Venue owners not astonished at Suddeth's success Mike Wild, manager of CiCi's Pizza in Fort Oglethorpe, must chuckle when he ponders the sudden success of his weekend employee, Lauren alaina Suddeth.
"Now I've thoughts like, 'I could possibly have asked the subsequent 'American Idol' to brush crumbs up up and running," he joked.
scotty mccreery and lauren alainaWild is among several local venue managers isn't Lauren alaina Suddeth before she had become the female front-runner on Season 10 of "American Idol." They knew the 16-year-old before she shared a spontaneous duet with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, before she sang weekly in 26 million homes.
Suddeth advanced last week for the fourth and final Hollywood Round of "American Idol," that may air Wednesday at 8 p.m. on Fox. The Top 20 semifinalists is going to be revealed Thursday night.
Suddeth, daughter of Kristy and J.J. Suddeth of Rossville, honed her talent on stages from North Georgia to Nashville's Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.
She sang every Wednesday night for four years at Magoo's on Ringgold Road until she qualified for that Hollywood round on "AI." She has also performed at Sing It or Wing It in downtown Chattanooga.
Suddeth was the 1st winner with the WinnieStar youth talent contest at Lake Winnepesaukah last year.
"She were built with a very mature stage presence on her behalf early age," recalls Talley Green, Lake Winnie spokeswoman. "It was clear she was going places; we just couldn't know it could be 'American Idol.'"
Jason Phibbs, owner of Acoustic Cafe in Ringgold, Ga., said Suddeth sang in his venue a half-dozen times before she appeared on "American Idol."
lauren alaina and scotty mccreery"We didn't know she was auditioning in Nashville. Her last show was prior to Christmas, and we knew something was up, but they were really tight-lipped," said Phibbs.
Phibbs confirmed rumors that an "AI" crew have been to his cafe to tape a segment following the teen went to Hollywood.
Phibbs said he booked Suddeth last year after her dad started in and asked him to allow the teen sing. He listened to her CDs, asked if she could draw onlookers, then gave her an attempt.
"She created about 100 friends," he was quoted saying. "I think it is incredible she was 15," he explained of her performance.
Backing her on four of these gigs at Acoustic Cafe was 25-year-old guitarist Josh Pettyjohn, in addition to Suddeth's dad on guitar.
"She's got a great personality along with a great voice to choose it," said Pettyjohn. "She could work onlookers. I do think she's an excellent performer for her age. No matter what the design and style; she could execute a wide array of music."
Wild agrees Suddeth can wow a crowd. He watched her work a floor while you're on the position at CiCi's.
"She was always singing around the store, even when stocking the salad bar," he was quoted saying. "People noticed her."
Although Suddeth hasn't worked there since "American Idol" began airing, Wild said customers still can be found in hoping they may have a peek in the teen singer.
"There's not really a day passes by that somebody doesn't question her. She's a particular girl," Wild said.