'America's Got Talent' Season 17: Meet Avery Dixon, who went from getting bullied to being acknowledged by Barack Obama
An all-new season of 'America’s Got Talent' is here, and with it comes a host of new contestants, ready to take on the 'AGT' stage. As per the current season's synopsis -- "The 17th season of “America’s Got Talent” returns with a new set of aspiring performers looking to compete for the ultimate $1 million prize. Executive producer Simon Cowell returns to the star-studded judging panel with global fashion icon Heidi Klum, fan-favorite comedian Howie Mandel and acclaimed actress and international superstar Sofia Vergara. The dynamic Terry Crews returns as host. This season promises to deliver some of the wildest acts to ever grace the “AGT” stage."
Looking for other talent-based shows to check out? You might want to check out -- 'American Song Contest', 'American Idol' and 'So You Think You Can Dance'.
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Who is Avery Dixon?
Avery Dixon is a musician, known for playing genres such as Gospel, Jazz, R&B and Classical. As per his website, Dixon weighed only 1 lb 8 oz and was not expected to survive. However, despite the odds, Dixon not only lived but went on to become a musician, despite having asthma, and other medical complications, which caused his voice to "be pitchy and airy because his vocal cords do not close completely". Dixon's childhood was not an easy one -- he was bullied all the way through elementary school, being called nicknames like 'hammerhead' and 'frog' due to the knots on his forehead, on the account of being premature. He noted that the students around him were 'very negative' and that it reached a point where he contemplated suicide. However, this was also the time he started learning how to play the sax and it changed his life for the better.
Among his many achievements, he has been acknowledged by former President Barack Obama, who congratulated him on his accomplishments, He is also the winner of the Musician of the year award from the Tommie Smith Youth Initiative, the Best Gospel Instrumentalist for the Gospel Choice Awards and the VSA International Young Soloists Award Recipient. He has performed for the likes of Diggy Simmons, Jazz Violinist Ken Ford and Saxophonist Mike Phillips, among others.
Dixon comes from a line of talented musicians, seeing that his great grandfather was American R&B saxophonist, arranger, and record producer, Maxwell Davis. Davis worked with the likes of BB King, Etta James, ZZ Hill and more, with BB King even considering him to be a tutor of sorts. Inspired by his great grandfather's legacy, Dixon is out to forge a path of his own.
'America's Got Talent' Season 17 premieres on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at 8 pm on NBC. Following the show's premiere you can catch all-new episodes every Tuesday from 8 to 10 p.m. ET/PT. For viewers who wish to tune in to the show without cable, they can do so using any of the following streaming services: Sling TV, fuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, AT&T TV or YouTube TV.
