‘America’s Got Talent’ 2024: What Songs Did Winner Richard Goodall Sing?
Meet the newest America’s Got Talent winner. Richard Goodall from Terre Haute, Indiana, took home the coveted $1 million prize in the AGT Season 19 season finale, which aired Sept. 24 on NBC.
‘America’s Got Talent’ winner Richard Goodall sang ‘Faithfully’ in his finale performance
Goodall, known as the singing janitor, first entered the public eye in 2022, when a TikTok video of him singing “Don’t Stop Believin’” at a school talent show racked up millions of views and earned him praise from Journey frontman Steve Perry and America’s Got Talent judge Howie Mandel.
Unsurprisingly, Goodall chose the ‘80s rock anthem for his AGT audition song. His impressive performance earned him a Golden Buzzer from judge Heidi Klum.
During the qualifying round, Goodall belted out an emotional rendition of Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You.” For the semifinals, he sang Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.”
In the finale, Goodall returned to Journey’s catalog, singing the band’s song “Faithfully.” In a twist, he was joined onstage by Journey guitarist Neal Schon and other members of the group.
Who is ‘AGT’ winner Richard Goodall?
Goodall, 55, was born and raised in Terre Haute and has worked for more than two decades as a school janitor. He’s always had a passion for singing, whether it was performing for students at the middle school where he works, at church, or with a band.
After his viral TikTok, Goodall shared on Instagram that he’d auditioned for The Voice. He didn’t make the cut for that show, but he persevered, eventually earning his spot on AGT. (He’d previously auditioned for the show in 2009, according to American Songwriter.) But he never imagined he’d win it all.
“Winning AGT is important and means so much to me,” he said. “Simon [Cowell] said two minutes can change your life. It has transformed mine, and I’d like to help others, one song at a time.”
Though taking home AGT’s $1 million prize was a huge thrill, it wasn’t the only big moment in Goodall’s life in the past week. Just before the finale, he decided to marry his partner Angie.
“It was long overdue. I had proposed to her a very long time ago, and she had the ring and everything,” he told Billboard. “We’re a little bit older, and we didn’t really need a piece of paper to say that we’re married. The thought had just crossed both our minds at the same time that it was just the time to do it.”
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