In the opening episode of Season 19 of America’s Got Talent, middle school janitor Richard Goodall amazed the judges and viewers worldwide with his stunning rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
While it’s clear that he has a remarkable voice, there’s more to know about the Golden Buzzer recipient.
Goodall has worked as a school janitor for the past 23 years.
For the past 23 years, Richard Goodall has been a janitor for local schools in his hometown of Terre Haute, Indiana. During his AGT audition, he revealed that his students encouraged him to pursue his talent, which led him to the show.
He has auditioned for America’s Got Talent before.
Though it’s hard to believe his impressive voice didn’t catch the attention of AGT earlier, Richard Goodall auditioned for the show in 2009 in Chicago but did not make it past the open auditions.
Nearly 15 years later, Goodall decided to give it another shot by traveling to Los Angeles for this years auditions, which was actually the first time the 55-year-old had ever been on a plane.
Goodall went viral for singing “Don’t Stop Believin'” in 2022.
Although his breakout moment was his AGT audition, which has garnered 21 million views and is the most viral of the season, Goodall initially gained viral attention on his own social media for performing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” at Davis Park Elementary School’s end-of-year program. The clip became so popular that Journey’s Steve Perry shared it on his own social media channels, according to Parade.
@rg69rich♬ original sound – Richard Goodall
He refuses to let the fame change him.
Goodall has received more fame and recognition after his audition than he could have ever anticipated, but he refuses to let that change who he is.
“How could I possibly become a diva? I’m not; that is not going to happen. “I am not a fancy person—I never have been, and I never will be. I am a basic person just like everyone else,” he told WTWO and WAWV TV’s Good Day Live.
In fact, Goodall mentioned that after his audition, he returned to his job as a janitor at the middle school, continuing to work there throughout his AGT journey.
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Richard Goodall Returns to the America’s Got Talent Stage
After his much-talked-about audition in the spring, fans were excited to see Goodall perform on the AGT stage again three months later. During Tuesday night’s live shows on August 13, he sang Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” dedicating the performance to his fiancée, Angie, who was in the audience that night.
Catch the full performance of Richard Goodall’s return to the AGT stage below.