America's Got Talent returned to the airwaves Tuesday, and already, Season 19 has a frontrunner, breakout star, and big viral moment.
This season's Kevin Skinner, Jackie Evancho, Kodi Lee, Putri Ariani, or Susan Boyle seems to be Richard Goodall, a singing school janitor from Indiana, who gave the final audition of Tuesday night's two-hour premiere. Goodall earned the judges' first Golden Buzzer of the season with a cover of "Don't Stop Believin'" that was so impressively Steve Perry-esque, if things don't work out with Journey's current frontman, Arnel Pineda, it wouldn't be surprising if Goodall was next in line for the job.
"I've lived in Terre Haute my whole life. I was that kid up in my bedroom with the Radio Shack stereo. My favorite thing was just to sit up and listen to my music and I'd just belt it out. Eventually I was like, 'I gotta find me a job.' So, I become a janitor at Chauncey Rose Middle School, which is only three blocks away from my house," the humble 55-year-old told AGT host Terry Crews, describing himself as "not a fancy person" and revealing that he'd never even been on a plane before traveling to Los Angeles to attend this audition.
Twenty-three years later, Goodall is still sweeping the floors at Chauncey Rose, but never lost his love for music, often singing for the students. Eventually a TikTok video of him performing Journey's signature anthem at an elementary school graduation ceremony exploded on TikTok, racking up more than 10 million views in 2022 and even garnering the attention and praise of AGT judge Howie Mandel and Journey themselves.
However, according to Goodall's social media post that year, despite all of this viral attention, he was rejected by The Voice after that show'str open-call tryouts. At that time, a discouraged Goodall wrote "common people don't break through" and "the common man just don't count." He vowed to his followers to "keep trying," but also said, "After AGT I'm done."
On Tuesday, an admittedly nervous Goodall gave his "long time coming" "big dream" one last shot, standing in front of AGT judges Mandel, Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, and Sofia Vergara, ready to perform a "song speaks that for itself." Simon assured Goodall, "We're rooting for you!" and murmured to his fellow panelists, "I hope he's good. I really do."
Suffice to say, Goodall was good. After he shocked everyone with his Perry-esque pipes, Cowell gushed, "Richard, you are my hero, because that was special, genuinely special. I think America is going to love you." Vergara called Goodall's audition "spectacular," "an amazing surprise," and "perfect" for the show, and Mandel jokingly told the custodial worker, "You just cleaned up! I would imagine every kid that has ever been in a school with you is just screaming."
It was Klum, however, who hit the Golden Buzzer button, telling Goodall, "Richard, Richard, Richard, you knocked me off my feet! We all had the best time with you up there on that stage. I really, really feel something when I see you up there and hear you up there."
And so, The Voice's loss was AGT's gain.
"This was not on my radar to come to California. It's just a dream come true," a dazed Goodall said after making his Chauncey Rose students proud. "The kids would hear me sing and they tell me that I've got talent. That's why I'm here. That's why I got on a plane. When I took off from Indianapolis, I felt that front wheel come off of the ground and you have this floating... you're no longer stable. And that's what this whole experience is like right now. I mean, it's a good off-balance, but until you actually do something, you don't know if it's right for you or not. Oh, I'm getting chicken skin talking about it!"
The America's Got Talent auditions continues next Tuesday with the usual magic, animal, and danger acts, but it remains to be seen if Goodall will be Season 19's standout singer.
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