Sam Woolf
| Sam Woolf | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Samuel Joseph Woolf |
| Born |
April 19, 1996[1] West Bloomfield, Michigan, United States |
| Genres | Folk rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer Songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2013-present |
Samuel Joseph "Sam" Woolf (born April 19, 1996) is an American singer-songwriter from Bradenton, Florida,[1] who finished in fifth place on the thirteenth season of American Idol.
Early life
Sam Woolf was born on April 19, 1996 in West Bloomfield, Michigan to Mary and Scott Woolf.[2][3][4] His great-grandfather, Sammy Woolf, was a well-known Detroit bandleader, his uncle is composer Randall Woolf, and pianist Kathleen Supové is his aunt (by marriage). His great-uncle, Mickey Woolf, was a musician prominent in Detroit's Jewish community.<ref name="detroit freep.[5] Woolf was a student at the Scotch Elementary School in West Bloomfield, but moved to North Port, Florida in 2006 when he was 9.[5][6] When he was 13, his mother remarried and moved to another city in Florida, and Woolf and his older sister Emily remained in Northport with their father. Woolf and his father moved to Bradenton just prior to his sophomore year of high school, where he attends Braden River High School. At the beginning of his junior year, he moved in with his grandparents who also live in Bradenton.
Woolf's first live public performance was at his sixth grade talent show where he performed The Beatles' "Hey Jude."[7] Woolf later became interested in music as a career, took singing lessons from an opera teacher, Bob Lischetti, and performed locally in Bradenton.[2] He also was mentored at the Del Couch Music Education Foundation and went to Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan for four weeks the summer after his sophomore year of high school. In the summer of 2013, Woolf completed a five-week program at the Berklee College of Music and was selected as one of the top four songwriters for their singer showcase, where he performed an original song, "The Same." [6] He has been accepted by Berklee College of Music, where he plans to study "songwriting and more music theory.[1]
While he was in Boston, the audition for the thirteenth season of American Idol was held near Berklee College of Music and at his mother's suggestion, he decided to attend the audition.[2]
American Idol
Woolf auditioned in Boston, singing "Lego House" by Ed Sheeran. He sang "Waiting on the World to Change" on the first round in Hollywood, and his original composition entitled "I Tried" in the final solo of the Hollywood Round.
| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "Lego House" | Ed Sheeran | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 1 | A Capella | "Waiting on the World to Change" | John Mayer | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 2 | Group Performance | "Treasure" with Kristen O'Connor |
Bruno Mars | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 3 | Solo | "I Tried" (original composition) | Sam Woolf | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 31 (10 Men) | Personal Choice | "Babylon" | David Gray | 4 | Advanced |
| Top 13 | This Is Me | "Unwell" | Matchbox Twenty | 12 | Safe |
| Top 12 | Home | "Just One" | Blind Pilot | 9 | Safe |
| Top 11 | Songs from the Movies | "Come Together" | The Beatles | 1 | Bottom 31 |
| Top 10 | Billboard Top 10 | "We Are Young" | Fun feat. Janelle Monáe | 10 | Safe |
| Top 9 | I'm with the Band! | "Hey There Delilah" | Plain White T's | 5 | Bottom 32 |
| Top 8 | Back to the Start | Solo "Lego House" | Ed Sheeran | 4 | Saved3 |
| Duet "Lucky" with Malaya Watson |
Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat | 8 | |||
| Top 84 | Songs from the 1980s | Duet "The Girl Is Mine" with Alex Preston |
Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney | 3 | Safe |
| Solo "Time After Time" | Cyndi Lauper | 7 | |||
| Top 7 | Competitors' Choice | Duet "Let Her Go" with Alex Preston |
Passenger | 3 | Safe |
| Solo "Sail Away" | David Gray | 8 | |||
| Top 6 | Rock 'n' Roll | "It's Time" | Imagine Dragons | 2 | Safe |
| Country | "You're Still the One" | Shania Twain | 7 | ||
| Top 5 | America's Requests | Trio "Best Day of My Life" with Jena Irene & Alex Preston |
American Authors | 3 | Eliminated |
| Solo "Sing" | Ed Sheeran | 5 | |||
| Solo "How to Save a Life" | The Fray | 10 |
- ^Note 1 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Woolf was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe first, as Ben Briley was eliminated.
- ^Note 2 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Woolf was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe, as Majesty Rose was eliminated.
- ^Note 3 Woolf received the lowest number of votes; however, the judges decided to use their one save of the season to allow him to remain in the competition.
- ^Note 4 Due to the judges using their one save on Woolf, the top 8 remained intact for another week.
Post-Idol
After his appearance on Idol, Woolf deferred for one year an offer of admissions to Berklee College of Music until fall 2015, with a full tuition package of grants and scholarships.[8][9] Woolf held a 'Welcome Home' concert at IMG Academy Stadium on September 27, 2014.[10] Woolf was in a concert on November 8, 2014 at the Capitol Center For the Arts in Concord, New Hampshire with fellow Idol alum Alex Preston.[11] Woolf also performed on February 28, 2015 at WinterFest at Lakewood Ranch, along with The Doobie Brothers, War, Matt Walden and performers from the Del Couch Music Education Foundation.[12]
Woolf wrote and recorded a five-song EP, Pretend, which he released himself on December 18, 2014.[13] The album was funded in part by crowdfunding, and was produced by Danny Blume who co-wrote some of the songs with Woolf.[14]
As of 2016, Woolf is currently working on a set of pop originals.[15]
Discography
Extended plays
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Heatseeker[16] | ||
| Pretend[13] |
|
9 |
Digital singles
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "We Are Young" | Non-album single |
| "Hey There Delilah" | ||
| "Lego House" | ||
| "Time After Time" | ||
| "Sail Away" | ||
| "You're Still the One" | ||
| "How to Save a Life" |
References
- 1 2 3 Tatangelo, Wade (February 25, 2014). "'American Idol' finalist and Bradenton student Sam Woolf says confidence will show: interview". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- 1 2 3 Fred Bronson (March 20, 2014). "'American Idol' Season 13: Sam Woolf Explains the Magic of 'Hey Jude'". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ Roger C. Pettingell. "Sam Woolf Continues on American Idol".
- ↑ Brian McCollum (February 20, 2014). "'American Idol' sends 3 Michigan-born contestants onto the big stage for finals". Detroit Free Press.
- 1 2 Brian McCollum (February 20, 2014). "Michigan singers are a wonder as 'American Idol' enters semifinals". Detroit Free Press.
- 1 2 "Before the 'Woolfpack,' he was just shy Sam Woolf". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
- ↑ Jay Handelman (January 15, 2014). "Bradenton student Sam Woolf advances to Hollywood Week on 'American Idol'". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
- ↑ "About Same Woolf". Sam Woolf Music.
- ↑ Walt Belcher (July 16, 2014). "‘Idol’ tour brings Bradenton’s Woolf home". The Tampa Tribune.
- ↑ "Sam Woolf in Concert". IMG Academy. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
- ↑ Reid, Matthew. "Alex Preston Is Coming Home". Mix104.1. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
- ↑ "Rising Stars: A wave of hot young artists is rocking the Manatee County music scene". Retrieved 2015-07-05.
- 1 2 "Sam Woolf releases new EP". WWSA MySuncoast. December 24, 2014.
- ↑ Marty Clear (December 23, 2014). "Bradenton's Sam Woolf releases EP The 'American Idol' finalist wrote all five songs on 'Pretend'". Bradenton Herald.
- ↑ "Sam Woolf - Bio". www.samwoolfmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
- ↑ "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard.
External links
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