A mortician picked up a Golden Ticket in the season premiere of American Idol on Sunday night (Feb. 18) and even got to share the mic with judge Luke Bryan.
Kennedy Reid is a 23 year-old mortician from just outside of Indianapolis. She was picked to perform in front of Idol judges and brought along some backup in the form of her friend Jean Ann, who dazzled on the piano.
Reid picked Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High” for her audition, and was met with rave reviews from the judges.
When the trio of celebs asked the Reid and Jean Ann how they met and became friends, they admitted that it was at a John Conlee country concert. That prompted Bryan and Jean Ann to bust into Conlee’s hit “Rose Colored Glasses.”
Conlee was actually a mortician and a funeral home director before making his move into radio as a deejay, then into performing music.
Bryan couldn’t help but sing along with Jean’s Conlee rendition, which turned into the two combining their skills into an impromptu duet performance.
As for Reid, her rendition of Turner’s classic was more than enough to punch her ticket to Hollywood — she picked up a pass into the next round — and her memorable moment with Bryan made for good television.
The 22nd season of American Idol will continue on ABC. This is the seventh and final season that Bryan, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan will serve as the trio of judges, as Perry announced before the season that this will be her final one, citing a want to start doing other things such as a festival in Brazil.
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Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker