Christopher Adam Daughtry (/ˈdɔːtri/; born December 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and comic book artist.

He is the lead vocalist and a guitarist for the rock band Daughtry, which he formed after placing fourth on the fifth season of American Idol.

Chris Daughtry is the third most successful American Idol contestant in terms of record sales, behind Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood who both won their respective seasons.

Since the band's first album, Chris Daughtry has collaborated with several artists, including Slash, Sevendust, Theory of a Deadman, Chad Kroeger, Brad Arnold, Vince Gill, and Carlos Santana.

He took guitar lessons from blues rock guitarist Matt Jagger at Stacy's Music store in Charlottesville and Mark Ebert from Laurinburg, North Carolina.

[8] Former Daughtry drummer Joey Barnes was at the same audition and made the cut only to drop out of the running due to disagreements regarding the contract.

Daughtry auditioned for American Idol in Denver, Colorado, with The Box Tops' "The Letter"; he was portrayed as a young rocker with Southern and hard rock influences.

He passed the audition by a split decision: approved by Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, disapproved by Simon Cowell.

On March 1, 2006, Daughtry's "raw" performance of Fuel's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" received critical acclaim by all three judges.

Later, he stated the best piece of advice he ever received was, "Don't believe your own hype," a possible nod toward his surprise American Idol elimination.

[14] During the Season Five finale on May 24, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Daughtry performed the song "Mystery" with the band Live.

In a later episode of the show in which Ellen interviewed former presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush, who were collaborating on the Bush-Clinton Katrina fund, she even jokingly asked if anything could be done about Chris Daughtry's elimination.

Chris Daughtry was asked to audition as the lead vocalist for Fuel and, though incredibly flattered, he declined the offer in order to form his own band.

On July 10, 2006, it was announced that Daughtry had signed with 19 Entertainment and RCA Records and began working on an album that was to be released in November.

[citation needed] The album featured Velvet Revolver and former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, who performed the guitar solo on the eventual single "What I Want".

Beginning on March 14, 2007, on every episode of American Idol's sixth season's results show, Daughtry's song "Home" was played every time a participant was knocked out of the competition, as each of the losing contestants was asked to look at their own journeys.

Chris Daughtry made history with its release by becoming the first American Idol alumnus to have two consecutive number one albums.

On July 2, 2009, Daughtry performed an acoustic cover of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" and has received over 25 million views on YouTube.

[23] In a January 2024 interview with Tommy Behnke of The Daily Herald, Daughtry said that he grew tired of producing softer-sounding music at the recommendation of RCA Records that he did not always feel passionate about making.

In 2008, Chris Daughtry provided vocals on a Sevendust track entitled "The Past" on their album Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow.

That same year, Chris Daughtry also provides vocals on the Theory of a Deadman song "By the Way", which is featured on their third album Scars & Souvenirs.

During this time, Chris Daughtry also co-wrote three songs with band Day of Fire for their 2010 album Losing All, including the track "Hello Heartache".

Chris Daughtry also co-wrote the song "Send Me All Your Angels" for American Idol season 8 winner Kris Allen's debut album.

[31][32][33] In a segment on the 2006 season of American Idol (before singing "Broken" by Seether), Daughtry revealed that he is balding and made the decision to shave his head completely in order to retain an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

"[36] Daughtry and fellow Idol contestant Ace Young have been friends since they met at the show's Denver auditions, and even periodically shared an apartment as finalists.

"[37] Ryan Seacrest had also dubbed them "the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon of the season" when the two were placed in the "bottom 2" together upon Young's elimination.

[40][41] Chris Daughtry's musical influences include Creed, Bush, Live, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Journey, Bon Jovi, and Fuel.

[44] Todd Pettengill stated in a January 2024 interview with The Daily Herald that Daughtry could be considered America’s last rock star.

[24] ^ a: The CD of Daughtry's former band, Absent Element, began to float around the internet during the 2006 season of American Idol.