#64 Chris Richardson

Next on my American Idol finalist countdown is Chris Richardson. He landed in fifth place on American Idol season 6. He plays guitar, percussion, and piano. His favorite male artists are Jason Mraz, JT, James Brown, and Michael Jackson. His favorite female artists are Mariah Carey (mainly early 1990s) and Christina Aguilera.

Christopher Michael "Chris" Richardson was born to Phyllis and Danny Richardson on February 19, 1984, in Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Hospital in Soignies, Belgium, a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian Province of Hainaut. His father Danny Richardson served in the United States Air Force for 20 years. Richardson relocated to Chesapeake, Virginia, in 1999. He admitted during the March 6, 2007, episode of American Idol that he was once overweight during his childhood and teenage years. He has lost roughly forty pounds and has become more health conscious, and it has been reported that he was always motivating his fellow American Idol contestants to work out and care about their health and appearance.

Richardson graduated from Great Bridge High School in 2002 and studied music composition at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, for a year, and playing football there. He continued to study music compositon at Tidewater Community College, a two-year college in South Hampton Roads with campuses in Cheasapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach and serving approximately 46,000 students and known locally by its abbreviation, TCC. Before his stint on American Idol, he worked as a kitchen supervisor for a Hooters restaurant.

During his elimination night, Richardson stated that his best friend on the show is his season's runner-up Blake Lewis.

Richardson originally auditioned for American Idol season 4 and then season 5 before being cast on season 6. He auditioned for season 6 in New York City, holding number 8963 and singing "A Song for You", which was originally recorded by Leon Russell and made popular by Donny Hathaway. The judges warmed to him, and he got through the audition process. Richardson was grouped with Paul Kim and former American Juniors contestant AJ Tabaldo, who also auditioned for American Idol season 10, in the Hollywood group round. During American Idol, Chris received many comparisons to Justin Timberlake, including from judge Randy Jackson. But, he adds, those who've drawn the connection should listen to his album when it comes out and then decide if it still holds. "To be even mentioned in the same sentence as someone so successful, it's great," Richardson told the Associated Press on Thursday the day after his elimination in a phone interview. "They might be surprised whenever I come out with my album, that it's completely different than his. So that's when other people might one day be, like `Hey, you sort of sound like Chris Richardson.'"