Richard Goodall works at a middle school just a few blocks from his home in Terre Haute, Indiana. The 55-year-old, who has been a janitor for 23 years, often sings while on the clock — in part to pass the time but more because of the response he gets from the students and teachers passing by in the halls.
It was the support of the students, who call him Mr. Richard, that led Goodall to hop on a plane for the first time in his life to travel to Los Angeles and audition for “America’s Got Talent.”
“I’m not a fancy person. I take out the trash, I wipe off the tables, I sweep the floors. I’m just having fun and I’m trying to make people happy,” Goodall said in a clip that aired ahead of his “AGT” audition. “The kids would hear me sing and they’d tell me that I’ve got talent. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I got on a plane.”
Since his audition, Goodall’s fanbase has grown — substantially. His audition, featuring a performance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” went viral. To date, it has 24 million views on YouTube. All of his subsequent performances on “AGT” have well over 1 million views on YouTube.
Now, Goodall is one of the top 10 competitors vying for the $1 million prize and a headlining slot in Las Vegas. His final performance aired Wednesday night and “AGT” will reveal the winner on Sept. 24.
Here’s a look at Goodall’s run on “AGT” — and how he landed on the show in the first place.
Richard Goodall auditions for ‘AGT’
Goodall was visibly nervous as his time came to perform in front of “AGT” judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara. But after singing just the very first line of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Goodall had the audience on its feet. By the end of the song, he was overcome with emotion as he heard all of the applause and cheers.
“Richard, you are my hero,” Cowell said. “Because that was special, genuinely special. I think America is going to love you.”
Klum went on to give her golden buzzer to Goodall, advancing him straight to the quarterfinals of the competition.
During the quarterfinals, Goodall received high praise for his performance of Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You.”
“I felt your nerves a little bit today, but I also feel the passion that you have when you sing, with every syllable that you sing,” Klum said.
“I think you’re one of the most memorable contestants we’ve had for a long, long time,” Cowell added, telling Goodall he believed the singer had a shot at winning the whole competition.
For the semifinals, Goodall brought an energetic performance of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” to the stage, leading Klum to call it an “epic performance.”
And “AGT” viewers keep voting him through. Goodall gets one more performance before the show’s big reveal, but in his mind, he’s already accomplished what he set out to do.
“This was not on my radar to come to California. It’s just a dream come true,” he said during his “AGT” audition.
For his final appearance, Goodall brought his time on the show full circle with a performance of another “Journey” song: “Faithfully.” Following the performance, all of the judges declared their desire for the singer to win the entire competition.
“I have been faithfully your biggest fan since the very, very first day we met,” Klum said. “You are such an amazing man. You’re so humble. You’re so kind. You’re also a little bit quiet, but not when you are behind that microphone. Then you are a big rock star. … I want you to win this so bad, Richard.”
“We all need a hero right now,” Cowell added. “And you are our hero.”
“I think you just sang yourself $1 million,” Mandel said.
