Former ‘American Idol’ Winner Is Receiving Hall of Fame Induction

“American Idol’s” 10th season winner Scotty McCreery is being inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.

The organization announced on May 26 that the country music artist, who was born in Garner, North Carolina, would be a part of the 2023 class. The ceremony will take place at the Performing Arts Center in Mooresville on October 19 and McCreery will be celebrated alongside four other musicians — Loudon Wainwright III, Bill Curtis, Betty Davis and George Beverly Shea —  as well as Fetchin Bones, an ’80s multi-genre band.

“I am honored to be announced today as a 2023 inductee into the North Carolina Music Hall Of Fame!!!” McCreery reacted to the news via Twitter. “Congrats to my fellow inductees and their families!”

With renditions of hits like “Your Man” and “Gone,” McCreery won the singing competition show in 2011 and has since released five studio albums. He dropped his first album, “Clear as Day,” the same year he won “American Idol,” and it soared to No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The triumph marked the first time a country artist ascended to No. 1 with their debut album, and at 18 years old, he was also the youngest to accomplish the feat.

“He has since established himself as one of today’s top country music entertainers, earning five consecutive No.1 hits, multiple gold and platinum albums and singles, and sold-out concerts across the world,” the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame wrote in a statement. “In addition to winning American Idol in 2011, McCreery has received an array of ACM, BMI, CMT, NSAI, and Carolina Beach Music Awards and has executive produced two Hallmark holiday movies based on his first No.1 hit song, ‘Five More Minutes.’”

McCreery will join five other “American Idol” stars in the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken, season 3 winner Fantasia, and season 5’s Kellie Pickler, Bucky Covington and Chris Daughtry were all inducted by the organization.

McCreery Beat Out Several Notable ‘American Idol’ Contestants

McCreery’s age, low pitch and country twang made him a fan favorite on “American Idol” during a season with several of them. The reality TV show’s 10th iteration featured names like James Durbin,  Lauren Alaina, Haley Reinhart and Casey Abrams. And even though the season was stacked with talent and star power, McCreery never found himself in the bottom two or three. And in the end, he earned America’s nod and beat out Alaina on finale night.

Season 10 also marked a major judge overhaul. Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi all parted ways with “American Idol” after the ninth season, making room for Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez to join the show — which aired on Fox at the time.

Two of McCreery’s Singles Were Recently Celebrated

Around a week before the Hall of Fame news, McCreery shared on Twitter that he had earned some more hardware.

“‘Damn Strait’ went platinum and ‘Five Minutes More’ went 3X platinum!!!” McCreery wrote. “Craziness! Couldn’t do it w/o yall and w/o this dream team!” See a photo of the country artist and his team below via the embedded tweet:

“Five Minutes More” is the 29-year-old star’s most streamed song on Spotify, clocking in at over 172 million streams. It’s part of his “Seasons Change” album, which was released in 2018. He has credited the single for saving his career and a Hallmark movie was inspired by the song.

“Damn Strait” is from his most recent album, 2021’s “Same Truck,” and it’s been streamed over 40 million times on Spotify.