Nightline Playlist: Chris Daughtry

Sept. 7, 2007 — -- North Carolina native and "American Idol" alum Chris Daughtry started to take singing seriously at the age of 16, when he became a performer with various high school rock bands.

His first public appearance was a performance of "Achy Breaky Heart" at his grandfather's bar, and in high school he appeared in two stage productions: "The Wiz" and "Peter Pan."

Daughtry has since moved on, swapping bars and high school stages for sold-out arenas. He's now an established rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and the lead vocalist of Daughtry, a band he formed in 2006 after coming in fourth on the highly publicized fifth season of "Idol."

His stint on the incredibly popular Fox show is not the first time Daughtry tried his luck on a reality TV talent competition. In 2005, he auditioned for the CBS signing contest, "Rock Star: INXS," but did not make the cut for the actual filming of the show.

Not to be discouraged, Daughtry auditioned for "American Idol" in Denver. With his rendition of the Boxtops' "The Letter," he was portrayed as a young rocker with Southern and hard rock influences.

Daughtry passed the audition, but not unanimously: He was approved by Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, and denied by the less than gracious Simon Cowell, who found Daughtry to be "robotic."

Cowell's concerns would be dismissed as Daughtry blew away the competition, delivering performance after electrifying performance. Shock swept "Idol" fans across the country on May 10, 2006, when Ryan Seacrest announced that Daughtry had been eliminated.

His exit caused such a stir that Ellen Degeneres jokingly asked President Bush and former President Clinton, when they appeared on her show, whether they had a solution to what was considered a grave mistake on the part of "American Idol."

However, his surprising exit did not hinder his career. Daughtry received an offer to become Fuel's lead singer, but he declined.

After leaving "Idol," his band's self-titled debut album sold more than 1 million copies after just five weeks of release, becoming the fastest selling debut rock album of all time.