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June 25, 2004
A true American Idol
"I wanna cry like the rain...shine like the sun on a beautiful mornin'...sing to the heavens like a church bell ringin', fight with the devil and go down swingin'..."
TV viewers all over America applauded as LCpl. Josh Gracin, active duty Marine, performed each week on American Idol. He finished in 4th place but won the hearts of American Idolizers all across America. His self-titled CD debuted on June 15 at No. 2 on the Billboard's Top Country Album Chart and No. 11 on the Top 200 Album Chart. Nielsen SoundScan reports that the CD is the fourth biggest selling country debut album in its history. Cpl. Beth Zimmerman recently caught up with the rising star:
"It was exhausting," said 23-year-old Gracin. "We were going non-stop from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m. with no breaks," he said of his interview schedule. "Even when eating meals, we did interviews."
As the sales numbers and his popularity climbs, Gracin is still working his "day job." He finishes his four-year enlistment in the Marine Corps in September. Meanwhile, he used some of his annual leave time to visit New York from Camp Pendleton, Calif., for his Big Apple media appearances."Being able to go around and talk to all of the radio and television stations was definitely cool," Gracin said. "Everyone was really excited about what I'm doing."
Gracin was already well known from American Idol as a country singer-and as a Marine. Gracin realizes because of that, he represents the rest of the Corps to many people."Everyone was really enthused about the Marine Corps," said Gracin. "They had so many good things to say about the Corps and about my career afterwards," the Michigan-native said. "It was great to hear so much that was so positive."
According to Gracin, much of the credit for his success goes to the Marine Corps. "The experience helped define who I wanted to be and who I was going to be for the rest of my life," he said. "It's really helped prepare me for the rest of my life mentally, physically, and emotionally."
"I definitely hope that in the long run, people will still associate me with the Marine Corps."
Posted by Deb at June 25, 2004 04:32 PM
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