George Clayton Huff, Jr. (born November 4, 1980) is an American singer. He placed first among male contestants and overall fifth-place finalist on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol.
Biography Huff is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana. Huff auditioned for the third season of American Idol in Houston, Texas; he was a member of the fourth group of semi-finalists. He was actually not among those originally chosen for the semi-final round, but was put through when contestant Donnie Williams was disqualified for a drunk driving arrest.
American Idol Huff was not voted through to the final round from his group of semi-finalists, but got another second chance when he was brought back for the wildcard round and put through as a finalist by contest judge Simon Cowell. During this period, New Orleans Fox Affiliate WVUE would hold specials including Huff's family cheering George on during the latest episodes.
On May 5, 2004, Huff was voted off in fifth place after two renditions of Fred Astaire's "Cheek to Cheek" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" during big band week.
American Idol performances Week/ThemeDate SungSong SungArtistStatusSemi-finals[N/A]March 2, 2004"Always and Forever"HeatwaveEliminatedWild Card[N/A]March 9, 2004"Lean on Me"Bill WithersSelectedTop 12Soul weekMarch 16, 2004"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"Otis ReddingSafeTop 11Country weekMarch 23, 2004"I Can Love You Like That"John Michael MontgomerySafeTop 10Motown weekMarch 30, 2004"Ain't Too Proud to Beg"The TemptationsSafeTop 9Elton JohnApril 6, 2004"Take Me to the Pilot"Elton JohnSafeTop 8Cinema April 14, 2004"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" - from "Against All Odds"Phil CollinsSafeTop 7Barry ManilowApril 20, 2004"Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again"Barry ManilowSafeTop 6Gloria EstefanApril 27, 2004"Live for Loving You"Gloria EstefanBottom 2Top 5Big band weekMay 4, 2004"Cheek to Cheek""What a Wonderful World"Fred AstaireLouis ArmstrongEliminated
After Idol His album, Miracles, was released by Word Records, on October 11, 2005. The first single off that album was "Brighter Day". It sold 18,000 copies.
In 2005, his Louisiana home was affected by Hurricane Katrina. He left New Orleans and stayed at his brother's house in Dallas.Walker, Dave. "Huff on Hope: Displaced by the storm, George Huff is still going strong." New Orleans Times-Picayune. June 9, 2006. His recent performances have included an October 2006 concert at West Virginia University"American Idol Finalist Huff to perform at West Virginia University". US Fed News. October 10, 2006. and a December 2006 Christmas show in Salinas, California.Mel, Claudia. "Idol active in Salinas." Monterey County Herald. December 9, 2006. He also had a recent brief performance at New York's Dr. Susan S. Mckinney Secondary School for the Arts on November 10, 2008.
In 2007 Huff's song "Brighter Day" was briefly featured in Tyler Perry's movie "Why Did I Get Married?" starring Janet Jackson.
On April 7, 2009 George Huff released his self-titled sophomore effort, featuring the songs "I Belong To You(Yours)", "Victory", "Free", "Destiny" (featuring Coko of SWV and Tasha Collins from the first season of BET's Sunday Best) and the lead single "Don't Let Go".
On March 24, 2011, Huff performed as a back-up singer to longtime friend and fellow Idol alum Jennifer Hudson during the third week of finals on the tenth season of American Idol, where she performed her current album's lead single, "Where You At." Huff has been singing background vocals for many of Hudson's live performances since then, and works as her vocal arranger for live performances.
Discography
Albums Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications(sales threshold) USChrist USGospel USHeat 2004 My Christmas EP! – 8 43 US sales: 19,000Idol Chatter 01-10-2008 2005 Miracles 30 8 21 US sales: 29,000 2009 George Huff – – – US sales: 4,000Idol Chatter 01-15-2010 "The best-selling Idol albums from 2009" "—" denotes releases that did not chart
Singles Go Tell It on the Mountain A Brighter Day Miracles You Know Me (Number 32 Hot Gospel Songs) Don't Let Go
Notes
External links George Huff American Idol profile