Turned away from the school choir because he was only 5 years of age, Gedeon McKinney turned to the church to nurture his musical gift.
He gave his first performance on the outside steps of the church at that same young age of 5, and received a standing ovation. When he began to use his gift to praise God during his church's testimonial services at the age of 9, his talent, once again, brought the crowd to their feet, clapping and praising right along with him.
Gedeon McKinney was born on October 1, 1988 in Memphis, TN, the son of a noted blues singer, Anthony Tony McKinney. He finally began performing in the school choir at age 9. At the age of 14 he joined the acclaimed Yo! Memphis Show Choir, where he quickly became a soloist. At 16 he became the lead vocalist of Serenity, the Yo! Memphis Soul Group. In the 11th grade, Gedeon entered Yo! Academy of Visual and Performing Arts. While attending the academy, Gedeon served as a teaching assistant, head set designer, vocal coach, and drama coach. He received several awards and graduated as the Valedictorian for the class of 2006.
One of his most esteemed honors came when he decided to audition for the 2006 American Idol television show. He was selected by the judges out of thousands of people to be in the top 24 of all the contestants. During the nationally televised competition, with God bless you as his mantra, he made it to the top 13 contestants and many viewers, including the famously fastidious judge, Simon Cowell, were surprised to see him eliminated so soon.
Gedeon McKinney is a gifted actor and writer, as well as musician, and he continues to excel in the entertainment industry. Though Gedeon is a solo artist, never forgetting his roots, he continues to sing in the choir and for the church that saw his talent and nurtured his gift from the beginning and all along the way.
"Always lend a hand, and never forget where you come from."
~ Gedeon McKinney
(Bio written by LaShawn V. Eley, Capital S Communications, [email protected])
Thank you all, as I do all my fans, any- and everywhere, for all the love
and support that you all continuously show me. God bless you all. Peace.
~ Gedeon McKinney