It was the support of the students, who call him Mr. Richard, that led Richard Goodall to hop on a plane for the first time in his life to travel to Los Angeles and audition for ‘AGT’
Trae Patton/NBC
Richard Goodall works at a middle school just a few blocks from his home in Terre Haute, Indiana. The 55-year-old, who has been a janitor for 23 years, often sings while on the clock — in part to pass the time but more because of the response he gets from the students and teachers passing by in the halls.
It was the support of the students, who call him Mr. Richard, that led Goodall to hop on a plane for the first time in his life to travel to Los Angeles and audition for “America’s Got Talent.”
“I’m not a fancy person. I take out the trash, I wipe off the tables, I sweep the floors. I’m just having fun and I’m trying to make people happy,” Goodall said in a clip that aired ahead of his “AGT” audition. “The kids would hear me sing and they’d tell me that I’ve got talent. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I got on a plane.”
Since his audition, Goodall’s fanbase has grown — substantially. His audition, featuring a performance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” went viral. To date, it has 24 million views on YouTube. All of his subsequent performances on “AGT” have well over 1 million views on YouTube.
Now, Goodall has won the $1 million prize and a headlining slot in Las Vegas. “AGT” declared him the Season 19 winner at the end of the two-hour season finale Tuesday night.
Here’s a look at Goodall’s run on “AGT” — and how he landed on the show in the first place.
Richard Goodall auditions for ‘AGT’
Goodall was visibly nervous as his time came to perform in front of “AGT” judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara. But after singing just the very first line of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Goodall had the audience on its feet. By the end of the song, he was overcome with emotion as he heard all of the applause and cheers.
“Richard, you are my hero,” Cowell said. “Because that was special, genuinely special. I think America is going to love you.”
Klum went on to give her golden buzzer to Goodall, advancing him straight to the quarterfinals of the competition.
During the quarterfinals, Goodall received high praise for his performance of Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You.”
“I felt your nerves a little bit today, but I also feel the passion that you have when you sing, with every syllable that you sing,” Klum said.
“I think you’re one of the most memorable contestants we’ve had for a long, long time,” Cowell added, telling Goodall he believed the singer had a shot at winning the whole competition.
For the semifinals, Goodall brought an energetic performance of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” to the stage, leading Klum to call it an “epic performance.”
For his final appearance, Goodall brought his time on the show full circle with a performance of another “Journey” song: “Faithfully.” Following the performance, all of the judges declared their desire for the singer to win the entire competition.
“I have been faithfully your biggest fan since the very, very first day we met,” Klum said. “You are such an amazing man. You’re so humble. You’re so kind. You’re also a little bit quiet, but not when you are behind that microphone. Then you are a big rock star. … I want you to win this so bad, Richard.”
Now, Klum’s wish has been fulfilled. But even before being declared the winner, Goodall had already accomplished what he set out to do.
“This was not on my radar to come to California. It’s just a dream come true,” he said during his “AGT” audition.
How Richard Goodall landed on ‘AGT’
This isn’t actually Goodall’s first time auditioning for “AGT.”
The singer tried out for the show 15 years ago but didn’t make it past the preliminary rounds, he told Parade. But Goodall got a second chance when a teacher’s assistant filmed a video of him performing a Journey song at his middle school that went viral on TikTok.
“That was a Thursday afternoon. Friday morning, I’m scrubbing the floor in the first grade, and they approached me and said, ‘Hey, we filmed you and put you on TikTok and it’s got 100,000 views.’ I was like, ‘Is that good?’” Goodall told Parade. “By the end of the weekend, it was in a million. By the time it reached 3 million, Journey and Steve Perry commented. Then Steve Perry, who’s a recluse and doesn’t say much at all, put me on all of his social media. His fans were commenting. Because if he’s on board, then it’s OK. If it was OK with Steve, then it was OK with them.”
A producer saw the video and reached out to Goodall about auditioning for “AGT.” A few months later, Goodall had a plane ticket to California.
Since auditioning for “AGT,” Goodall has drawn comparisons to Susan Boyle, a singer who rose to fame on “Britain’s Got Talent” with her rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream” from “Les Miserables.”
“If you dig a little deeper into Susan, she’s still in her same house. She redid her house but she’s still in the same house and, yes, she’s made quite a big name for herself and she’s worth money, but she still has stayed true to herself,” Goodall told Parade. “I’m along those lines. … Just a few months ago, I was just Mr. Richard, treating the floors, changing the light bulbs, and now it’s kind of different. I’m still at the school and all that, but it’s kind of different.”
Goodall quickly become a fan favorite on “AGT” this season.
“It makes me feel good,” he told TV Insider. “Meaning, I never dreamed that me, and my job, and me singing to the kids would impact the world the way it has. … My life has changed knowing I have inspired people to take small chances.”
| NBC
News
AGT Champion Richard Goodall’s Stunning Admission: He Almost Passed on Auditioning!
Richard Goodall bagged himself the $1 million prize and the hearts of America when he won Season 19 of America’s Got Talent last week, but none of it would have been possible without his wife, Angie Vanoven. The singing school janitor from Terre Haute, Indiana,…
Did Richard Goodall Wow America Enough?
Richard Goodall did it again. On Wednesday night, the Terre Haute school janitor took the “America’s Got Talent” stage and gave us an electric cover of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” telling fans and judges he was ready and willing to…
The Voice’s Most Epic Episodes Ranked: Discover the 10 Best Moments That Defined the Show!
For aspiring singers looking for their shot at stardom, there are plenty of singing competitions to help them get there. Among them is The Voice, which stands out for its unique blind-audition format, in which the show’s judges listen to auditions…
Unbelievable Twists in The Voice Season 26 Episode 2—New Judges, but the Drama Never Changes!
With the Blind Auditions continuing on, the four coaches aim to build their perfect team. The Voice Season 26 has truly been the Snoop Dogg show thus far. Even at the top of Episode 2, the D-O-Double-G gets a special entrance, walking out like…
The Voice’s Top 10 Battle Rounds: The Most Intense Moments That Left Fans Breathless!
Since it first set out to present a different kind of singing competition, one in which contestants’ auditions are judged on their voice alone, NBC’s The Voicehas introduced its audience to a number of incredible singers. The show’s panel of four…
The Surprising Journey of This ‘Voice’ Coach Who Rejected the Show 15 Times—Here’s What Happened!
Apart from shaking up its customary Monday and Tuesday back-to-back airings to accommodate the U.S. election debates, the premiere of The Voice Season 26 also saw the emergence of new coaches on the reality compeition series, with Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé joining fan favorites Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani in the coaches’…
End of content
No more pages to load