Former ‘American Idol’ runner-up and Southern rock artist Bo Bice will perform two shows at the Grand Resort Hotel in Pigeon Forge May 13-14. (Photo submitted)
By J.J. KINDRED
J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com
Bo Bice woke up with a big problem to deal with — cicadas.
“They’re all over my truck and they’re all over the side of my studio,” Bice said. “There must be at least 250 to 300 of them. I’m thinking about a new movie, ‘The Bugs,’ like ‘The Birds.’ These things come every 13 years, and I’m not a bug guy.”
Despite his run-in, Bice’s fans haven’t liked him because of his fear of insects.
Bice, 35, is well-known for finishing runner-up to Carrie Underwood on “American Idol,” that launched her into superstardom in country music.
Years after his stint on the ever-popular FOX network phenomenon, he hasn’t done too shabby himself. He released his third album, properly titled “3,” this time last year, and his 2005 debut album, “The Real Thing,” opened at No. 4 on the U.S. charts and later went gold. It was one of the highest-rated debut albums ever for an “American Idol” finalist.
Bice’s second album, “See the Light,” released in 2007, did not enjoy the success of his debut, but still had a solid footing.
A Huntsville, Ala., native, he was born Harold Elwin Bice. He had the nickname of “Bogart” as a newborn by his grandmother because she thought he had what was described as “Humphrey Bogart” eyes. While his family continued to call him “Bogart,” Bice shortened it to “Bo.”
Since his Idol days, not only has Bice performed all over the country and world, he has battled various personal and health issues which he overcame, and is now a father to three boys.
“I’m just blessed to be busy, brother,” Bice said during a telephone interview May 12. “I ain’t complaining about nothing. I got to see the best of both worlds. I got to see Carrie’s dreams come true, and we were friends before we got on the finale. She’s a spectacular person. Truly, there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by that I said, ‘I should have won that show.’
“Someone asked me what I was thinking when I was standing there during the finale, and I thought, ‘Please don’t let me win this thing,’” Bice continued. “Some people it kind of hacked off, they thought why did I vote for this guy if he didn’t want to win? But for me, the purpose of the show was finding untouched talent. I played in bands for 15 years before I went on the show. If I was going to win that sucker, I would have to do what everyone else wanted. That’s the business. I wouldn’t be who I am if they didn’t vote for me. If I had to do it all over again, I would hope and pray for the same outcome. I have everything in the perfect spot that I want it in my life.”
Bice described his music as true Southern rock. “You take a little bit of country, you take a little bit of blues, R&B, and some rock — if you had Otis Redding, Hank Williams Sr. and Stevie Ray Vaughan, that’s Southern rock. That’s what it means to me and always has.
“I don’t want every record to be the same,” Bice continued. “There’s always all kinds of change to where the next one will be something different.”
Bice said he hasn’t been intimidated performing in front of bigger audiences.
“I did my first talent show at age nine, I was never too shy,” Bice said. “You sit there with a guitar and tell your stories through your songs. To be on a stage like ‘Idol’ and after going to stadiums and arenas, we still get the chance to do some big stadiums and arenas a couple of times a year.
“I play at a lot of theaters, and a lot of the theater gigs I love,” Bice continued. “I still long for places where it’s just me and the guitar. I went from playing ‘Freebird’ at an empty bar to a standing-room only stadium that is so packed that you can hardly hear yourself sing.”
So how hard is it to balance a successful music career and be a father of three?
“A prescription of valium!” Bice said with a laugh. “(Kids) change your life. That’s what the true meaning of life is about for me. I’ve tried to live a little bit different, and don’t sweat the small stuff. I try to be my best for every single person on the face of this earth. I was trying everything I could and I got to a point where I was running myself ragged. I said, ‘Lord, I can’t do this anymore.’ It’s all about prioritizing.
“I believe that God has to come first, my family and then my business,” Bice continued. “As long as I keep it in that order, then I will be able to stay out here doing what I love to do at whatever capacity the Lord has me to do it.”
Bice was recently in Los Angeles on tour and travels there frequently. He said he keeps up with his fellow “Idol” contestants and will be going back for the show’s finale in two weeks.
“I keep up with several of my friends,” Bice said. “Constantine Maroulis and I are extremely close. Everyone had us against each other because we were the two rock-and roll guys. I am friends with people on other seasons like Bucky Covington, and Mandisa and I were both in the airport sitting beside each other.
“I keep up with all those folks as much as I can, and I’m proud to be part of the alumni,” Bice continued. “I’m still friends with so many of those who were grips, stagehands, producers — I had every dream answered for me.”
Bice said that people will not be disappointed when they come to see his shows.
“I love being around the south. I always see a great reaction,” Bice said. “I’ve lived all over the state of Alabama, and there’s a soft spot there. Two ‘Idol’ winners came from there — Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks — and I was the runner-up. I guess I’m the loser of the bunch.
“We love to get to come back to Tennessee,” Bice continued. “We just have a lot of fun, and have a lot of energy. It’s going to be acoustic, so it will be my buddy Bart Walker and I. We just have a lot of fun, we cut up and play some good music. Most of all, we are there for our fans and we’re there to have a good time.”
Bo Bice will perform at the Grand Resort Hotel in Pigeon Forge May 13-14 at 8 p.m. For tickets and further information, call (800) 251-4444.
