Melinda Doolittle Biography (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Melinda Marie Doolittle (born on 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 although she considers home to be in Brentwood, Tennessee as 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. Although she has been singing since the seventh grade, her professional career did not begin until 1999 as a music major from Belmont University. Since college, her vocal instruction has been provided by her coach, Janet Kenyon.

American Idol

Audition

Doolittle first auditioned for American Idol in Memphis, Tennessee. She sang the song "For Once in My Life", which was popularized by Stevie Wonder, one of her favorite artists. She went down to Memphis with some friends who were auditioning and decided to audition for fun. She was met with admiration from all three judges in response to her audition. They did express concern, however, 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 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.
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.
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.
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.

American Idol performances

Week #	Theme #	Song Choice	Original Artist	Order #	Result
Top 24 (12 Women)	N/A	"(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone"	Aretha Franklin	9	Safe
Top 20 (10 Women)	N/A	"My Funny Valentine"	Chet Baker/Frank Sinatra	4	Safe
Top 16 (8 Women)	N/A	"I'm a Woman"	Peggy Lee/Maria Muldaur	8	Safe
Top 12	Diana Ross	"Home"	Diana Ross	2	Safe
Top 11	British Invasion	"As Long As He Needs Me"	Shirley Bassey	11	Safe
Top 10	No Doubt/Artist who inspire Gwen Stefani	"Heaven Knows"	Donna Summer	7	Safe
Top 9	American Classics	"I Got Rhythm"	Peggy Lee/Maria Muldaur	3	Safe Top 3
Top 8	Latin	"Sway"	Dean Martin	1	Safe
Top 7	Country	"Trouble Is A Woman"	Julie Reeves	6	Safe
Top 6	Inspirational	"There Will Come A Day"	Faith Hill	2	Safe (Non-Elimination Week)
Top 6	Bon Jovi	"Have A Nice Day"	Bon Jovi	6	Safe
Top 4	Barry Gibb	"Love You Inside Out" "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?"	Bee Gees	1 5	Safe
Top 3	Judge's Choice (Randy Jackson) Producers' Choice Contestant's Choice	"I Believe in You and Me" "Nutbush City Limits" "I'm a Woman"	Whitney Houston Tina Turner Peggy Lee/Maria Muldaur	3 6 9	Eliminated

Post-Idol

Melinda Doolittle was part of the American Idols Tour 2007, along with fellow contestants who were in the top 10. 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 (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, which she sang solo. Two days after the American Idol Season Finale, Doolittle, along with the other nine top ten contestants, appeared 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.

Writer Stephen Holden of The New York Times described her 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.

Doolittle has stated that she plans to work on a CD, and that it would be "soul music".

Melinda Doolittle along with Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks performed at Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Special where they sang God Bless America and America the Beautiful.

On 3 November 2007 Nicole Lapin interviewed Doolittle for CNN's Young People Who Rock series. In the interview she refers to her support for the Malaria No More campaign 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.

It has been confirmed that Doolittle will be joining Michael W. Smith on his upcoming Christmas tour.

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.

It was officially annnounced On July 29, 2008 by Entertainment Weekly that Doolittle has signed with independent label called Hi Fi Recordings and will have an album released in the fall. She also stated that a Christmas album will be out by the end of this year.

Philanthropy

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.

Discography

EPs

Album Information
Melinda Doolittle - EP Released: June 12, 2007 (U.S) RIAA certification: N/A Peak Chart Position (iTunes Store): 53

Singles

Single Information
My Funny Valentine Released: February 12, 2008 (U.S) RIAA certification: N/A Peak Chart Position (iTunes Store):

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