Rockabilly Singer Brings Elvis To ‘The Voice’ With Incredible Performance

The Voice YouTube Channel

The Voice kicked off its tenth season on Monday night (Feb. 29) and the coaches have already snagged up some incredible talent. 

One contestant who found his way on the show is rockabilly blues singer John Gilman. Prior to coming on The Voice, Gillman had an interesting job title…he worked on blimps. The first blimp he worked on happened to resemble a giant Minion, from the popular animated movie Despicable Me.

When Gilman wasn’t busy working on blimps, he enjoyed listening and jamming out to rockabilly music by artists such as Elvis Presley. That’s why when it came time for his blind audition, Gilman decided to perform a popular song by “The King” himself, his 1956 single “Don’t Be Cruel.”

Gilman played along on his acoustic guitar as he sang, while he danced and swayed from side to side much like Presley would when he performed. But it was Gilman’s unique vocal style, reminiscent of the “good ole days,” that got one coach to turn a chair for him.

So who turned around for Gilman? None other than Adam Levine!

Levine was the only coach to turn a chair for Gilman, but the others also offered him praise for his performance.

I hope Adam keeps you in that lane man,” said coach Blake Shelton, referring to Gilman’s rockabilly style. “I’m a fan. I don’t know why I didn’t hit my button, I’m really stupid sometimes.

Of course, Levine was happy Shelton didn’t hit his button, and he welcomed Gilman to his team with open arms. You can watch Gilman’s performance of “Don’t Be Cruel” below.

Congratulations to Gilman for earning a spot on The Voice! We can’t wait to see what he performs next.

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About the Author

Miranda Raye

Hello, I'm Miranda, a lifelong country music fan! There are old home videos of me in my baby swing, swinging along to Dolly Parton and Ricky Van Shelton’s “Rockin’ Years.” Being able to unite my passions for storytelling, researching, and music into my work has been a dream come true.

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