I remember writing back in 2006, during season five of American Idol , that I was worried Elliott Yamin would get voted off the show too early. Though he almost always displayed impressive vocal skills, he lacked the stage presence of more seasoned performers like Chris Daughtry and Taylor Hicks. I needn’t have worried. Though Elliott did not win Idol that year, he became the “Rocky” of that season. He and his fans were determined that he “go the distance.” Ultimately, Elliott lasted one week longer than Chris Daughtry, finishing in third place.
Now, with the Idol experience behind him, Elliott has just released his second album of new material (he has also released two Christmas albums). The album, Fight For Love , was released on May 5th. His first album, Elliott Yamin , peaked at number three on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, spawning a
Noted session keyboardist and producer Barry Beckett, who had worked with some of the biggest and brightest stars in the rock, blues, soul, and country music worlds, passed away on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 in his Hendersonville, Tennessee home following complications from a stroke. Beckett was 66 years old at the time of his death. Beckett made a name for himself during the late-1960s as keyboardist for the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, known as the "Swampers." Working in the Fame Recording Studio, and later in the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio that was opened by the Swampers, Beckett lent his keyboard skills to recordings by artists as diverse as bluesmen John Hammond, Otis Rush, and Albert King; R&B greats Etta James, Lowell Fulson, and Wilson Pickett; and folk and rock artists such as Odetta and Bob Dylan. During the early-80s, Beckett moved to Nashville and behind the
![Houston Bluesman \](http://sonseals.com/photos/1048/.jpg "Houston Bluesman \")
