America’s Got Talent winner Richard Goodall vowed to give back to those who helped him achieve his dream as the winner of the national talent television competition last week.
The 2024 season sensation, a Terre Haute school janitor, was back in Indiana at work Friday, and rocked the rafters Friday evening at the Gibson County Fairgrounds Toyota Events Center during a fundraiser for the Cops Connecting with Kids program which sends local students to Disney World.
Opening acts for Goodall were area musician Rodney Watts and daughters Trinity and Mackenzie, and local comedian Andy Imlay. Event organizer Jeremy Bigham worked to get as many people as possible to see Goodall.
Fresh back from California, Goodall was awakened by his alarm at 4 a.m. Friday for his first day at work at West Vigo Middle School in Terre Haute, after winning AGT’s 19th season. He knew it would be a full day because of that night’s fundraiser in Princeton, but his main focus was seeing the children again.
“The things that Angie (his wife) and I are passionate about are children — especially those who have been mistreated,” he said.
Having worked as a janitor for 23 years, he has seen many children — and opened Friday’s show with a song dedicated to them: “Let Them Be Little.”
Once a year, Goodall is usually asked to sing with, or to the children at school. He said he normally sang “God Bless the USA” but in 2022, teachers said he could choose whatever song he wanted. He chose to sing rock band Journey’s anthem, “Don’t Stop Believing.” He didn’t know that a teaching assistant videoed his performance and uploaded the clip to Tik Tok. Two days later, the video had attracted one million views.
“By the time it reached three million views, Steve Perry of Journey put it on all their social media,” he laughed. “Ang’ is over there cashing checks that haven’t been written.”
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Oddly enough, Goodall started getting offers to go on game shows that were filmed oversees.
“What you see is what you get,” he said, pointing to himself. “I am not a world traveler. Flash forward; I was supposed to be on season 18 (of AGT). For whatever reason, it didn’t happen.”
But AGT officials reached out to Goodall to put him on the season 19 show, and before he knew it, he was on his first plane trip to California.
“There was one person, besides the kids, who said ‘If you get on that plane, you are going to get a golden buzzer,’ ” Goodall said, pointing to his wife in the audience. “She is that lady right over there,” he said, dedicating the next song to his wife.
Goodall describes himself as a regular guy who works Monday through Friday. He said believes many people are in turmoil over what is happening throughout the world.
“You become numb to it, and then some janitor gets on stage,” he said. “You meet (AGT host) Terry Crews, he hands you the microphone, and then you walk out onto that huge stage. I’m scared out of my mind. Simon (Cowell, ATG judge) started asking me some questions and I was thinking ‘Dude, just let me sing!’ ”
When he finished his first song, the crowd went wild and judge Heidi Klum changed his world by pressing the golden buzzer.
Goodall believes music changes everyone’s world. Hearing a special song takes people back to good times and they remember happy places. He said he wants to give to others the joy and happiness he has experienced throughout his journey with AGT.
Proceeds from admission to Friday’s event will help fund future Cops Connecting with Kids Disney World trips. Toyota Indiana helped launch the program in partnership with Princeton Police Department for the first trips for Princeton Community Middle School students.
The Princeton students travel with other area students sponsored through Cops Connecting with Kids programs in Vanderburgh County and in Kentucky.
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