On this day (October 9) in 1992, Scott Cooke “Scotty” McCreery was born in Garner, North Carolina. Just 17 years later, he would go on to become the youngest male winner of the popular singing competition reality series American Idol, beating out fellow country singer Lauren Alaina for the season 10 crown. And his 15 minutes of fame certainly didn’t end there. Selling more than four million albums and charting seven number-one country songs, McCreery has followed in the footsteps of fellow Idol champs Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood as one of the show’s most consistently successful winners. Today, we’re taking a look at his life and career in honor of his 34th birthday.
Scotty McCreery Grew Up Singing
Raised in Garner, North Carolina, Scotty McCreery grew up idolizing crooners like Elvis Presley — his earliest musical influence — along with Garth Brooks, George Strait, Randy Travis, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Conway Twitty.
Mastering the guitar by age 10, McCreery led the youth praise band at First Baptist Church in Garner. He also sang in his high school chorus and conquered many local talent contests before deciding to take those skills in front of a national audience.
‘American Idol’
While working as a bagger for the North Carolina-based supermarket chain Lowes Foods, Scotty McCreery traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to audition for season 10 of American Idol in October 2010.
There, the gangly teenager with the deep bariton and “aw-shucks” Southern charm captivated judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler with his rendition of Josh Turner’s “Your Man”.
Week after week, McCreery continued dazzling judges and viewers alike with performances of Turner’s “Long Black Train” and Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone”. When he returned to Garner for his top 3 hometown visit, his performance at Lake Benson Park drew a crowd that surpassed the population of the town itself.
When finale night rolled around, McCreery and fellow country singer Lauren Alaina were the only two left standing, forming the youngest match-up in the series’ history.
After all the votes had been tallied, confetti rained down on American Idol’s second-youngest winner ever — 17-year-old Scotty McCreery.
Post-‘Idol’ Staying Power
Wasting no time after securing the Idol crown, Scotty McCreery released the country ballad “I Love You This Big” as his coronation song. (Fun fact: One of the song’s co-writers — the late, great Brett James — also wrote season 4 winner Carrie Underwood’s chart-topping debut single “Jesus, Take the Wheel”.)
Entering the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at number 32, “I Love You This Big” gave McCreery the highest debut for an artist’s first single in the roster’s history.
Signing with Mercury Nashville, the North Carolina teen debuted atop the Billboard 200 with his freshman album, Clear as Day, in October 2011. This made him the first country artist to ever open at number one on that chart, as well as the youngest man to achieve that milestone with his debut album.
First No. 1 Hit
After parting ways with Mercury Records after two albums, Scotty McCreery independently released his single “Five More Minutes” in May 2017.
It was a deeply personal track for the country star, who co-wrote it with Monty Criswell and producer Frank Rogers about the death of his grandfather.
The song climbed to number one on the Country Airplay chart, becoming the first to do so without the backing of a major label. The success of “Five More Minutes” led to a new label deal with Triple Tigers Records/Sony Music Entertainment.
McCreery has since notched additional number-one hits, including “This Is It” (2018), “In Between” (2019), “You Time” (2020), “Damn Strait” (2021), and the 2025 Hootie and the Blowifsh collaboration “Bottle Rockets”.
Inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2024, he married his wife, Gabi, in June 2018. They have two sons, ages 4 and 1.
Featured image by Kevin Winter/American Idol 2011/Getty Images
The post Born 34 Years Ago Today in North Carolina, the Hitmaking Country Singer and Youngest Man to Ever Win ‘American Idol’ appeared first on American Songwriter.
Author: Erinn Callahan
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