Archie Williams
Born (1961-03-23) March 23, 1961 (age 62)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Known forPerforming on AGT Season 15 after released from prison
Height5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Criminal chargesWrongfully sentenced to 37 years of prison for aggravated rape, battery, and murder[1]
RelativesSheila Varner, Charlotte Alexander (Sisters)

Archie Charles Williams (born March 23, 1961) is an American singer who appeared on season 15 of America's Got Talent. He was wrongfully incarcerated for 37 years in prison and released on March 21, 2019.

Early life

Williams was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Wrongful incarceration

On April 21, 1983, he was convicted in a case of rape and attempted murder four months earlier. Williams was 22 at the time and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. The Innocence Project fought for him for decades to get access to evidence that could prove that he was innocent. On March 21, 2019, after a judge ordered a review of the fingerprints found at the scene, Williams was found to be innocent and was released from prison.[2][3][4]

America's Got Talent

Williams sang "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Elton John for his first performance on America's Got Talent on May 26, 2020.[5] All four judges voted for him to move to the next level[3] and he received a standing ovation from the audience and the judges. John said that he was "moved to tears" by the performance.[6] As a result of Williams' story, Simon Cowell became an ambassador for The Innocence Project.[7] Williams sang "Flying Without Wings" by Westlife during the semi-finals.[8] He moved ahead to the finals with four other acts.[9] Archie finished as a Bottom 5 finalist of the top 10. Archie Williams came back to compete in America's Got Talent: All-Stars singing "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers, but failed to secure a spot in the finale.

See also

References

  1. ^ Keegan, Kayla (2020-08-12). "Simon Cowell Breaks Down Hearing Archie Williams's Heartbreaking True Story". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  2. ^ Fuller, Thomas (2019-03-22). "He Spent 36 Years Behind Bars. A Fingerprint Database Cleared Him in Hours". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  3. ^ a b Henderson, Cydney. "'America's Got Talent': Singer Archie Williams gets second chance after wrongful conviction". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  4. ^ Staff report (22 May 2020). "Archie Williams wrongfully spent years at Angola. Now he's a budding 'America's Got Talent' star". The Advocate. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  5. ^ D'Agostino, Ryan (2020-08-12). "Archie Williams on His Wrongful Conviction, George Floyd, and 'America's Got Talent'". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  6. ^ "Archie Williams: Wrongfully convicted man who spent 37 years in jail now favourite to win America's Got Talent". Sky News. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  7. ^ "Archie Williams Inspires Simon Cowell to become an Innocence Project Ambassador". Innocence Project. 2020-05-26. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  8. ^ "AGT: Exonerated Singer Archie Williams Dedicates Moving 'Flying Without Wings' Cover to His Daughter". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  9. ^ Henderson, Cydney. "'AGT': Is Archie Williams moving on to the finale? Here are the results". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
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