Over the course of nine full seasons, "American Idol" has produced a series of success stories in the form of winners like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks and Kris Allen. Even many of the folks who have come up short have managed to have pretty impressive careers, including David Archuleta and Adam Lambert. Of all the runners-up who have broken out on their own, Chris Daughtry is probably the biggest success story. After finishing in fourth place during the fifth season of "American Idol," Daughtry got a band (of the same name) together, recorded a self-titled album and dropped it on the doorstep of the music world in the fall of 2006. On this day in 2007, the album found itself at the top of the Billboard album chart (making him the first "Idol" alum to pull off that feat since Reuben Studdard).
Once his "American Idol" experience ended, Chris Daughtry was initially offered the lead singer spot in Fuel, whose vocalist Brett Scallions had just departed. One of Daughtry's key performances on the show was Fuel's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)," and though he was tempted to take the gig, he ultimately passed. That turned out to be an excellent decision, as Daughtry allowed him to collaborate flex his songwriting muscles. Fans immediately embraced Daughtry, as the lead single "It's Not Over" climbed up the Billboard Hot 100 and pushed the album over the one million sold mark in just five weeks, making it the fastest-selling debut rock album in the history of the chart.
Daughtry remained a top-selling album for nearly two years thanks to Chris Daughtry's commitment to touring and the excellent stream of singles from the album — especially "Home," which peaked at number five on the Hot 100 and remains Daughtry's signature tune.
Just in case those convention speeches get boring — and who are we kidding, they'll get real boring — Democrats and Republicans will have plenty of rocking options during their respective gatherings to anoint their presidential candidates. The latest artists to sign up for gigs during the conventions are