#50 LaKisha Jones

Next on my American Idol finalist countdown is my number 50 American Idol finalist LaKisha Jones. She landed in 4th place on American Idol season 6, being eliminated just before Melinda Doolittle.

LaKisha Ann Jones was born on January 13, 1980, at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan, to a teacher at the Flint Foundation Academy. She was raised by her grandmother, Ruth Jefferson Morris. An only child, Jones is a Baptist who began singing at the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church at the age of five. She was formally trained in classical music, although her favorite music genre is gospel music. Jones always dreamed of becoming a singer.

Jones was homeschooled in Flint and then attended Flint Central High School (now Flint Central Commencement Academy), where, in one of her earliest performances, she appeared in a play called Lead Poisoning. While in high school, Jones performed with one of the groups in the choral department: the Madrigal Singers. While in high school, Jones performed with one of the groups in the choral department: the Madrigal Singers. Jones graduated in 1998 and attended the University of Michigan-Flint, studying music. During college, she performed in the play Godspell.  Jones stated in her Idol interview that Flint, Michigan was her home. She was a single mother with a five year old daughter who encouraged her to audition for American Idol season 6.

Jones relocated to Houston, Texas, and resided there for six years. In 2006, she relocated to Forte Meade, Maryland, in order to be closer to her cousins and other relatives. At that time, Jones obtained a job as a bank teller at Provident Bank in Millersville, Maryland, which she resigned when she moved to Hollywood to compete in American Idol season 6.