Clayton Holmes Aiken is an American singer, television personality, actor, political candidate, and activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of American Idol in 2003, and his debut album, Measure of a Man, went multi-platinum. He released four more albums on the RCA label, Merry Christmas with Love (2004), A Thousand Different Ways (2006), the Christmas EP All is Well (2006), and On My Way Here (2008). Since then he has released two more albums, both with Decca Records: Tried and True (2010) and Steadfast (2012). Aiken has also had eleven tours in support of his albums. In all, he has sold over 5 million albums, and is the fourth-highest-selling American Idol alumnus.
Neil Sedaka is an American pop singer, pianist, composer, and record producer. Since his music career began in 1957 as a short-lived founding member of the Tokens, he has sold millions of records as a performer and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and others, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard "Howie" Greenfield and Phil Cody.
Solitaire is any tabletop game which one can play by oneself, or a single-player game of concentration and skill using a set layout of tiles, pegs or stones.
"Bridge over Troubled Water" is a song by the American folk duo Simon & Garfunkel, released in January 1970 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970). It was composed by Paul Simon and produced by Simon & Garfunkel and Roy Halee.
Measure of a Man is the debut album by American singer Clay Aiken. It was released on October 14, 2003 through RCA Records, five months after the conclusion of the second season of American Idol.
Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life is a memoir written by Clay Aiken with Allison Glock. Published by Random House on November 16, 2004, Learning to Sing debuted at number two on the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction best-seller list in the December 5 issue, and remained on that list for the remainder of the year.
Merry Christmas with Love is the first Christmas album and second studio album by American recording artist Clay Aiken. It was released on November 16, 2004, through RCA Records. The production on the album was produced by Phil Ramone and Walter Afanasieff.
"This Is the Night" is the debut single of American Idol contestant Clay Aiken, written by Chris Braide, Aldo Nova, and Gary Burr. It was released on June 10, 2003, on the RCA label, simultaneously with "Flying Without Wings" by rival contestant Ruben Studdard. It became the eleventh song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to debut at number one on that chart, restricting "Flying Without Wings" to the number-two position.
The second season of American Idol premiered on January 21, 2003, and continued until May 21, 2003. The title of show was shortened from American Idol: The Search for a Superstar of Season 1 to just American Idol. Brian Dunkleman quit after the first season, and Ryan Seacrest therefore became the lone host in Season 2 as well as all subsequent seasons. Kristin Holt was a special correspondent.
"Solitaire" is a ballad written by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody. Cody employs playing the card game of solitaire as a metaphor for a man "who lost his love through his indifference"—"while life goes on around him everywhere he's playing solitaire". The song is perhaps best known via its rendition by the Carpenters. Another version by Andy Williams reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart in 1973.
The discography of Clay Aiken, an American pop music singer, consists of six studio albums, eighteen singles, one extended play, two Double A-side CDs (B-sides) and five music videos.
"Solitaire" is a song by American singer Laura Branigan. Written by Martine Clémenceau and Diane Warren, produced by Jack White and Robbie Buchanan, it was released in March 1983 as the lead single from Branigan's second studio album, Branigan 2 (1983).
On My Way Here is the fourth studio album released by Clay Aiken on May 6, 2008. This album of both ballads and pop-rock is an eclectic mix of styles and tempos. Aiken wanted to get away from using multiple producers and chose Grammy Award-winning British producer Mark 'Kipper' Eldridge to produce the album. Jaymes Foster was the executive producer. This was his final studio album for RCA.
Playlist: The Very Best of Clay Aiken is a compilation of remastered original recordings by pop singer Clay Aiken. It is part of a series of similar series of Playlist albums issued by Legacy Recordings.
Measure of a Man is a song written by Cathy Dennis, produced by Stephen Lipson and recorded by Pop Idol contestants Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes, collectively known as Sam & Mark, in 2003. It was released as a double A-side single with "With a Little Help from My Friends" and peaked at number 1 in the United Kingdom. The song was also recorded by American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken in the same year for his first solo album of the same name. Aiken's album made it to number One on the Billboard top 200.
Tried and True is the fifth studio album by Clay Aiken, released on June 1, 2010. This album is Aiken's first on the Decca label. The deluxe edition includes two additional tracks plus a second disk with behind the scenes video and a live performance.
"Invisible" is a song by Irish boy band D-Side, released as the third single from their first studio album, Stronger Together (2003). The song was written and produced by Desmond Child, Andreas Carlsson, and Chris Braide. Released on 14 July 2003, the song became a top-10 hit in Ireland and the United Kingdom, peaking at number five in the former country and number seven in the latter. The same year, American Idol second two runner-up Clay Aiken covered the song and reached number 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with his rendition. The song has been frequently targeted by music critics for its unsettling lyrical content, with several calling the track a "stalkers' anthem".
American Idols Live! Tour 2003 was a summer concert tour featuring 9 of the top 12 contestants of the second season of American Idol, which aired in 2003. Josh Gracin was unable to participate in the tour as he was recalled to his unit in the U.S. Marines, and Corey Clark was barred from participating due to his failure to reveal his Misdemeanor arrest. Corey Clark was replaced by Charles Grigsby for the tour, but the show producers opted not to replace Josh Gracin with twelfth-placed finisher Vanessa Olivarez.
The Independent Tour was a co-headlining tour by American recording artists Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken. The tour supported their debut albums, Thankful (2003) and Measure of a Man (2003). The tour only reached the United States during the winter and spring of 2004. Clarkson and Aiken performed individual shows before joining in a duet for Clarkson's encore. Many critics described the tour as the PG version of the Justified and Stripped Tour in 2003. The tour placed 58th in Pollstar's annual "Top 100 Tours", earning over ten million dollars with 31 shows.
