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Friday, Mar 17, 2006

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  R E L A T E D   C O N T E N T 

'American Idol' contestant Heather Cox, 22, was in the final 24 going into 'Idol' Tuesday.

 R E L A T E D   L I N K S 

• See more American Idol postings on Heldenfels' TV blog
• 'Idol' hopeful has roots in Akron

Posted on Wed, Feb. 22, 2006

'Idol' hopeful has roots in Akron

Heather Cox born here, hopes popular Fox show paves way to stardom

By R.D. Heldenfels

Beacon Journal television writer

Tuesday afternoon, former Akron resident Deborah Cox was busy buying food for an American Idol party. Her daughter, Heather, performed on Idol on Tuesday night.

Heather, 22, also has local ties. She was born at Akron City Hospital, as was her sister, Cara, now 24.

Deborah and her husband John had a traveling music ministry based in Akron. Deborah began performing at an early age -- she sang in a show with Bob Hope at the age of 17, before hearing the call to a music ministry. John, meanwhile, had a busy Christian-music career, including time in the Brothers Trio with local musician Lorne Matthews.

But when Heather was 9 months old, Deborah decided that life on the road with two small children was getting too tough.

The family moved to Florida, where John became a pastor.

He is now senior pastor of Trinity Christian Center, an Assemblies of God church in Elkin, N.C., where Deborah is worship leader. They also have two sons, Jonathan, 20, and Joshua, 19.

In a telephone interview, Deborah said they were planning a big party at the church for the Idol telecast and ``I will just be on pins and needles.'' Heather, after all, wants to be a professional singer, and this could be a big step for her.

Heather began singing very young, Deborah said. Jimmie Ruth Matthews, Lorne's wife and a longtime family friend, recalled hearing Heather sing at the age of 2. ``That child was a performer!'' she said.

Like their parents, all of the Cox children were musical, Deborah said. They performed at nursing homes and other venues -- until Heather abruptly stopped around the fourth or fifth grade.

``A teacher said something that embarrassed her,'' Deborah recalled, though she did not know what was said. ``She shelved her singing for several years. Then, about 2 ½ years ago, she said, `Mom, can I sing with the worship team?' ''

Deborah, needless to say, was delighted to have her, and to support Heather in her growing musical ambitions. The family had become fans of American Idol in its third season, recording each episode, and Heather thought it was something worth trying.

This season, Heather traveled with the family to Denver to audition. (The family considered Memphis, Deborah said, but those auditions were canceled because of Hurricane Katrina. They then chose Denver -- before Idol added a Greensboro, N.C., audition to the list. She made it to Hollywood, and then through that round, to become one of the 24 singers still on the show as fans begin to vote for their favorites.

The 12 females still on Idol were scheduled to perform Tuesday night. The 12 males sing tonight. Results will be announced on Fox on Thursday, with two men and two women dropped from contention.

In other words, things can get rough and rejection can come quickly.

Heather sang When You Tell Me That You Love Me, a song performed by the American Idol finalists last season, which Heather dedicated to her parents.

The judges were not impressed. Randy Jackson said, ``It was kinda, really boring.''

Paula Abdul agreed with Jackson, although she did praise Heather's looks and called her elegant.

Simon Cowell called the performance ``forgettable. Your personality just evaporated.''

Before last night's telecast, an online oddsmaker listed Heather as 22-1 shot to win, which put her in the upper tier of contenders.

Singing on the show gives Heather a chance to do more than just perform. She is also testifying about her Christianity. On the American Idol Web site (www.idolonfox.com), she says that her personal goal is ``to continue to succeed in everything that the Lord has in store for me.'' She says a quick prayer before performing. When she could not get to a church on Sunday, Heather took her Bible to a quiet place to worship on her own, said Jimmie Ruth Matthews.

Deborah likes that her daughter is upfront about her faith. ``I think American Idol can also be `American ideals,' '' she said.

Asked how that might affect Heather's chances, Deborah paused.

``I think that there could be a reaction both ways,'' she said. But she prefers Heather's being honest to having her change her beliefs just to please some voters.

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