“There has never been a more deserving person to hold that trophy than Craig Wayne Boyd as far as paying dues,” said Boyd’s coach, Blake Shelton , The Voice.
And Boyd did pay his dues. The season 7 winner of the popular NBC singing competition had a long road to travel before finally winning.
The 35-year-old Boyd has spent the past 11 years trying to launch a successful music career. Boyd was a Texas native before deciding to move to Nashville 10 years ago to work on a career in country music. The road was often bumpy, and Boyd was about to give up being a singer shortly before auditioning for The Voice .
In a press conference shared on USA Today , Boyd commented, “I remember a little more than a year ago sitting in a pickup outside of a club after I had played to basically no one and talking to my drummer and saying, ‘Listen, I may have to quit because it’s not paying my bills and I’m losing my house.’”
It was shortly after that Boyd lost his pickup, and his drummer encouraged Boyd by saying, “ Dude, you can’t do that .”
And I’m sure he’s glad now that he didn’t.
After spending the last 10 years playing approximately 1,000 shows without much success, he decided to audition for The Voice . Boyd reflected in an interview for the show that when he was on stage that very first time, he knew he was “singing for his life.” He was very quickly chosen to be a part of country star Blake Shelton’s team.
While he almost left the show twice after losing knockout rounds, he was stolen by Gwen Stefani, who gave him a more modern look, and then was stolen back by his original coach, Shelton.
Blake understood Boyd’s struggle and commented on it on USA Today by saying, “I know how much he’s put into this competition firsthand, but I’m also aware of how much he’s put into trying to make it as an artist in the music industry and the struggles and the ups and mostly the downs that’s he’s had. All the doors shut in his face, the carpet yanked out from under him…”
Shelton even made a promise to open for Boyd in the future.
Boyd was completely shocked by his win, saying that he “screamed like a girl.” While I’m sure people don’t care to hear him scream again, people enjoyed his versions of Alan Jackson’s “The Old Rugged Cross” and Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line” and are looking forward to hear more of his original songs like the one he performed at the finale last night, “My Baby’s Got A Smile On Her Face.”
What’s his advice for his 2-year-old son as well as those who were like him and wanting to give up others?
“If you do believe in yourself, that you never give up, that you always push forward, because if you do that, you will win.”
His fans must be grateful that he followed his own advice as they all look forward to hearing more from the hardworking Craig Wayne Boyd.
[Photo Courtesy of Jason Merritt, Getty Images ]