A Day with Cj

Three years ago, Cj Harris was all but dead. He had been taken to the hospital to have his appendix removed and developed an infection that turned gangrenous. A procedure was scheduled that would normally last about as long as a high school basketball game, but Cj’s operation lasted over eight hours. While convalescing in his hospital bed, shot up with morphine, he accidentally knocked off his breathing tube and had a seizure. “They came in there and found me dead,” Cj reflects. Nurses hurriedly shot him with a needle and, Lazarus-like, brought him back. “That was one of the scariest moments of my life.”Fast-forward to today, where over 800 agog youngsters swell the gymnasium at Sumiton Elementary School, going so bananas over Cj Harris you would have thought Mick Jagger strutted in. Cj takes the mic and tells the kids to believe in themselves and follow their dreams.At T.S. Boyd, Cj visits his old kindergarten classroom, which for a brief moment morphs into a proverbial pep rally for the Idol contestant, as videos roll, cameras pop, and children roar.At Dora High School, Cj surprises Mrs. Burrough's research class, extending a hand to the boys and an embrace to scarlet-faced girls.At Bernard’s Store for Men in Jasper, owner Rusty Richardson ceremoniously presents Cj with a new Bailey Fedora hat, and at Ridgeview Nursing Home, the singer is nearly brought to tears by a bedridden man who told him to “go all the way.”It was like this everywhere he went. Hugs, autographs, picture after picture, well-wishing and encouraging, signs written in markers, heads swiveling, and lots and lots of cheers. “We’re all pulling for you, Cj.” “You make us proud.” “I love your singing.” “Can I get a picture?” Girls scooched up next to him, boys were trying their best to act cool, and grown women swooned. Classrooms heaved their arms to the sky and screamed “Cj!”So who is this guy that people are boing bazonkers over?At the heart, Cj Harris is just an aw-shucks country boy. He wears Ariat boots, a fastidiously-adjusted trucker hat, and wilting jeans. He’s very a very humble and unassuming twenty-three-year old “kid” with the wisdom of an old man. He’s open-minded, curious perhaps, and not afraid to try things (he listens to John Mayer, the Marshall Tucker Band, and Coffee House music). He’s soft-spoken and modest. And if he loves two things in this world, it’s music and the Lord.“I gotta keep the Lord first and stay strong. I pray every night. I gotta let Him take control, ‘cause I’ll mess it all up. I gotta keep Him right there in the middle of it all,” says Cj.In a world that often celebrates hubris and self-promotion, Cj understands the proper place of idols. And if you perceive a calm in the midst of this nascent fame, it’s because American Idol ain’t about him. Cj hospitably steps to the side and allows God to have the platform and glory. He encourages young people to keep the Lord first, and isn’t so fame-struck that he forgets his roots or is unwilling to listen to sage advice. He won’t allow himself to get mired in the quicksand life of fame and approbation, because he has his mind on much firmer foundations.An adopted child, Cj grew up playing and singing in churches, with a three-string guitar his grandfather gave him. “I’ve been playin’ music all my life. For a while, I didn’t know what I was doing,” Cj laughs. “I played praise and worship music in middle school, and I’d lead a morning worship service with only three strings. I had it tuned and I guess it sounded right.”Cj attended T.S. Boyd School in Dora, where he gave several memorable performances of R.Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” in front of the entire school. Teachers still remember it today.He went to Walker High School in Jasper, where he made fast friends with black and white, rich and poor. Through a local co-op program, Cj worked at Bernard’s Store for Men, learning the clothing industry—from custom orders to alterations. After graduating, Cj tinkered with a number of jobs, working at NAPA Auto Parts, Texaco Express, Pet Depot, and Liberty Truck Sales in Birmingham. He taught guitar lessons on the side—for free—and soon realized this siren call of music always seemed to ring loudest.“I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t help but play. There were many nights that I’d lie in bed crying, lookin’ up at the ceiling, and prayin’ ‘Lord please if it’s your will make this thing happen’,” he says. CJ also says that there were times when he was flat out broke, worrying that his power and water would get cut off. “When I’d start to panic, the Lord reminded me that He was going to take care of it.”This desert time for Cj helped him to appreciate his newfound musical Shangri-La with Idol. “I think about all I’ve been through, from the time I was a little boy. I don’t see it as a bad thing. It made me the person I am today and it made me stronger. I bring it out in my music,” he says.And boy, has he ever. Cj wowed American Idol judges Harry Connick Jr., Keith Urban, and Jennifer Lopez with his rustic rendition of “Trouble” by the gravel-voiced Ray LaMontagne, propelling Cj to Hollywood. J-Lo was so impressed with Cj’s performance that she gushed, “That boy can sing!”Cj has decided to settle into the country genre, and cites Darius Rucker (Hootie and the Blowfish rocker turned country music virtuoso) as a major influence, along with Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, and Ray Charles. “I think I’m meant for country. It’s what I’m best at. I’ve listened to it for the last ten years. I love the stories in country music,” Cj says.Before American Idol, Cj tried out for The Voice and X-Factor, but didn’t make it. “I fell short every time. I wanted to be successful, but the Lord leads you where He wants to lead you. It’s important that you don’t get ahead of yourself, or God will pull you back. The Lord has a plan.”Away from the soigne life of Idol, Cj leads a relatively normal life. He’s had a girlfriend for over a year, and the pair love to ride horses. He breakfasts at his grandparents’ restaurant, Breakfast Time, in Jasper. He strums his guitar and writes songs. And he is a Walker County boy through and through.Sometimes, it’s easy to sit back and complain about all the things that are wrong with the place you live. Walker County is often the brunt of jokes both around the state and sadly, within its own borders. But Cj has given us Walker Countians something to be proud of. He’s been the unifying force we’ve been praying for. He can feel his county supporting him, and he wants to give back to the place that has given so much to him.“I can’t imagine living anywhere else,” he recently said at a Jasper City Council meeting.Cj’s life teaches us that we don’t have to fit into a certain mold; we can be who we want to be. Cj shows us the worth in waiting patiently on the Lord. Cj represents how things can turn around—for the good—in the blink of an eye. Cj courageously illustrates that we should never give up on our dreams.But most of all, Cj reminds us to believe. 78Find Cj Harris on Twitter at @cjharrismusic, on Facebook at The Music of CJ Harris, and stay tuned for the next episode of American Idol. #teamcjharris. To see a photo tribute to Cj’s day, please visit 78 Magazine on Facebook, or find us on Twitter @78online.