Lee DeWyze April 19, 2013

Lee DeWyze hails from Mount Prospect, Illinois. DeWyze turned to music at an early age. Soon after realizing his vocal talent, he taught himself how to play guitar and drums. He began performing publicly at local venues at the age of 16.

At the age of 17, Lee was discovered by a rep for a small Chicago based indie record label. He wound up releasing 2 albums on the label, So I'm Told, in 2007 and Slumberland, in 2010.

Though Lee DeWyze and his band played many gigs around town at night, the raspy-voiced artist spent his days working as a paint store clerk in the Mount Prospect area.

In the summer of 2009, at a friend’s encouragement, DeWyze auditioned for American Idol during the Chicago auditions. He made it onto the show's ninth season with his rendition of Bill Withers “Ain’t No Sunshine.”

As the season progressed, DeWyze came from behind as a fan favorite with covers of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and U2's "Beautiful Day." In fact, DeWyze was the only male contestant in season 9 to never land in the bottom three.

In the final episode, DeWyze was declared the winner of Season 9, after beating out 2nd place finalist, Crystal Bowersox.

His debut album titled, “Live It Up” was released in November 2010 on for 19 Recordings/RCA Records. During 2011, DeWyze traveled all over the United States on his first headlining club tour. Lee is currently in the studio writing and preparing material for his next album.

Official Website: http://www.viper-alley.com