A decade after ‘Idol’, Milwaukee native thriving
“American Idol” champions and stars have come and gone. “Idol” itself went away for two years.
But a decade after his fateful audition for the singing competition show, Milwaukee native Danny Gokey is achieving new milestones.
Last year’s “Rise” — Gokey’s second album to debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian albums chart — earned Gokey his first Grammy nomination this year. He recently signed a deal with Capitol Records, joining a roster that includes Paul McCartney and Katy Perry. He’s filming a promising pilot for a reality show.
And after being a supporting act on tours for Sugarland and TobyMac, Gokey is finally headlining his own 30-city tour this fall — which brings him back to his hometown Wednesday at the Pabst Theater. “This is the biggest undertaking I’ve ever done. There are hundreds and hundreds of dollars in overhead,” Gokey said. “We’ve got three buses and a semi. … We’re spending $60,000 just on the fuel. It’s nerve-racking, but I don’t let that weigh me down. It’s what God has called me to do.”
A truck driver and a music director at Faith Builders International Ministries, Gokey auditioned for Season 8 of “Idol” in August 2008, just four weeks after his wife, Sophia, died during an operation related to a lifelong heart condition. An “Idol” fan, Gokey said his wife had urged him to audition for the show before she passed.
“She didn’t let any limitations be put on her life,” Gokey told the Journal Sentinel in 2009. “That’s what I think about when I sing. I have such a passion to tell people, ‘Get up, get out of your situation that has brought a lot of heartache to you and move on, move forward.’ “
Gokey’s story inspired fans during the 2009 season, a time when “Idol” was still a ratings juggernaut, averaging about 25 million viewers a week. But it was his confident stage presence and soulful, gruff voice that took him all the way to third place. (Adam Lambert took second, and Kris Allen won the season.)
Three days after the arena-packing “Idol” tour came to Milwaukee’s Bradley Center, Gokey announced a record deal with RCA Nashville, which released his debut album “My Best Days” in March 2010.
“I don’t want to just be an entertainer,” Gokey told the Journal Sentinel that month in Nashville, during a grueling day of publicity. “I want to be an entertainer with a cause.”
It was the right idea but the wrong format. Gokey never sang country on “Idol,” and despite a workhard ethic, a No. 4 album debut on the Billboard 200 and an opening slot on a Taylor Swift tour, he was dropped by his label in 2011.
His music career fell into limbo after that, but he reached major milestones in his personal life, marrying Leyicet Peralta in 2012, and becoming a dad in 2013. (The couple have three kids: Danny Jr., 5; Victoria, 3; and Gabriel, 1.)
But Gokey still had some name recognition, a fan base and, of course, talent, leading to a new deal with BMG in 2013, where he rebranded himself as a contemporary Christian music artist.
“The head of (BMG) told me, ‘I don’t know why I’m signing you, Danny, but I believe I’m supposed to do it. Please don’t lose me money,’ ” Gokey said. “There was not a whole lot of confidence.”
But Christian pop and soul was a comfortable fit. His first BMG album, “Hope in Front of Me,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian albums chart in June 2013.
From there came a Spanish-language version of “Hope,” an autobiography by the same name, a Christmas album and “Rise.” The releases recouped their costs, Gokey said, leading to a bidding war that led to the Capitol deal.
“I’m thankful for the last label, but as we grow bigger, we needed bigger teams and stronger teams,” Gokey said.