On America’s Got Talent, 55-year-old janitor Richard Goodall earned the coveted Golden Buzzer after singing “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey.
Goodall had worked as a janitor for 23 years at a local middle school, where the students would encourage him to pursue his talent for singing.
Though visibly nervous, his soulful performance stunned the judges and audience in the audition room.
“I just belt it out,” he said. “Eventually, I was like, I got to find me a job, so I [became] a janitor at Chauncey Rose Middle School, which is only three blocks away from my house.”
“The kids would hear me sing, and they tell me that I’ve got talent,” he said. “That’s why I’m here. That’s why I got on a plane.”
“Richard, you are my hero,” judge Simon Cowell said.
Judge Howie Mandel said, “You, and maybe because you’ve been doing it for 23 years, but you just cleaned up.”
“I would imagine that every kid that has ever been in a school with you is just screaming,” Mandel added. “I just think you’re amazing.”
Judge Heidi Klum was so moved that she pressed the Golden Buzzer, sending Goodall directly to the live shows.
Klum praised Goodall’s talent, saying she couldn’t wait to hear him sing again.
“Richard, Richard, Richard, you knocked me off my feet,” Klum said. “I mean, we all had the best time with you up there on that stage. I really, really feel something when I see you up there and hear you up there, and now this is what I’m going to do for you because I love you.”
Fans on YouTube also showered Goodall with praise and support, celebrating his inspiring story and deserved success in achieving his dream.
“I can’t express with words how lucky I feel to be able to say that I am one of the kids who always told him how amazing his voice is,” one YouTube user wrote. “My favorite part of walking through the hallway of Elementary school is hearing this phenomenon.”
“This is one of the most deserved golden buzzer I have ever seen,” another wrote. “A 50-year-old janitor who seems shy and nervous with a beautiful voice. This is the hope America needs.”
