair glowing under a single spotlight. His masterful performance was pitch-perfect, and was highly praised by the judges, including
Clive Davis who spoke of looking forward to making an album with Bice.
In June 2005 Bice was quoted in
Rolling Stone
magazine that his last thought during the
Idol
finale was, "Please, God, don't let me win this thing."
[8] In comments during a subsequent appearance on
The Today Show
, Bice backed off this stance a bit, saying that he thanked all those who had voted for him. He then played solo
acoustic guitar and
harmonica to one of his own compositions, in addition to singing his
Idol
songs with a band.
In Alabama, May 24 was declared "Bo Bice Day" by Governor
Bob Riley. In fact, Bice's pride in being an Alabama native resulted in the adoption of
Lynyrd Skynyrd's hit "
Sweet Home Alabama" as his "theme" during his tenure on
American Idol.
Two members of the group Lynyrd Skynyrd surprised Bice during his trip home from Idol and performed "Sweet Home Alabama" with him in his home town of
Helena, Alabama. Bice and the entire Lynyrd Skynyrd group performed a rousing rendition of the song together during American Idol finals, bringing nearly the entire audience to their feet.
Idol performances
Week
| Theme
| Song
| Original artist
| Result
|
Auditions
| Contestant's Choice
| "In a Dream"
| Badlands
| Advanced
|
Contestant's Choice
| "Whipping Post"
| The Allman Brothers Band
| Advanced
|
Hollywood Round 1
| Contestant's Choice
| "The Letter"
| The Box Tops
| Advanced
|
Hollywood Round 2
| Contestant's Choice
| God Bless the USA
| Lee Greenwood
| Advanced
|
Top 50
| Contestant's Choice
| "Get Ready"
| The Temptations
| Advanced
|
Top 24
| Contestant's Choice
| "Drift Away"
| Dobie Gray
| Safe
|
Top 20
| Contestant's Choice
| "Whipping Post"
| The Allman Brothers Band
| Safe
|
Top 16
| Contestant's Choice
| "I'll Be"
| Edwin McCain
| Safe
|
Top 12
| Song of the 1960s
| "Spinning Wheel"
| Blood, Sweat & Tears
| Safe
|
Top 11
| Billboard Number Ones
| "Time in a Bottle"
| Jim Croce
| Safe
|
Top 10
| 1990s
| "Remedy"
| The Black Crowes
| Safe
|
Top 9
| Classic Broadway
| "Corner of the Sky"
| from Pippin
| Safe
|
Top 8
| Year They Were Born
| "Free Bird"
| Lynyrd Skynyrd
| Bottom 2
|
Top 7
| 1970s Dance Music
| "Vehicle"
| The Ides of March
| Safe
|
Top 6
| 21st Century
| "I Don't Want to Be"
| Gavin DeGraw
| Safe
|
Top 5
| Lieber & Stoller Current Billboard Chart
| "Stand by Me" "Heaven"
| Ben E. King Los Lonely Boys
| Safe
|
Top 4
| Country Gamble & Huff
| "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" "For the Love of Money"
| Travis Tritt The O'Jays
| Safe
|
Top 3
| Clive Davis' Choice Judge's Choice Contestant's Choice
| "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" "In a Dream"
| Elton John The Rolling Stones Badlands
| Safe
|
Finale
| Idol Single Contestant's Choice Contestant's Choice
| "Inside Your Heaven" "It's a Long Road" "Vehicle"
| Carrie Underwood/Bo Bice Blue Highway The Ides of March
| Runner Up
|
2005 – 2006: The Real Thing
Signed to
RCA Records, Bice's first single, released June 21, 2005, was his version of "
Inside Your Heaven". The single debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and #1 on the Billboard Hot Single Sales chart. Bice's single replaced
Carrie Underwood's version of the same song at #1, the first time in the history of the sales chart. The B-side was his rendition of the
Ides of March hit "Vehicle", featuring an appearance by
Richie Sambora. It was certified
Gold in late July 2005. Bice was also invited to the
Bonnaroo Music Festival by
Trey Anastasio (formerly of
Phish). He sang a song with
Willie Nelson at a Birmingham concert and was invited by Nelson to perform at
Farm Aid. Bice also appeared on
Carlos Santana's 2005 album
All That I Am
with the song "Brown Skin Girl."
On June 15, 2005, Bice married long-time girlfriend Caroline Fisher in
Helena, Alabama. Bice had met her when he was working as a guitar store manager, and frequented the Ragtime Cafe in
Hoover, Alabama where she was working her way through college as a waitress. Their first child, a son named Aidan Michael Bice, was born on September 24, 2005.
[9]
On July 31, 2005, Bice broke his foot while performing in concert in
Manchester, New Hampshire [10] but carried on with the tour. On August 18 Bice, who had been suffering from stomach pain for months, was rushed to the hospital for emergency intestinal surgery to remove a blockage. He was sidelined from the tour for several shows. During his absence from the tour, fellow contestants Anwar, Nikko, Scott, Anthony and Constantine sang "
Sweet Home Alabama" and wore Bo Bice T-shirts.
[11] Bice returned to the tour for the final 2 concerts in
Syracuse, New York, September 10 and September 11 (a
benefit concert with proceeds going to the
American Red Cross to help victims of
Hurricane Katrina). In addition, to playing that concert, he also opened his home in Helena, Alabama to a family displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Also in September, Bice received the Relly Award for "Best Reality Guest" for his earlier appearance on
Live with Regis & Kelly.
On October 7, 2005, Bice proudly introduced his own band,
SugarMoney, in
Mobile, Alabama at
Bayfest. He also performed two concerts the following week, including a benefit concert for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, but was back in the hospital the next day with surgery complications. In the following months, Bice made rounds of TV appearances, including two appearances on
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
(two appearances),
The Tony Danza Show
,
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
,
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
,
Live with Regis & Kelly
(two appearances),
Today Show
,
Early Show
,
MTV
,
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
,
Extra
, and others. November was a special month for Bo. He was named "Heartland Hero of the Week" on
John Kasich's show,
Heartland
for giving up his house to the family displaced by Hurricane Katrina and for also using his music to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. In November 2005,
People'' magazine featured an about the birth of Bice's son Aidan.
Bice also hosted
Oxygen Television Network's Jingle Bell Concert, and his special guests included
Patti LaBelle and
Joan Osborne.
Jim Croce's family awarded Bice the "Jim Croce 20th Annual Music Award" because the Croce family had been greatly moved by Bice's performance of Croce's song "Time in a Bottle" while he was a contestant on
American Idol
. On December 3, Bice beat
Danny Bonaduce and
Tommy Lee to win the "Big Reality Star" award for
VH1's Big in '05 Show. On December 6, Bice was a presenter at the 2005
Billboard Music Awards. He was a nominee for Top-Selling Single of the Year for "
Inside Your Heaven".
Bice's solo debut album,
The Real Thing
, was released on December 13, 2005. It opened at #4.
The Real Thing
has the seventh-highest opening for a debut album by an
American Idol
finalist; it is also noteworthy that Bo Bice is one of several non-winners (along with
Clay Aiken,
Josh Gracin,
Katharine McPhee,
Elliott Yamin,
Kellie Pickler, and
Chris Daughtry) to achieve good success in record sales. Bice's band at the time appears with him on three tracks on
The Real Thing
's DualDisc version: "Cinnamon & Novocaine", "Sinner In a Sin", and "Whiskey, Women & Time." Also in December, Bice appeared on AOL Sessions, singing some of the songs from his album, "The Real Thing." On December 18, Bice started
coughing up blood while rehearsing for a performance on the 2005
Radio Music Awards, and had to miss the show.
[12]
In January 2006,
CMT aired an hour-long TV special—called "Bo Bice: In the Moment"—which chronicled Bo's life post-Idol during the recording of his album,
The Real Thing
. Their cameras had followed Bice around for months during the making of his album. The film showed both his joy with making an album and his frustration with recording other people's pop songs, and produced the memorable quote, "You can put a penguin in a mink coat, but it's still a (deleted) penguin." The cameras also captured many touching moments, including the birth of his son, Aidan.
In February 2006, Bice kicked off a radio promo tour. During the ensuing year of promotional appearances and touring, Bice continued to suffer with the recurring intestinal condition which had not been repaired by the August 2005 surgery. In the span of just a few months during his various tours, Bice was hospitalized 20 times, checking out of the hospitals each time to honor his performance commitments. In March 2006, Bice sang on the American Idol Top 16 Results Show. In April 2006, Bice was one of the celebrity drivers featured in the
Toyota Pro-Celebrity Race held in
Long Beach, California, that was sponsored by
Toyota to benefit various children's hospitals of Southern California. He also performed at the 2006 Toyota Grand Prix, an
Indy Racing League event in
St. Petersburg, Florida.
[13] Bice appeared on
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
on May 9, 2006. He was the guest host for the
The Fairly OddParents
episode, "
Fairy Idol", on May 19, 2006, and continued with his rigorous tour schedule.
In the spring and summer of 2006, Bice began to talk of his hopes for a second CD, saying, for example, "On the next album I'd like to go more rootsy, more country, more southern rock Bo."
[14] On July 21, 2006, a fan at asked Bice what fans could do to hear Bo more as he sounded on
American Idol
than on
The Real Thing
. He responded that they could start a petition asking Clive Davis for Bo's original southern rock songs on a subsequent CD. A diverse group of fans, the Grassroots Coalition to Hear More Bo, started the online Petition to Hear More Bo, which collected over 5,300 signatures before it was closed February 21, 2007, after word broke that Bice was no longer with RCA. Although the petition had no effect with RCA, it affirmed fan interest in the kind of CD Bice had said he wanted to make, and would eventually release in 2007.
On September 12, 2006, Bice released a cover of
The Chambers Brothers 1968 smash hit, "Time Has Come Today", through various legal digital music download sites. The tune was the theme song for a new
Monopoly commercial. In September 2006, Bice was a special guest star in a TV special called
Decades Rock Live: Lynyrd Skynyrd & Friends
--the friends being Bice,
Hank Williams Jr., and
3 Doors Down.
On October 5, 2006, Bice underwent emergency surgery in
Nashville, Tennessee to correct his recurring intestinal problem. According to his , the surgery "was not easy or routine". The surgery came after several rounds of tests and doctors deemed his condition serious enough to operate immediately. The day after that surgery, a complication occurred and Bice had to undergo another surgery.
During the subsequent recovery time,
Ben Stiller invited Bice to record the rock power ballad audio and for the title track of the
Will Ferrell film
Blades of Glory
(produced by Stiller).
Bice was presented with a
gold record for
The Real Thing
not long after
RCA dropped Bice from its roster. Bice subsequently formed his own record label called Sugar Money/StratArt (in partnership with Strategic Artist Management). He spent the next few months in his own new Rock Hound Studio—planning, writing, and recording music for his new album,
See the Light
.
2007 – present: See the Light
and other projects
Bice introduced many of his newly-written songs on a short acoustic tour which began in May, 2007 and ended a few weeks later with his hospitalization for flu and bronchitis. Bo Bice's second album, entitled
See the Light
was released October 23, 2007 on Bice's Independent label, Sugar Money/StratArt. The CD is available exclusively through
Walmart, and digital downloads are available everywhere online. Of this album, Bice said "[...] I picked and co-wrote the songs that if I was a guy who would be spending my hard-earned money buying an album I would want to hear.".
[15] Bice has since parted with Strategic Artist Management, and is referring to his record label as "SugarMoney."
[16]
Blades of Glory
soundtrack CD was released on 3/27/2007; Theatrical Release Date: 03/30/2007; DVD Release Date: 08/28/2007. Bice made several promotional appearances in connection with the releases.
In October 2007, Bice made an appearance on the TV show
American Chopper: The Series
in an episode which featured a custom-built Peavey Bike with a built-in guitar, microphone, and amp.
Peavey Electronics Corporation and Bice were working together to develop a Bo Bice guitar for their line of products. Bice had made appearances in Peavey Electronics Corporation's after school programs (in conjunction with
National Afterschool Alliance) during which Peavey donated instruments to schools.
Bice's music video-- (from his album "See the Light")--spent three consecutive weeks at #1 on
VH1 "
Top 20 Countdown" in December 2007 to close out the year. During that same period of time, "Witness" was ranked #2 on VH1 Video on Demand, and his "See the Light" was ranked #1 Album on the VH1 site.
2008: Touring and Appearances
In February 2008, Bice traveled to
Kuwait and
Afghanistan to perform for U.S. troops deployed in the region, and to thank them for their service. He will go back to the war region in Fall 2008.
During Spring and Summer 2008, Bice continued his tour promoting his
See the Light
album. He also simultaneously spent a few weeks participating in a special tour called
It Was Forty Years Ago Today
with
Todd Rundgren,
Denny Laine,
Lou Gramm, and
Christopher Cross. The tour paid tribute to the
Beatles' ground-breaking album
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
(original release date was June 1, 1967).
Bice performed a song on the
Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in
Las Vegas on Labor Day weekend 2008. On that same weekend, he sang the National Anthem at the Pepsi 500
NASCAR race in California.
On September 13, Bice participated in "Share the Beat," a benefit for the
Georgia Transplant Foundation and the
James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness. It was hosted by James and
Robert Redford.
Bice recently recorded vocals for the upcoming
Church of Southern Rock
CD,
[17] a compilation spearheaded by
The Marshall Tucker Band's
George McCorkle who recently died from cancer. The album will feature a band called "Brothers of the Southland" which consists of a number of southern rock legends and is set for release in spring of 2008, with advance downloads available through . Bice contributed to 2 tracks on the CD, including lead vocals and guitar on a remake of the
Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See".
Bo also recently joined
Joe Diffie on the classic track, “Willin” (originally recorded by Little Feat) for Joe’s new CD that will launch before the end of 2008.
Bice visited
Tanner Park in
Copiague, New York on late Friday night, July 31, 2009. He and his band played for the audience, and later signed autographs.
Bo Bice's Team
Bice is represented by Alliance Artists Ltd./ http://www.allianceartistsltd.com (management), and Artists International / http://www.AIMRocks.com (booking). Bice's Publicist is Kirt Webster of .
In Popular Culture
In an episode of
Family Guy, entitled "Road to Rupert", Mayor
Adam West is riding in a car with
Stewie and
Brian and proceeds to say, "I always enjoy traveling companions. Let's play twenty questions. Am I Bo Bice? Yes I am. Well played worthy adversary.”
Discography
Albums
Year
| Album
| US
| US Indie
| RIAA
|
2005
| The Real Thing
- Released: December 13, 2005
- Label: RCA Records
| 4
| —
| Gold
|
2007
| See the Light
- Released: October 23, 2007
- Label: StratArt
| 150
| 31
| —
|
"—" denotes the album failed to chart or not certified
|
Singles
Year
| Single
| Peak chart positions
| Album
|
US
| US Pop
| US AC
| US Adult
| US Main
|
2005
| "I Don't Want to Be"
| —
| 85
| —
| —
| —
| The Showstoppers
|
"Inside Your Heaven"
| 2
| 1
| —
| —
| —
| Inside Your Heaven
|
"Vehicle"
| —
| 82
| —
| —
| —
|
2006
| "The Real Thing"
| 56
| 33
| 17
| 11
| 17
| The Real Thing
|
"U Make Me Better"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
2007
| "Blades of Glory"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| Blades of Glory
(soundtrack)
|
"Witness"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| See the Light
|
"—" denotes the single failed to chart or not released
|
References
- Songfacts interview with Bo Bice from Songfacts
- 100 Celebrities Arrested For Drug Possession from PopCrunch.com
- "Idol" Finalist Dodged Cocaine, Pot Raps from ''The Smoking Gun''
- 'Idol' Singer Bo Bice Has Drug Rap Sheet, Court Papers Show from MTV.com
- http://top40.about.com/od/americanidol/a/bobicewedding.htm Bice married Fisher
- http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1131843,00.html
- http://www.usmagazine.com/american-idol-bo-bice-and-wife-welcome-baby-boy Caleb James
- [1]{{Dead link|date=March 2008}}
- usa today 6/30/2005
- msnbc
- foxes on idol
- Bo Bice out of Radio Music Awards - UPI.com
- http://www.cmt.com/pictures/bo-bice/photo-gallery/1933909/1904639/artist_photo.jhtml
- SEMissourian
- MTV'' May, 2007
- Exclusive Interview: Bo Bice, former 'American Idol'
- Southern Fried Magazine'' August 1, 2007