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All Music Guide:
Phil Stacey's first appearance on the sixth season of American Idol was a memorable one, as it was revealed that the Navy officer was missing the birth of his second daughter in order to audition for the show in Memphis. It was a memorable introduction to the American public, presenting the Jacksonville, FL, native in a very appealing light. Of course, it helped that Stacey -- age 29 at the start of the show in 2007 -- had one of the strongest backstories of any of the Top 24 contestants. The son of a pastor, he had been singing in church since childhood and continued to pursue music as an adult, taking lessons while he was in college at Lee University. He married his wife, Kendra, who gave birth to their daughters Chloe and Machaela (the latter being born the week of his AmIdol audition), and he supported his family as a Naval officer, remaining on active duty as he appeared on the TV show.
While he was in the Navy, he regularly sang and appeared in Navy-sponsored music events, including an American Idol-styled competition that he won. Encouraged by a friend, he auditioned for the show and made it from the Memphis rounds to Hollywood, where he eventually made it into the Top 24 (the Navy reassigned him to California so he could compete). The first week on the show, Stacey sang Edwin McCain's "I Could Not Ask for More," which judge Randy Jackson proclaimed as "hot!," elaborating that Stacey gave the best performance of the guys that week. The second week brought a performance of John Waite's "Missing You," which was praised by Jackson and fellow judge Paula Abdul, as well as the show's voting public.
Stacey truly hit his stride during country week, which set the stage for his subsequent career as a recording artist. Following Idol, he signed with Lyric Street Records and began working on an album, the first single from which -- "If You Didn't Love Me" -- was released to country stations early in 2008. His self-titled debut followed in April. Stacey toured in support of the album and returned to the studio several months later, where he chose to focus on his Christian upbringing instead of the Nashville-influenced sounds of his debut. Released in August 2009, Into the Light fused religious themes with pop/rock songwriting.
Wikipedia:
Joel Philip "Phil" Stacey (born January 21, 1978) is an American singer who first gained national attention on season 6 of the television talent show American Idol. After being eliminated from the competition on May 2, 2007, he was signed to a recording contract with Lyric Street Records. His debut single, "If You Didn't Love Me", was released to radio in early 2008 as the lead-off to his self-titled debut album, which was issued April 29, 2008 on Lyric Street. Stacey's second album, Into the Light, was released on August 25, 2009 via Reunion Records.
Life and career
Stacey was born in Harlan County, Kentucky. His mother, Adrell Horn, was born in Madison County, Kentucky and works as a nurse in Smyrna, Tennessee. His father, Gary Stacey, is a Church of God (Cleveland) minister who pastors a church. Both of Stacey's grandfathers, Carlie Horn and E.T. Stacey, were also Church of God pastors. Stacey grew up in Fairfield, Ohio and began singing in church. In 2006, he served as the music minister for First Coast Christian Center in Jacksonville, Florida. His father in law, Mark McIntosh pastors a church in Shawnee Oklahoma called Evangelistic center church. He currently resides in Hendersonville, Tennessee with his wife Kendra and their two daughters, Chloe and McKayla.
Stacey graduated from Wichita Northwest High School in Wichita, Kansas in 1997. He attended Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. He holds a degree in vocal performance from Lee, where he was a member of one of its auditioned choirs, Lee Singers, and part of that choir's internally selected traveling ensemble, Second Edition. He was eliminated from American Idol along with Chris Richardson in the top six results episode; no one had been eliminated the week before.
Albums
In late 2007, Stacey signed to a recording contract with Lyric Street Records. His first single "If You Didn't Love Me" was released to country radio on January 7, 2008 and peaked at number 28 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. It was written by Jason Sellers, Wendell Mobley, and Rascal Flatts' lead vocalist Gary LeVox. His self-titled debut album was released in April 2008. Stacey also released a promotional single entitled "Old Glory" in July, and parted ways with Lyric Street soon afterward.
On January 28, 2009, Stacey signed to Reunion Records, a Christian music label. His first album for the label, Into the Light, was released on August 25. It has sold 18,000 copies so far.
