Singer Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. wins ‘America’s Got Talent’
September 14, 2011 10:28PM
Singer Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. gets $1 million and a Las Vegas show as the winner of “America’s Got Talent” on NBC.
Updated: November 10, 2011 10:22AM
Soulful vocalist Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. sang his way to victory on “America’s Got Talent.”
The mellow singer from Logan, W.Va., took the crown on Wednesday, scoring $1 million and a Las Vegas headlining contract. He beat three other finalists on the season-ending broadcast of the NBC talent competition.
The 36-year-old Murphy — whose inspirational backstory brought him from an auto dealer’s car wash to a national stage — got to perform on the show with Patti LaBelle.
The other finalists had starry collaborators as well.
The Oakland, Calif., teenage rock band PopLyfe jammed with Stevie Wonder. Team iLuminate, whose dancing performers equip themselves with wearable wireless lighting systems, shared the stage with Cobra Starship. The Silhouettes, a shadow-dancing troupe of youngsters from Arvada, Colo., reshaped themselves to LeAnn Rimes.
And last summer’s sensation, the operatic Jackie Evancho, who took second place but won a big career and fame, returned for a soaring encore.
Murphy will headline at Caesars Palace next month, with the other three finalists also on the bill.
Sun-Times wires
