Melinda Doolittle

From Television Wiki

Melinda Marie Doolittle
Doolittle (left) on the 2007 American Idol LIVE! tour performing with LaKisha Jones (right).
Background information
Birth name	Melinda Marie Doolittle
Born	October 6, 1977 (1977-10-06) (age 34)
Origin	Brentwood, Tennessee
Genre(s)	Gospel Soul R&B Jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer, Backup singer
Years active	1999—present
Label(s)	MPCA (2007-Present) Hi Fi Recordings (2008-Present)
Website	www.melindadoolittle.com

Melinda Marie Doolittle (born October 6, 1977) is an American singer who finished as the third place finalist on the sixth season of American Idol. Prior to her appearance on American Idol, Doolittle worked as a professional back-up singer for, among others, Michael McDonald, Kirk Franklin, Aaron Neville, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Alabama, Jonny Lang, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, and Anointed.

Personal life

Doolittle was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Steve and Marguerite Duke Doolittle, she considers Brentwood, Tennessee to be home; her Homecoming was held there after she made the Top 3 on American Idol Season 6. She graduated from Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1995.^[1] Although she has been singing since the seventh grade, her professional career did not begin until 1999. She was a music major at Belmont University.^[2] Since college, her vocal instruction has been provided by Janet Kenyon. ^[3]

American Idol

Audition

Doolittle first auditioned for American Idol in Memphis, Tennessee. She went down to Memphis with some friends who were auditioning and decided to audition for fun. She sang the song "For Once in My Life", which was popularized by one of her favorite artists, Stevie Wonder. Her audition received positive feedback from all three judges, although they expressed concern about the nerves she had exhibited and told her to believe in herself.

Semi-finals

Doolittle managed to secure herself a spot in the Top 24, who all performed on national television. During her first broadcast performance, Doolittle was highly praised for her rendition of "Sweet Sweet Baby (Since You’ve Been Gone)", by Aretha Franklin. The following week, Doolittle pulled off another winning performance with the song "My Funny Valentine". According to the judges, it was "without question the best vocal of the night.", and it ranked #3 in AOL Top 20 Idol Performances. Simon called the performance "incredible" and Paula called it "just astounding...You phrased that song so beautifully, so differently...I applaud you." For her last semifinal performance, Doolittle attempted the song "I'm a Woman", causing Simon Cowell to call her "a little tiger," continuing: "I thought we had a pussycat." On March 8, 2007, Doolittle made it into the show's Top 12.

Finals

• Week 1 - March 13, 2007 with special guest Diana Ross, Doolittle performed Diana Ross' song Home.
• Week 2 - March 20, 2007 with special guest Lulu, Doolittle sang "As Long As He Needs Me" by Shirley Bassey from the musical Oliver! for Top 11 "British Invasion" week.
• Week 3 - March 27, 2007 with special guest Gwen Stefani, Doolittle made a change of pace and sang an up tempo song called "Heaven Knows" by Donna Summer.
• Week 4 - April 3, 2007, with special guest Tony Bennett, she sang "I Got Rhythm".
• Week 5 - April 10,2007, with special guest Jennifer Lopez, Doolittle sang "Sway".
• Week 6 - April 17, 2007, with special guest Martina McBride, Doolittle sang "Trouble Is A Woman", an up tempo song.
• Week 7 - April 24, 2007 Doolittle sang "There Will Come A Day" by Faith Hill as part of the "Idol Gives Back" special.
• Week 8 - May 1, 2007 She sang "Have a Nice Day" by Bon Jovi.
• Week 9 - May 8, 2007 For her first performance, Doolittle sang "Love You Inside Out", where, for the first time since Top 8 Latin week and only the second time on her run on Idol, she was given only mixed reviews. For her second performance, she sang "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart".
• Week 10 - May 15, 2007. For this week, the contestants had to sing three songs: first, a judge's pick, then, an American Idol producer's pick, and lastly, the contestant's own choice.
  • The first was Randy Jackson's choice: "I Believe in You and Me" by Whitney Houston. All the judges were impressed and Randy complimented that he picked something challenging for Doolittle because he wanted to see how she did, and was proud that she nailed it. He also noted that she "blew it out the box." Simon said that "round one" was hers. All three judges also noted that if she could sing Whitney, she could sing anything.
  • The second song was the producer's choice: "Nutbush City Limits". Again, the judges were impressed. Randy noted it was another strong performance, Paula called her "fantastic," and Simon noted that he loved "that side of her." This performance was unusual because Doolittle, usually known for her shy, humble personality, was shown grabbing the microphone stand like a rocker and showing a Tina Turner attitude that the judges loved.
  • Her final song was her own choice, "I'm a Woman", which she also sang during the Top 16 round. Despite messing up her second line of the lyrics, Doolittle was met with universal praise from all three judges. Simon even felt that if anyone deserved to be in the finale because of delivering week to week, she would be the one.
  • When Ryan Seacrest asked all three judges which contestants they would like to see in the final rounds (Top 2) next week, Randy mentioned he would like to see Doolittle as well as Jordin Sparks. Paula declined to answer, and Simon merely stated that he wanted to see "my girl Melinda."
  • Doolittle was eliminated on May 16, 2007, after nearly 60 million votes were cast, which surprised many critics and observers, especially Simon Cowell. Simon later noted that he would've happily swapped either finalist, Lewis or Sparks, for Doolittle. He stated that he wanted to see one of them against the "big singer," but later suggested that the reason why Doolittle may have been voted off was because Lewis and Sparks were "much younger," and that younger viewers vote more often than older ones.^[4]
• On the night of her elimination, Doolittle was referred to as one of the greatest singers in the history of the show by the judges as well as Ryan Seacrest.
• When former Idol contestants were asked who they thought would win the season on May 10, the vote was almost unanimous: Melinda Doolittle.^[5]
• Finale Night - Along with the other eliminated nine Idol contestants, Doolittle was invited back to perform for the finale. She had a special performance with Bebe and Cece Winans and a moving performance with LaKisha and Gladys Knight singing her classic song Midnight Train To Georgia. She again received a standing ovation from the crowd, as well as all three judges. Notably, Doolittle, Jones and seventh place finisher Sanjaya Malakar were the only finalists besides Lewis and Sparks to have featured performances during the telecast.^[6]

American Idol performances

Post-Idol

Two days after the American Idol Season Finale, Doolittle appeared alongside the other nine top ten contestants on Larry King Live. In an exclusive interview with Good Morning America, Simon Cowell stated that the season six title of American Idol should have rightfully gone to Doolittle.^[7]

Doolittle was part of the American Idols Tour 2007, along with her fellow top 10 contestants. Some of her performances included "Proud Mary", which she sang as a duet with Sanjaya Malakar (joked by many critics to compare 'the best and the worst' of Season 6), Supremes tribute with LaKisha Jones, and a solo rendition of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.

Writer Stephen Holden of The New York Times described Doolittle as a "phenomenally gifted, stylistically adroit [...] Gladys Knight-Tina Turner hybrid [who] brings a compelling honesty to every phrase she sings," and predicted a successful post-Idol career for her.^[8]

President George W. Bush, Laura Bush and guests listen to singer Melinda Doolittle perform Tuesday evening, November 13, 2007 in the East Room of the White House, during a social dinner in honor of America's Promise-The Alliance for Youth.

Doolittle performed the Star-Spangled Banner at Game 5 of the 2007 NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons in May.^[9]

In July 2008, she was part of the Michael W. Smith and friends Caribbean Cruise 2008 as a guest performer. It has been confirmed that Doolittle will be joining Michael W. Smith on his upcoming Christmas tour.^[10] She is also featured with Smith on the song Amazing Love on the soundtrack to Billy: The Early Years w.^[11]

Once a month Doolittle is featured on a web show called "Moments With Melinda" where fans can call and talk to her. Doolittle also took part in the book Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul.

Her first single, "My Funny Valentine" is available (as of February 12, 2008) through Itunes and Amazon MP3 Downloads. Sony BMG is the publisher. Doolittle has stated that she plans to work on a CD, and that it would be "soul music".^[12] It was officially announced on July 29, 2008 that Doolittle has signed with independent label called Hi Fi Recordings and will release her debut CD, Coming Back to You on February 3, 2009.^[13]

Philanthropy

Melinda Doolittle and Laura Bush are greeted by a chorus of singers at the Mututa Memorial Center on June 28, 2007.

In June 2007, Doolittle visited Zambia with Laura Bush and the Malaria No More organization to distribute life-saving bed nets and raise awareness. As part of the trip, she performed with a praise band at the Miracle Life Family Church in Lusaka.

On November 3, 2007, Nicole Lapin interviewed Doolittle for CNN's Young People Who Rock series. ^[14] In the interview she refers to her support for the Malaria No More campaign ^[15] and how donating bed nets can help to eradicate malaria from the African continent. She specifically mentions her supportive fans who have donated bed nets on her behalf at each of the 59 venues of the American Idol tour and who also made a large donation on her birthday.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

1. ↑ TVGuide.com Melinda Dolittle Biography
2. ↑ Belmont Vision - News - Belmont 'Idol' movin' on up
3. ↑ American Idol Season Six Top 24 Contestant Melinda Doolittle
4. ↑ Entertainment - Entertainment News, Music, Movies, TV Listings and more
5. ↑ 'American Idol' Roundtable Redo - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News
6. ↑ Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis face off in `American Idol' finale
7. ↑ ABC News
8. ↑ "TELEVISION; Instant Star, Just Add Hype", The New York Times, May 25, 2007. Accessed April 11, 2008.
9. ↑ http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2007052905
10. ↑ hearitfirst.com
11. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001H02N1Q/ref=dm_mu_dp_trk8?ie=UTF8&qid=1223393246&sr=8-1
12. ↑ GaySocialites.com: We Take Gossip Seriously!
13. ↑ Melinda Doolittle signs with Hi Fi Recordings
14. ↑ Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com
15. ↑ Malaria No More

External links

• Exclusive Interview with Kiwibox.com
• Official site
• Melinda Doolittle at American Idol
• Melinda Doolittle at the Internet Movie Database
• Doolittle's credits on Allmusic
• Doolittle's MySpace site