Gedeon Luke McKinney (4460) (born October 1, 1988) was the 13th place semi-finalist in the fifth season of American Idol. He comes from Memphis, Tennessee, but the Memphis auditions had to be canceled due to relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina that were taking place in Memphis. He was so poor that his school let him administer a concert, and the students paid USD$2.00 to get in, so he could enter the contest in another city. He auditioned in Chicago, and made it through the first rounds and eventually was one of the top 24 contestants. He was not given enough votes to enter the top 12, and was voted off. During the course of the show, Gedeon was famed for his almost permanent wide smile. |Gedeon McKinney’s father Tony McKinney, an R&B singer who made an album “Love Me Right.” died in December, 2005. “Hollywood is a place he always dreamed of going and I am living out my father’s legacy, and I really thank God for that”. Gedeon has three sisters and three brothers.
Article, February 17, 2006 An ‘Idol’ dream is real for Yo! teen at commercialappeal.com |March 11, 2006 Reality TV Magazine, article |Unofficial Gedeon McKinney Fan Site |American Idol - Contestants: Gedeon McKinney |Gedeon McKinney - TWoP Forums |Article, “McKinney honored by City Council” (March 22, 2006) |Shout (The Isley Brothers) |A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke) |When A Man Loves a Woman (Percy Sledge) - Eliminated 03/09/06 |
