C. A. Ray
Grant County Herald
When Zach (Johnson) Thomas, Wendell, was a freshman at West Central Area, his solo of “Erie Canal” earned him an award at the regional choir competition. WCA choir director Bryan Poyzer had his best students perform a recital at Barrett’s Roosevelt Hall.
“I really liked the hall and always wanted to perform there again someday,” Thomas said.
Zach Thomas will return to Roosevelt Hall on Saturday evening, April 8.
Following graduation from WCA in 2012, and a year at NDSU, Thomas competed in the Fargo Star singing competition and took second place.
“I dropped out of NDSU and decided to give music a serious try,” he said. “It seemed like the right thing to do.”
He auditioned for “American Idol” at a cattle call in Minneapolis the fall of 2014 and sang his way through round after round to the televised Judge’s Round. Keith Urban was one of three judges that passed him on to the next round, and was so impressed he invited Thomas to sing with him at an upcoming concert in Sioux Falls, S.D., an experience he will never forget. It jump-started his career.
“If I had any doubts about a career in music, “American Idol clinched it for me,” he said, adding, American Idol is like a crash course in the music business. It gave me a platform right from the start and was the best springboard I could have had at the time. The most important thing I learned is to not let rejection keep you from working hard.”
Since then, Thomas has been plying his trade in bars and festivals throughout the midwest. Along the way, he picked up some valuable advice.
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