Josh Gracin

Joshua Mario Gracin (born October 18, 1980) is an American country music singer.

A former member of the United States Marine Corps, he first gained public attention as the fourth-place finalist on the second season of American Idol.

After his elimination from the show, Gracin completed his service in the Marine Corps, and after his honorable discharge, he signed a record deal with Lyric Street Records.

Gracin was born on October 18, 1980, to Mario and Brenda Gracin, and was raised in Westland, Michigan.

He has four sisters: Stacy, April, Melissa and Kristen.

He grew up listening to Elvis, the Beatles and to vintage rock and pop on a favorite local station.

When he was 11 the station changed its format to country, and he was introduced to artists such as Garth Brooks, Joe Diffie, George Strait and Randy Travis.

These artist's songs immediately caught his interest.

"There’s not another genre that better reflects situations in my life," Gracin said.

His vocal debut was in an Easter musical presented by his local church.

His first public appearance was at an eighth grade talent competition where he sang Brooks' 1993 hit "Standing Outside the Fire" and easily won over an audience full of more traditional dance music-loving cohorts.

Later, Gracin auditioned, as the only male, for a national pop orchestra and vocal competition, known as the Fairlane Youth Pops Orchestra, and won as a sophomore in high school.

During his high school career Gracin performed at state festivals, fairs, and pageants throughout the State of Michigan.

At 16, he performed on stage at the Grand Ole Opry in a national talent show and recorded a demo CD in Nashville, Tennessee.

Upon graduation from John Glenn High School in Westland, he attended Western Michigan University before he joined the United States Marine Corps.

After basic training, he returned to marry his wife and was assigned to Camp Pendleton as a supply clerk.

In 2003, Gracin auditioned for the second season of American Idol.

He made it to the finals and eventually came in fourth place on the show.

However, because of his earlier commitment to the Marine Corps, Gracin was not able to participate in the lucrative American Idol Finalists tour of American venues.

Gracin was instead sent on a year-long tour as a recruiter, making appearances at special events around the United States to promote the United States Marine Corps.

His self-titled debut album was released in 2004.

It produced a number one hit, "Nothin' to Lose", and two more top five hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

After completing his fourth year of service, he was honorably discharged in September 2004.

Gracin's true transition from reality show finalist to recording star began when he sang Rascal Flatts' "I'm Movin' On" on one episode of American Idol.

As Rascal Flatts watched that episode on their tour bus, bass player Jay DeMarcus was impressed with Gracin's talent and reached out to him.

He connected Gracin with Marty Williams, who had co-produced both of Rascal Flatts' breakthrough album and its successful follow-up.

That set in motion a series of events (with a short one-year break to finish his Marine stint) that led to a record deal with Lyric Street Records in 2004.

His debut album Josh Gracin was released on June 15, 2004, and was certified gold.

The album's first three singles ("I Want to Live," "Nothin' to Lose," and "Stay with Me [Brass Bed]"), all reached the top five on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, with "Nothin' to Lose," the second of those three, reaching Number One.

In 2005, Gracin also contributed the song "Working for the Weekend" to the Herbie: Fully Loaded soundtrack, and he also sang on "When I See an Elephant Fly" on the Jim Brickman album The Disney Songbook.

At a performance in 2006, Gracin filled in, with good reviews, for Lonestar's lead vocalist Richie McDonald in concert when McDonald was recovering from a back injury.

In March 2006, Gracin released his fourth single, "Favorite State of Mind."

Although it was a Top 20 hit on the country chart, Gracin's second album was delayed.

Originally slated to be titled All About Y'all, the second album was later re-titled I Keep Coming Back and then finally We Weren't Crazy, after the title of its third single.

His second album, We Weren't Crazy, followed in 2008.

This album produced five more chart singles, including a top ten in its title track.

"We Weren't Crazy," the third release from the album, entered the country music charts in October 2007, and for the chart week dated August 2, 2008 (40 weeks after it debuted on the charts), it reached a peak of number 10.

The album was finally released on April 1, 2008.

A fourth single, "Unbelievable (Ann Marie)", was released to country radio on August 25, 2008.

After signing with Average Joe's in 2010 he released "Cover Girl."