Chuck Adams' Goo Goo Dolls Cover Gets Standing Ovation From AGT Audience — and His Mom
A truly unique rendition during Night 5 of Season 20 Auditions.
Singer Chuck Adams had the audience in thrall during the fifth episode of Auditions for Season 20 of America's Got Talent, singing a heartbreaking and soulful rendition of a well-known song as he attempts to bring his career to the next level. From the reactions he saw, it seems like it's working.
Though technically a solo artist, Adams is really in a two-person team with his devoted mother, Betty, his number one fan, who easily recruited Simon Cowell to his fanbase with her friendliness and unwavering support for her son. Watching them together, it's easy to see why Adams never quit pursuing his passion, even when things looked rough over the years.
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Backstage, Betty told Host Terry Crews that she's been supportive of her son's singing career "ever since he was about 8 years old," and before he took the stage, she made a beeline for the Judges' table so she could meet Cowell, telling him confidently, "I'm Betty. My son Chuck is here. He's performing." By the time Adams got to the mic, the pair were fast friends, with Cowell quipping, "Nice to meet you. Actually I already know a little bit about you. Because I know your mum."
How Chuck Adams dealt with a failed record deal
"I’ve been singing my whole adult life. Have I let my dream go, as far as, being an artist? Maybe. That’s what this opportunity is about for me. To see if there’s still a chance for this guy," he explained backstage, telling the AGT crowd, "This thing started as a child. Went quickly to a record deal that went South, as a lot of them do. I just kept going and the next thing you know it’s 10, 12 years later... My mother... has been asking me to do this show for a decade at least," to which Judge Sofía Vergara added, "because she's friends with Simon."
Now 40 years old, Adams used his many years of experience to create the performance of a lifetime on one of the biggest stages in America.
Chuck Adams elevated a 90s classic
For his AGT audition, Adams played the acoustic guitar and sang "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls. Originally written for the 1998 Nicolas Cage/Meg Ryan film City of Angels, the song explores the intense vulnerability of having only one person really understand you. In the case of Adams, it's easy to read a second meaning. After years of working on his career, when he sings, "I just want you to know who I am," perhaps he's also singing about wanting the world to notice his talent.
The performance earned him an immediate standing ovation, including from his beaming mother. "Okay Chuck! You weren’t messing around, were you? How did that feel?" asked Cowell. "It felt great," responded Adams.
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"I really like you. I like your vibe. There’s a vibe about you that’s kind of this relaxed, maybe it’s the fact that you’re turning 40 years old, you been doing it and you know who you are more than when you had your record deal," added Judge Howie Mandel.
In classic Mel B. fashion, she gave Adams a note along with her praise, telling him, "great performer, great singer, great guitar player, but I think today, nerves threw you off. There’s so much more that I know you can give. But I mean, you had me at the first strumming of your guitar. Just saying." Vergara said, "I feel like you can go very far in this competition."
Finally, Cowell told him, "If this as about giving you confidence, this absolutely worked. You have a presence about you. You can reinterpret a song in a way that we’ve never heard before...Because you don’t have to worry about your voice or your stage presence, because you got that. I like you."