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Daniel Jay "Danny" Gokey (born April 24th, 1980) was a contestant on Season 8 of American Idol.

Audition[]

Danny auditioned in Kansas City. He sang "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye. All four judges voted "yes", sending him to the next round.

Hollywood Round[]

Danny was shown on the second day of Hollywood Week in the same group of eight as Jamar Rogers singing "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal. Later, Danny was shown in a group with Jamar, Taylor Vaifanua and Moorea Masa singing "Somebody to Love" by Queen a capella. Everyone in their group advanced. During the final day in Hollywood Week, he sang "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack. He was placed in a holding room with his buddy Jamar, Matt Giraud, Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert, Stevie Wright, Jorge Nunez, Lil Rounds, Anoop Desai, Scott MacIntyre and Jackie Tohn among others and the judges revealed that they all advanced. At the judges' mansion, it was revealed that he did enough to advance to the Top 36.

Top 36[]

Danny was shown in Group 1. He sang "Hero" by Mariah Carey. He received the highest number of votes for a male contestant, making him a Top 13 finalist.

Top 13[]

Danny sang "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" by Michael Jackson. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.

Top 11[]

Danny sang "Jesus, Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.

Top 10[]

Danny sang "Get Ready" by The Temptations. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.

Top 9[]

Danny sang "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.

Top 8[]

Danny sang "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King. He received enough to be considered "safe" for another week.

Top 7 [Week 1][]

Danny sang "'Endless Love" by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross. He received enough to be considered "safe" for another week.

Top 7 [Week 2][]

Danny sang "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire. He received enough to be considered "safe" for another week.

Top 5[]

Danny sang "Come Rain or Come Shine" by Willie Nelson. He received enough to be considered "safe" for another week.

Top 4[]

Danny sang "Dream On" by Aerosmith and "Renegade" by Styx in a duet with Kris Allen. He received enough to be considered "safe" for another week.

Top 3[]

Danny sang "Dance Little Sister" by Terence Trent D'Arby (per request of Paula Abdul) and "You Are So Beautiful" by Billy Preston. He received the lowest number of votes that week, eliminating him from the competition.

After the Show[]

Danny received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Christian Album for his studio album Rise, making him the eleventh Idol alum to receive a Grammy nomination. He was nominated again for his album Haven't Seen It Yet two years later.

Trivia[]

  • He is friends with Jamar Rogers.
  • Four weeks prior to auditioning, his wife Sophia Martinez passed away from complications during her third surgery to treat her congenital heart disease. He almost did not audition because of this.
Season 8
Finalists
Kris Allen ยท Adam Lambert ยท Danny Gokey  ยท Allison Iraheta ยท Matt Giraud ยท Anoop Desai ยท Lil Rounds ยท Scott MacIntyre ยท Megan Joy ยท Michael Sarver ยท Alexis Grace ยท Jorge Nunez ยท Jasmine Murray
Semifinalists
Ricky Braddy ยท Tatiana Del Toro ยท Jesse Langseth ยท Von Smith ยท Arianna Afsar ยท Felicia Barton ยท Kendall Beard ยท Ju'Not Joyner ยท Nathaniel Marshall ยท Kristen McNamara ยท Taylor Vaifanua ยท Alex Wagner-Trugman ยท Matt Breitzke ยท Mishavonna Henson ยท Kai Kalama ยท Nick Mitchell ยท Jeanine Vailes ยท Ann Marie Boskovich ยท Casey Carlson ยท Stephen Fowler ยท Brent Keith ยท Jackie Tohn ยท Stevie Wright
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