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Neal E. Boyd | |
|---|---|
 Boyd signing an autograph | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1975-11-18)November 18, 1975 Sikeston, Missouri |
| Died | June 10, 2018(2018-06-10) (aged 42) Sikeston, Missouri |
| Genres | Operatic pop,classical crossover |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2008–2018 |
| Labels | Decca (2009–2018) |
Neal Evans Boyd (November 18, 1975 – June 10, 2018) was an American singer who developed an interest in opera after listening to the performances of theThree Tenors. Despite being raised in conditions of poverty within the U.S. state ofMissouri, he achieved a degree in music and eventually entered thethird season ofAmerica's Got Talent, winning that year's competition. In addition to music, he also became involved in politics and conducted performances at many state-wide events across Missouri.
Boyd died in June 2018, following complications brought on in his battle againstliver disease. His funeral included tributes to his performance, including clips from his participation onAmerica's Got Talent.
Boyd was born inSikeston, Missouri, in 1975 and grew up there. His father is black, and his mother is white. Boyd and his brother were raised solely by their mother and subsequently endured poverty conditions.[1] Boyd discovered operatic music in junior high school when his older brother was doing a school project involving classical music and brought home a CD of theThree Tenors. Boyd was so taken by the trio that he started learning to sing inLuciano Pavarotti's andPlácido Domingo's operatic styles. Boyd graduated fromSikeston High School in May 1994, where he was senior class president.[2][3]
Boyd earned a bachelor's degree in speech communications fromSoutheast Missouri State University inCape Girardeau, Missouri (May 2001), a bachelor's degree in music from theUniversity of Missouri School of Music inColumbia, Missouri (May 2001),[3] continued his studies atthe New England Conservatory of Music and later earned a master's degree in management from the onlineUniversity of Phoenix.[4][5] Boyd was president of the Student Senate at Southeast Missouri State University,[6] where he was also a member ofLambda Chi Alpha fraternity.[7] While in college, Boyd interned at the state capitol inJefferson City, Missouri.[8]
After teaching music for the 2001–2002 school year in his hometown of Sikeston, Boyd attended theNew England Conservatory of Music inBoston to study opera.[3][9] This led to a role as the slave "York" inMichael Ching's World Premier Opera "Corps of Discovery, A Musical Journey," commissioned byUniversity of Missouri.[citation needed]
While working as an insurance salesman in the spring of 2008, Boyd drove to Chicago without telling his mother or best friend, and stood in line with 20,000 people auditioning forAmerica's Got Talent.[citation needed] For his initial audition, Boyd performedBilly Joel’s "New York State of Mind", then followed it up withCeline Dion andAndrea Bocelli’s "The Prayer".[10]
Boyd began appearing in national commercials weeks before the season started in June. During his time in Los Angeles, Boyd lived in the Sheraton Universal Hotel. He went to work each day atCBS Studio Center, located in theStudio City district of Los Angeles in theSan Fernando Valley.[citation needed]
Boyd later sang "Nessun dorma" in front of anAGT audience, which the crowd stood and cheered midway through.[citation needed] The judges advanced him toLas Vegas. On October 1, 2008, five contestants remained: Boyd, piano player Eli Mattson, violin duoNuttin' But Stringz, classical music vocalist Donald Braswell and soul singer Queen Emily. The audience was filled with Boyd's friends and family (some of whom were watching at home), the other finalists (Top 5 and Top 10), and 12.5 million people were watching the live broadcast.[citation needed]
Boyd performed "Nessun dorma" again to end the season, after being announced the winner. His heroPlácido Domingo congratulated Boyd via video, saying: "By taking part inAmerica's Got Talent, you have brought to America's earsopera."[citation needed]
| Week | Theme | Song choice | Original artist/composer | Performance order | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Inspiration | "Nessun dorma" | Puccini | Final (Episode 1) | Advanced |
| Vegas Verdicts | Classical Singers | "Unchained Melody" | Todd Duncan | Advanced | |
| Top 40 | Group 1 | "Somewhere" | Leonard Bernstein | 10 | Advanced |
| Top 20 | Group 1 Heroes | "Mama" | Il Divo | 7 | Advanced |
| Top 10 | Inspirations | "All by Myself" | Eric Carmen | 8 | Advanced |
| Top 5 | Finals | "Nessun dorma" | Puccini | 3 | Winner |
Boyd was awarded the $1-million prize and a headline show at theMGM Grand Las Vegas hosted byJerry Springer.[11]
In October 2008, his hometown declared the month of October "Neal E. Boyd Month".[12] Two months later, he was a special guest performer on NBC's holiday special “Christmas in Rockefeller Center."[13] and later signed toDecca Records and released his debut album,My American Dream, on June 23, 2009 (the day of AGT'sseason 4 premiere). It debuted at No. 195 on theBillboard 200 and No. 3 on theTop Classical Albums Chart.[citation needed] In July 2009, Boyd then went on a ten-city tour from Dallas to D.C. with Britain’s Got Talent winner Paul Potts[10] and was a guest performer on several television shows, includingToday andLive with Regis and Kelly.[citation needed]
In 2010, he headlined a secondLas Vegas show at theLas Vegas Hilton, which also included other performers from the AGT's third season, like Eli Mattson,Kaitlyn Maher, Queen Emily and Nuttin' But Stringz.[14] His dressing room was the dressing room of Elvis Presley. On March 10 of that year, Boyd performed for U.S. PresidentBarack Obama while he visited Missouri.[15][16] He also performed for PresidentsGeorge W. Bush,Bill Clinton andGeorge H. W. Bush.[citation needed]
Boyd was the co-owner of Cox & Boyd Insurance Solutions, an insurance agency with locations in St. Louis andSikeston, Missouri, and the vice president of sales for Voluntary Benefit Services, also located in St. Louis.[citation needed]
In addition to music, Boyd was motivated throughout his life by public service and community involvement. After performing for PresidentsGeorge H. W. Bush,Bill Clinton,George W. Bush andBarack Obama, Boyd also sang for seven governors.[citation needed]
Beginning in 1996, he was among the young people who worked for eight-term congressmanBill Emerson and then for congresswomanJoAnn Emerson. He sang at Emerson's funeral that year.[citation needed]
In 1998, Boyd was selected for the Missouri Legislative Internship Program and moved to Jefferson City where he worked for State RepresentativePaula Carter. He was elected Speaker of the House in the interns’ legislative session.[citation needed]
In 2000, he sang at the memorial service for former Missouri GovernorMel Carnahan, who died in a plane crash during hisU.S. Senate run against then senator and laterU.S. Attorney GeneralJohn Ashcroft, whom he later worked for when he was a senator at the time.[10]
In 2003, he was a guest of the Emerson family and part of the delegation and ceremonial opening of the new $100 millionBill Emerson Memorial Bridge. He sang the national anthem at the ceremony, and afterwards was one of the first Missourians to cross the new bridge in the parade that followed.[citation needed]
In 2005, he sang the National Anthem at the inauguration of Missouri GovernorMatt Blunt, who appointed Boyd to two of Missouri's commissions: the Workforce Development Board and the Training and Employment Council.[citation needed]
He ran for a seat in theMissouri House of Representatives in 2012,[17] but lost toDemocratSteve Hodges by 66 to 34%.[18] On August 28, 2012, Boyd performedLee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." at theRepublican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.[19]
On September 5, 2013, Boyd announced that he would again seek to be elected to the Missouri House of Representatives from the 149th district in 2014. He was defeated in the August 2014 Republican primary by Don Rone, who won the seat in the November general election.[citation needed]
Various Missouri state and local officials nicknamed Boyd "The Voice of Missouri" due to his appearances at many prominent statewide events.[20]
Boyd donated to many charitable causes, and created a permanent legacy at his alma mater,Southeast Missouri State University. In 2015, to celebrate his education and experience and to support future students, he created the Neal E. Boyd Endowed Scholarship in Performing Arts. The scholarship is awarded annually to a student majoring in performing arts who meets a GPA requirement and demonstrates financial need. Preference is given to students involved in leadership activities such as Greek Life and the Student Government Association. As an alumnus Boyd was a recipient of the university's "Distinguished Service Award."[21]
On the night of June 10, 2018, Neal E. Boyd died at the age of 42 at his mother's home inSikeston, due to a combination ofheart failure andkidney failure, compounded byliver disease according to a spokesperson from theScott County coroner's office.[22][23]
The following day,NBC said in a statement viaAmerica's Got Talent: "We are very saddened to hear that one of our 'AGT family members', Neal E. Boyd, has passed away. Our hearts are with Neal’s loved ones during this difficult time." Former AGT JudgePiers Morgan expressed his sadness at the news, sharing a photo of him on Twitter with Boyd following his win on the third season and writing: "Very sad to hear...(He was a) Lovely guy with a wonderful voice."[citation needed]
A private funeral was held on June 15, 2018. On June 17, ten years after Boyd auditioned forAGT, theSoutheast Missourian newspaper published an editorial titled "Neal Boyd blessed us all with his God-given talent." It concluded with: "Boyd lived a short life, but he left behind a legacy of making the most of his God-given talent through hard work, dedication and passion. He used his gifts to inspire and lift others and will be greatly missed."[24]
A complete obituary ran in theSoutheast Missourian on November 10, 2018[25] and an obituary ran in theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch the following day[26] just ahead of the public memorial service. On November 18, on what would have been Boyd's 43rd birthday, friends and family gathered for a public memorial inside Academic Hall on the campus ofSoutheast Missouri State University. The celebration included testimony from the former Missouri lieutenant governorPeter Kinder, a video clip of Boyd fromAmerica's Got Talent, music from his albums, a live performance, personal stories, and an audio recording he made about what he would want to say to family and friends if he had to say goodbye.[27]
In February 2019,Britain's Got Talent winnerPaul Potts reminded viewers about the legacy of Boyd, after his performance of "Nessun dorma" onAmerica's Got Talent: The Champions. HostTerry Crews said: "Now, Paul, I understand you have someone really special you'd love to dedicate your performance to tonight." Potts replied: "There is anAmerica’s Got Talent winner that isn’t here tonight: Neal E. Boyd. Like me, he came on as an underdog, he gave his all (gave us all his story) and he won (with his heart), and one thing you could never take away is the fact that he is a champion. He is a winner."[28]
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Class | US Heat | Year End Class | |||
| 2009 | My American Dream[29]
| 195 | 3 | 10 | 29 |
|
| Year | Single | Peak | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | |||
| 2009 | "God Bless the U.S.A."[citation needed] | – | My American Dream |
| Preceded by | America's Got Talent winner Season 3 (Summer 2008) | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
