Chris Daughtry

Chris Daughtry is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who first came to national attention as a finalist on the fifth season of American Idol and went on to front the rock band Daughtry.

Christopher Adam Daughtry was born on December 26, 1979, in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. His father, James Daughtry, worked at a Kerr-McGee paper mill, and his mother, Sandra, was a homemaker. The family moved to Lasker, then to Palmyra, Virginia, where he grew up on a 17-acre property.

He attended Fluvanna County High School, sang in school musicals such as The Wiz, and worked as a service manager at a car dealership while playing in local bands including Absent Element. In 2005 he auditioned for the fifth season of American Idol and finished in fourth place the following spring.

After the show he formed the band Daughtry, whose self-titled 2006 debut album was certified four-times platinum in the United States and produced singles such as It's Not Over and Home. The group followed with the albums Leave This Town, Break the Spell, Baptized, Cage to Rattle, and Dearly Beloved, and toured internationally as a headlining act.

Their name Chris derives from the Greek name Christophoros, meaning bearer of Christ. Chris is widely used as a short form of Christopher in English-speaking countries.