An Idol has found love once again!

American Idol alum Danny Gokey has married model Leyicet Peralta, his manager confirms to PEOPLE exclusively. The couplesaid “I do” among family and friends in Florida on Sunday.

“We are so thankful to have found each other and now be able to spend the rest of our lives together,” the newlyweds tell PEOPLE in a statement. “We pray our gratitude grows more every day because there is so much for us to do now.”

Read the full article: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20564226,00.html

Wedding bells will ring for Danny Gokey and girlfriend Leyicet Peralta on Jan. 29, they announced Tuesday, and now come exclusive details on the engagement ring and the proposal itself.

“Danny originally chose a ring that was too big for Leyicet’s finger,” says the rep for the country singer andAmerican Idol season-8 finalist, “so they went on a hunt for a new one together.”

Read the full article at People.com: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20556985,00.html

ps – remember, if you’d like to celebrate Danny and Leyicet’s upcoming marriage, the couple is requesting that any gifts be in the form of donations to Danny’s foundation, Sophia’s Heart. You can find more HERE.

We’re posting a compilation of links to a number of the articles we’ve come across, listed in no formal order. 

Note: The content of these articles is not dramatically different, it’s just fun to see all the coverage

ps – remember, if you’d like to celebrate Danny and Leyicet’s upcoming marriage, the couple is requesting that any gifts be in the form of donations to Danny’s foundation, Sophia’s Heart. You can find more HERE.

Added Dec 30th:

inmusic.ca

countryschatter.com

cmt.ca

Added Dec 29th:

billboard.com

cbsnews.com

countrymusictattletale.com  (follow-up article)

thehollywoodgossip.com

realitytvworld.com

theboot.com  (follow-up article)

starsjournal.com

suntimes.com

post-gazette.com

wetpaint.com

Added Dec 28th:

nydailynews.com

dailymail.co.uk

msn.com

dispatch.com

zap2it.com

orlandosentinel.com

nbcmiami.com

tennessean.com

washingtonpost.com

fox40.com

cnn.com

latimes.com

mjsbigblog.com (follow-up article)

realitytvmagazine.com (follow-up article)

tasteofcountry.com (follow-up article)

vibe.com

Original post – Dec 27th

people.com

yahoo.com

okmagazine.com

usmagazine.com

hollywoodreporter.com

countryweekly.com

cmt.com

gactv.com

AOL’s theboot.com

americanidol.com

usatoday.com

perezhilton.com

accesshollywood.com

eonline.com

tvguide.com

ew.com

ontheredcarpet.com

celebs.gather.com

tasteofcountry.com

countrymusictattletale.com

christianpost.com

countrymusicrocks.net

countrymusicislove.com

mjsbigblog.com

realitytvmagazine.com

celebsshow.com

digitalspy.com

jsonline.com

onmilwaukee.com

miamiherald.com

wisn.com

ajc.com

huffingtonpost.com

mlive.com

buddytv.com

radaronline.com

gotcountryonline.com

toofab.com

lovetripper.com

inquisitr.com

inewsphilippines.com

rickey.org

us99country.radio.com (*)

(*) Numerous other country stations have also run the news, using syndicated content from Taste of Country or other outlets.

Danny spoke about Sophia’s Heart, and announced some exciting personal news that he is now engaged to his girlfriend Leyicet, and looking forward to a January wedding. Congratulations Danny and Leyicet!

Danny and Leyicet request that anyone who would like to celebrate their occasion with a gift do so by donation to Sophia’s Heart.

You can read the official engagement announcement and donate HERE.

Watch Danny’s interview with Fox News below, and a separate, pretaped “Beyond the Dream” segment with Danny Gokey and Kelly Wright that aired Friday.

‘American Idol’ Contestant Gives Back via FoxNews.com


Former ‘Idol’ Pays Tribute to Late Wife by Serving the Poor via FoxNews.com

American Idol season 8 finalist Danny Gokey is the latest show alum to find himself without a major label deal. A spokesperson for the country singer’s label confirms to the Hollywood Reporter that, “Danny Gokey and RCA Nashville have mutually agreed to part ways.”

Gokey was signed to the Sony Music subsidiary in September 2009, months after coming in third behind Kris Allen and Adam Lambert. He released his debut album, My Best Days, in March 2010. It entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 4 and the country chart at No. 3. According to Nielsen SoundScan, more than 192,000 copies of the album have been sold. The disc saw two singles released, “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me” and “I Will Not Say Goodbye,” the latter which failed to chart.

Read the full article: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/idol-worship/american-idol-alum-danny-gokey-263441

October started off on a musical high note when singer, Danny Gokey, from American Idol Season 8, stopped by THE VOICE at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta!

Having had only one hour of sleep the night before (he is currently on tour with Taylor Swift), Danny Gokey came in with a big smile and untappable energy to be interviewed by Tim Michaels, afternoon radio host from Atlanta’s country station, Kicks 101.5.

Gokey had plenty of words of encouragement for patients. He shared a quote, by Charles Swindoll, that has meant a lot to him throughout the hard times in his life. “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” The American Idol star has taken this quote and fused it into many aspects of his life. Gokey founded Sophia’s Heart, a foundation, in honor of his late wife, that takes in homeless families and gives them a place to live and food to eat. By the end of the year, Gokey is hoping to have helped 19 families with the foundation.

Read the full article and check out some photos at http://ryanseacrestfoundation.org/2011/10/04/danny-gokey-takes-a-break-from-touring-to-visit-choa/

Thanks to iheart contributor milgokey fan for her photos of Danny Gokey headlining at Summerfest last Weds. (preceding by country artist Brett Eldredge in the first photo), and at Danny’s radio stop the following day with Milwaukee’s country radio station FM106.1 WMIL.

Check them below, and learn more about this campaign via http://www.burnhamrichards.com/portfolio/wisconsin-vision/

At Work on New Album, Upcoming Taylor Swift Tour Dates and Much More, with Movie Appearance This Weekend!
After the record-setting release of his debut album last year, 19 Recordings/RCA Nashville recording artist Danny Gokey might find 2010 a tough year to beat, but 2011 has continued the excitement on multiple levels with touring, recording, TV, and new initiatives for Gokey’s Sophia’s Heart charity.

Yesterday morning, Gokey appeared on the FOX Nashville morning show Tennessee Mornings, where he performed and talked about Sophia’s Heart as well as his special guest appearance in the new, made-for-TV movie, Truth Be Told, airing this Saturday, April 16, at 8 PM ET on FOX.

On tour, look for Danny this summer as he joins superstar Taylor Swift for 11 June and July dates on the Taylor Swift Speak Now World Tour 2011. Among other upcoming appearances, fans will also be able to see Gokey when he performs at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry on April 23. For specific dates and a complete tour itinerary, visit www.dannygokey.com.

Gokey fans will also be able to plan ahead to join him for his recently announced 2nd Annual Danny Gokey Cruise to benefit his Sophia’s Heart charity. Slated for February 2-6, 2012, the cruise will depart from Miami, with visits to Key West and Cozumel, Mexico, and includes a welcome party with Danny, as well as a performance, on-board Super Bowl celebration, and much more. This year’s event, held February 3-7, raised more than $25,000 for Sophia’s Heart.

In another major initiative for Sophia’s Heart, earlier this year, Gokey unveiled his vision for the Compassion Nashville Project, offering a host of services to the Nashville community. The building housing Compassion Nashville was received as a $2.6 million donation for charitable use and will serve as a transitional home for up to 30 pre-qualified families, including temporary and emergency stays. Encompassing a massive 76,724 square feet on 4.66 acres, Compassion Nashville will also provide tutoring in literacy and life skills, as well as job training and much more.

Visit www.sophiasheart.org for information on booking passage on next year’s cruise, as well as to learn more about the programs of Sophia’s Heart and how you can help.

Amid tour dates and so much more, Gokey is currently at work on new music for his upcoming second album.

via: http://www.dannygokey.com/news/2011-continues-exciting-road-danny

See Vince & Amy perform at their “12 Days of Christmas” show inside The Ryman in Nashville. Then hear what plans Country artists Danny Gokey, Alan Jackson & more have this Christmas.

via http://nashvillecountryclub.com/Members/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=2451

Hard to Handle with band intro – video credit sonnysangel

T-R-O-U-B-L-E - video credit sonnysangel

Livin’ on a Prayer -video credit sonnysangel

Hard to Handle with band intro - video credit man5ell

Longtime iheart member and site contributor Josie ( )  has shared her recap from attending her very first Danny Gokey concert last weekend.

Well it was about time for me to go to a Danny show, don’t you think? 

You know what, if you had told me a couple of years ago that it wouldn’t be long before I found myself standing in a line, gift bag clutched in hand, waiting to see a singer who I had never met but had grown to care about enough to make such a fuss over, I would have thought you were crazy!  And if you had added that standing beside me would be a person I met over the internet who I met in person for the first time the night before when she arrived in town to stay at my house, I would have said “well you obviously just don’t know me very well”.  Ha!  I have surprised  myself.  And that’s a good thing, because I wouldn’t have wanted to miss any of it!

Well, where should I start?  How about how excited I was when I saw that Danny was coming out this way!  And I was even more excited when a couple of other ihearties in the Pacific Northwest said they were coming too, Ellen and Asics!  Unfortunately it didn’t work out for Asics to come this time for unavoidable reasons and we really missed her because she is such a sweetheart.  I was glad that Ellen could come, because I didn’t think my husband would be all that fun to giggle with over how cute Danny is, lol!  And we had so much fun with the planning!  “What are you going to wear? This is what I’m taking Danny as a gift, do you think he’ll like it?”  All that kind of stuff.  And so when Ellen appeared at my front door, it didn’t feel as if I was meeting a stranger at all, we were just friends picking up the conversation where we left off.

Oh, about the “what to wear” question.  It wasn’t planned that we would both wear purple.  We did both say that we planned to wear skirts, because we thought it was a nice venue and maybe people would be a little more dressed up on a Saturday night.  But we both like purple and lavender and wear it often anyway, and kind of have a soft spot for it as well because that was Danny’s tour color and Sophia’s favorite color.  So the color-coordination was coincidental rather than planned.  My husband was funny, when I told him that I wanted him to wear a nice jacket so that he would “match” the ladies he was escorting he gave me an outraged look and said “but this is a COUNTRY MUSIC CONCERT!”.  You don’t dress up at “COUNTRY MUSIC CONCERTS!!!”.  I know I don’t have to tell you which one of us won this argument.

But back to our exciting Danny weekend.  My husband had picked up Ellen at the train station and I could tell that Dan (that’s his name, Dan) felt really comfortable with her when they came in.  I think he had been a bit dubious about the whole inviting someone I met on the internet to stay overnight with us, but he is used to me just doing the stuff that I do and things generally turn out fine.  And it turned out great having Ellen with us.  She arrived late Friday afternoon and we all talked for awhile, just getting to know each other better, then we went out to dinner to a restaurant called the Purple Café in Woodinville, which is where we live (it’s one of the eastside communities outside Seattle).

Yes, we talked about Danny and many great things about ihearties, and I think Dan actually found much of it pretty interesting.  For one thing, he learned more about what I’m up to when I’m in Dannyworld, where I have spent so much time.  He knew about the radio station stuff I do because he has seen me working on it a lot.  But he had no idea about the “hater whisperer” thing, and was interested in hearing about that.  He gets irritated with people who get all wound up and post crazy things about politics, so he could relate, lol!  We had a great time.

So Saturday morning comes, and we get our stuff all packed up and off we go!  I guess it took about 3 hours to get there, not bad at all.  The border guard just wanted to know if we were taking anything into Canada to leave there and so Ellen told him all about the gifts that we were taking to give to Danny Gokey at his concert.  He just waved us on through, I guess we didn’t appear to be particularly menacing   So, I guess this would be a good time to tell you about what I took to Danny (I’ll let Ellen tell you what she gave him if she wants to).  First, I found the most perfect card for him.  On the front it had a quote that said “Keep shining my bright and shining star of a friend,” and when you opened it, it said “You are an inspiration.”   I loved that.  I wrote just a short note inside and one of the things I said was that I know that I’m just meeting him for the first time, but he does make his fans feel as if he sees us as his friends.

I also told him that I am very proud of him, and I told him the same thing after the show about the ihearties being proud of him, because I think it’s important that he knows that.  I think the way he has gone about building his career and SHF with such seriousness of purpose is a wonderful thing and I really admire that about him.   But anyway, what I gave him is a book called “The Man Who Listens to Horses: The Story of a Real-life Horse Whisperer”.  I read it several years ago and found it fascinating, and I thought Danny might like it both because he has said that he loves horses and would like to have his own one day, and also because he loves stories about people overcoming difficulties and obstacles in their lives and being able to make a difference in the world through their passion for what they believe in.  I also gave him two jars of herbal tea from my very favorite restaurant, The Herb Farm in Woodinville, which is a very special place.  And a heart-shaped tea infuser, because of course he needs one of those.

We got to our hotel in time to get something to eat, and then it was time to get ready to go!  Wow, after all this time I am finally about to see Danny Gokey!  Does it sound like I was getting excited to see him?  I was!  But then disaster almost struck – our GPS (her name is Marge) had a nervous breakdown!  There was lots of construction in the area and detours and poor Marge got so confused.  OMG I swear we would still be there driving around in a circle if we did what she told us to do.  But luckily my wonderful husband somehow figured it out (I have no idea how, I have the sense of direction of a tree stump) and we got there right about 7:00 and picked up our meet and greet passes and they said that someone would come get us from the lobby at 7:10.

We were walking into the lobby when this 7’ tall security guy steps in front of us to block us, and he says that we will probably have to give him our gift bags because we might be mad bombers intending to blow up the stage! (well that’s not exactly what he said but you know that’s what he meant).  Ellen and I clutched our gift bags to our chests and said “But people always give Danny gifts at his meet-and-greets!!!”.   He said something about “policy” and scrutinized us carefully then said “Well it might be different with meet-and-greets, I’ll go check.”  He returned shortly and told us that he had decided that we were not mad bombers after all.  Whew!

There’s another guy with blond hair walking around writing down people’s names and where they are from.  I heard him or someone say there were two different meet-and-greets and the groups would be taken downstairs separately.  Then Ellen remembered that she hadn’t put her blusher on and took it out of her purse and said “should I try to put it on without a mirror?”   Now really, would one iheartie let another one put on blusher without a mirror right before meeting Danny Gokey?  No of course not!  I took Ellen’s blusher and was putting it on for her when the blond guy says “Anyone who bought the package deal, come with me now.”  Some people who were standing around there headed toward him, and some didn’t.  Ellen and I looked at each other – we didn’t know anything about a package deal.  We assumed it wasn’t our turn and stayed put.  A few minutes later, 7’ guy comes up the stairs and says “if you bought a pass to the meet-and-greet, you should be downstairs now.”  I guess what happened was he got down there and realized that his mad bombers were missing, bless his heart.  So we hustled over there and started down the stairs.

ihearties, it’s a bad idea to wear new shoes for the first time to an important event.  I bought the cutest shoes to wear, but they were just a tiny touch too big, just big enough to not want to stay on my feet when I went up or down stairs!  So I’m walking down those stairs with a death grip on the railing, trying not to lose my shoes and trip over them, and hoping that I don’t introduce myself to Danny by tumbling down those stairs and landing at his feet in a heap!  Can you imagine?  Good grief!

Ok, so we finally get down there. I really didn’t pay any attention to who else was there, I have no idea.  I was basically focused on keeping my shoes on my feet and trying to calm down from feeling so frazzled!  Then someone said “Please welcome RCA recording artist Danny Gokey!!!” and people clap, and I look at this group of people on the other side of the room who had walked through a door over there, and one of them walks over to the center of one of the walls….and yep, there he is.  That’s Danny!  It was so funny because I thought he would immediately seem familiar to me, but he didn’t!  I think it took my brain a little time to make the connection that this 3D person standing there in real life is the same guy who I have grown to just love to bits but my eyes only know as a 2D image on my computer screen.  But that person standing there was really Danny.  This real-life Danny is very cute, he had on a black (or very dark gray) Tshirt (thanks Pam!) and a vest, and jeans and nice boots.

The blond guy is kind of acting as an announcer. I think it’s a good idea because it lets Danny know people’s names and saves him from the embarrassment of not remembering someone’s name who he knows he has met before, but it’s kind of comical.  “Here’s Ellen who is here all the way from Oregon!!!!”… and off Ellen goes to talk to Danny.  I don’t know what I was doing while she was talking to him, maybe talking to Dan?  I think I was telling him that he should come with me when I go up to talk to Danny. But after a minute or two Ellen turned around and I don’t remember what she said but she told me she said something like “This is the famous JosieInSeattle!” (this phrase has become a running joke between us, btw.  She had also tweeted this to Danny and it just cracked me up imagining him thinking, who???!).   “You have no idea what this woman has done for you!”, she said to him, about me.  I would say Danny looked mildly perplexed but willing to be impressed, lol!

I don’t think he got the iheart connection at first, and that’s my fault, because when I walked up to him I made a reference to the wonderful people who had been tweeting him that I was coming and I said “Hi, I’m JosieInSeattle on twitter, and I think maybe a couple of people told you I was coming”.  I meant it as a joke, because people have been tweeting him for WEEKS that I was coming to see him (which is so sweet and so touching to me and I won’t ever forget how nice it was for people to do that.  I love you guys).  He said “Yeah, some people told me something about someone coming to meet me for the first time…” then he put his hands to his head as if he was trying to remember.

Then he looked at me and said something like “Josie…I’ve heard about you I think” and I could tell he was trying to remember the context.  I said “Yes, I think Erika told you that I’m the one who does the radio station stuff at iheart”.  He said “Really???” (I know he has been told this but I guess he forgot, who can blame him, he has a lot to think about and remember!).   But then it seemed to click and maybe he remembered, because he reached out and gave me a hug and said “Thanks for all you do.”  I think I said “oh gosh, you’re welcome”.  While he still had his arm around me he said “do you want to get your picture taken?”    When I had first walked up I had said to Mike “you don’t need to take a picture, I’m camera shy”, and I answered Danny saying “no that’s ok I don’t need a picture” and I wonder if I shook my head in a comical way or something because I seem to recall that this seemed to amuse him.  He said “Oh you need a picture” and Mike chimed in “Yeah, you have to have a picture!”  and really, whaddaya gonna do?  Smile and say cheese!     As I left Danny I said “It’s kind of surreal seeing you talk without having to click on a youtube Start button first”, as I looked at him and mimicked clicking a mouse, and he and Mike laughed.  If you had asked me what I would like to get out of my first meeting with Danny, I think I would have said that I’d like to make him laugh, so Yay! 

Dan didn’t go up to Danny at the same time I did, I don’t know if he was talking to the blond announcer guy or what, but he said hi to Danny next, and I think he just told him that he was my husband and got his picture taken.  He has already sent it to his mom and his sister, aw.

And so on to the show!  We made our way to our seats about 20 minutes before the show was supposed to start. The Red Robinson Theater is a nice venue, and I liked the way the seats were arranged on a steep incline, I think every seat in the house would have a good view.  We were in the 7^th row, right in the middle, it was great.   When we got there a couple of the guys from the band were onstage getting their instruments ready, I am pretty sure it was Ivan and Matt.  By the time the show got underway I think the crowd was maybe 75-80% of capacity.  That was what I thought, and I asked Dan and he said the same.

Danny did 17 songs but it seemed to go by so fast!  He did all the songs on his album, plus Hard to Handle, What Hurts the Most, Back at One, Raining on Sunday, TROUBLE, Life is a Highway, and Living On a Prayer.   What I can say in general is that Danny’s voice sounded so beautiful, he really did.   And of course he looked great and confident as he always does.  When he first came out (I think Like That’s A Bad Thing was the first song) he wasn’t happy with the sound, he pointed to his mic and made a “crank it up” gesture a couple of times until they had it the way he wanted it.  Other than that, I noticed no problems whatsoever with anything.

I was a happy camper!  That was so cool to see him come out onstage!  This was my first show so I can’t compare of course but I think the crowd really liked him.  Early in the show he asked “How many of you watched American Idol?” and there was a huge response to that, and some guy yelled “you should have won!”.   I wonder if that happens at every show?  Probably at a lot of them!

Danny seems to really love it when people sing.  Every time he’d hold the mic out to pick up the sound of the crowd singing, he’d smile when he heard us.  I’ve seen him do that on a lot of videos too, he smiles and kind of does this head bobbing thing to the crowd singing, it’s really cute.   And people did sing!

Let’s see, people always want to know the composition of the audience.  I’m a bad person to ask about that.  I am usually focused on one thing (let’s say for example, Daniel J. Gokey onstage in front of me) or just musing about whatever in my own little world.  But I did look around a bit.  It seemed like there were a lot of couples, young ones and middle-aged ones and some old ones.  And women there in small groups, young ones and middle-aged ones.

What else…Danny had a small black towel with him onstage but I don’t think I would have even noticed it if Ellen hadn’t pointed it out.  Another thing was that when Danny intro’d the band he said that Justin is from Canada!  That went over well.  And when he introduced IWNSG he dedicated it to the troops and to anyone who has lost anyone as he always does, and he did remember to customize this to being in Canada which was good.

I loved every minute of hearing Danny singing of course, but I’ll mention some things I remember in particular.  On “What Hurts the Most” he did that really pretty thing where he sings in counterpoint to the crowd.  He did an AWESOME job with that high note in “Get Away”.  I really love that song.  I think the way he sings “Raining on Sunday” is just mesmerizingly pretty, I just love that one too.  Of course I always think that too about “Back at One” and…well honestly what song don’t I think that about!  I was shocked when he said “did you enjoy the show?” because it had all just gone by in a flash!  But he still had a couple more songs to do, and as I have heard he likes to do, he invited the crowd up to the front.  They hustled on up there too!  We were trapped in our row so we didn’t get to go up but that’s ok, it was fun have a good view of it.

People were dancing and reaching up to him and videoing him.  He was touching people’s hands and playing to the cameras and dancing all over the place, it made me smile to watch him.  Excellent dance moves on TROUBLE, he looked really great!  I think the last song was Livin’ On a Prayer.  It’s interesting, I found that I liked that song much better seeing it live.  I have to admit I’m not a big Bon Jovi fan, I don’t dislike them, just never was really all that interested.  I’ve always thought Danny does a great job with that song but I haven’t loved it the way I do so many others of his.  But seeing it live was really great!  Of course the band is just fantastic on it, and as dynamic as Danny is during the first part of the show, I think that having people right there in front of him who he can touch and see their faces just makes him feel like kicking it up to another level.  People were just singing their hearts out along with him on this song and he looked like he LOVED that.

It seemed to me that maybe he repeated the chorus an extra time or two because it made him happy to hear people singing with him.  I think maybe he feels that if people are singing along, he knows for sure they’re having fun, and of course that’s true!  So I’d say I’m much more a fan of that song now than I was before, because every time I hear it I’ll remember how fun it was to see Danny’s face light up when he heard the crowd singing with him.

All too soon, the show was over, and as I was walking out I was thinking again about how proud I am of him.  Sometimes people think that saying you’re “proud” of someone is kind of a condescending or maybe a bit overly proprietary thing to say.  But I don’t mean it that way.  What I mean is that there were a bunch of us who saw the raw talent and tremendous potential that he showed on AI, and now he is showing the world what he can do, and it’s just amazing.  Losing Sophia and then entering the pressure cooker of the AI show just a few weeks later would be a level of stress that most of us could only try to imagine.  Trying to launch a music career presents almost impossible odds, and trying to launch a viable non-profit is not a whole lot easier, but he’s doing both at the same time.  And doing both very well while maintaining that warmth and kindness toward people that he has.  Yep, I’m proud of him alright.

And it made me really happy to get the chance to tell him so!  Danny had announced toward the end of the concert that he would sign whatever people bought and so a good chunk of the crowd made their way to the line to buy his CD and/or photo for him to sign.  How many people?  I don’t know, but the line circled around the large lobby, it seemed like a lot of people wanted to see him.  I got two CDs and Ellen got a CD or two, and a couple of photos (one to give to me, isn’t that nice?).  Danny was standing behind what was a bar in its normal use, and Mike was right up next to him, keeping an eye on things.  I don’t remember really thinking much about what I was going to say to Danny when I got up to him, but the ihearties were on my mind.  As I approached him he said “Hi JosieInSeattle”.  He’s good, isn’t he!

I said to him “You know the ihearties are going to ask me, “What did he say??? So is there anything you’d like to say to the ihearties?”. He thought for a second while he finished signing the two CD covers I had given him, then he looked up and looked into my eyes and said “I would like to tell them how much I appreciate how they stick with me through thick and thin, and everything they do. I really appreciate how much they do to help get the word out about what I’m doing (not 100% sure but I think he mentioned both with his career and SHF). I said “Well, you know we love you and we are very proud of you”. That’s when he said “tell them I LOVE them”, and he said it just like that, with a lot of emphasis.

I think that then he said “Will I see you at another show?” and I said “Yes, I’ll see you in Wausau!”  but I don’t think he heard me because he was distracted noticing that I had a couple of other CDs in my hand and wondering if I wanted to have them signed too, then I think he realized they were Ivan’s.  So I just smiled and waved goodbye and that’s that until the next time!

But that reminds me, I skipped over what was a really nice part of the evening!  One of the things I wanted to do that night was get Ivan’s CD.  I had listened to the snippets of it and I knew I’d like it and that Dan would like it too.  (And that was the case.  We listened to it on the way home, and Dan has mentioned to me at least twice since then that he really likes it).  So while we were waiting to see Danny, Dan held my place in line while I went looking for Ivan.  He and Brandon and Matt were hanging out in the area beside the bar where Danny was, and as I approached Ivan he smiled and was so nice to me.  I really liked him.  I bought a couple of his CDs and he seemed so pleased about that.  Then, I wanted to talk to him about SHF.  I told him about how I was very interested in it but had kind of assumed that being out of the area there really wasn’t much I could do as far as volunteering, but then I had seen Pam talk about doing online research for a project and thought “Hey, I could do that from Seattle!” and that I had turned in my volunteer application and hoped that there would be things I could do that would be helpful.  I got a little embarrassed that maybe I was taking up too much of his time but he seemed happy to talk to me and really just could not have been nicer.

I said goodbye to Ivan and moved on to Brandon.  I waggled Ivan’s CD at him and said “So did you bring yours?”.  He put his face in his hands and said something like “Just send me your address I’ll send it to you!”.  I think I can order it from his Facebook page and I’ll do that, he really does have such a pretty voice.  I also talked to Brandon a bit about LaRosa’s pizza in Cincinnati (I used to live there), I had joked with him a bit about that on twitter and he responded to me then and I thought he might remember it and I think he did.  I didn’t really talk to Matt at that point, I just smiled at them all and said a heartfelt “Great show, guys” and they all said “Thank you”.

When I posted the day after the show I mentioned the amusing incident that happened a little later, when Ellen was talking to Ivan and she said that she had never met Matt and probably wouldn’t that night because he was busy (he was surrounded by a bunch of girls).  Ivan said “yes you will” to Ellen, went over to Matt and took him by the shoulders and basically shoved him in our direction!  Matt did not appear to be surprised by this at all so perhaps this is how the guys typically help each other spread the attention around, I don’t know.  Ellen talked to Matt more than I did, I just said a couple of things to him.

One thing I said was “You guys look like you’re having so much fun up there on stage, that makes it fun to watch you”.  His face lit up at that and he was very enthusiastic in telling us how much fun they had performing together.  I think Ellen must have been talking to him about food, and at that point Danny had come out from behind the bar and was taking pictures with some fans not far from us.  Matt kept looking in his direction and I gestured toward Danny and said “does he really eat junk food?”.   Matt said “he eats ALL THE TIME”.  Then he got the high sign that he was watching for that it was time to go and off they went, down the elevator.   I hadn’t talked to Justin but Ellen did and she said he was very nice.

Dan had told me when I got to the autograph line that he was going to go sit down somewhere and wait for me, so I went to find him.  He was sitting on some steps with another waiting husband, just chatting away.  His wife came up at about the same time I did, and I asked her if she had been a fan of Danny’s from American Idol.  She said “Yes. I LOVE him.”  Yep, her face was glowing when she said it.  I smiled at her and did not look at the husbands to see if they were rolling their eyes at each other.  

Of course Ellen and I were eager to talk about the show and we wanted to jot some thoughts down while it was still fresh in our minds.  There was a wine shop back at the hotel that was open late, so I bought some wine and Ellen came by our room.  We both had pads of paper and pens in hand – this was serious business!  The first thing I wrote down was what Danny said to the ihearties, I didn’t want to forget that.  After noting down a few things, we “interviewed” Dan, Ellen and I were both very curious to hear his thoughts on the concert.  Dan has always liked Danny, he thinks that he has such a beautiful voice and he thinks he is a very good person.

When we asked him what he liked best about the concert, he said that it was how Danny told the story behind the songs and really connected with the audience.  He said that’s something that not many artists can do that well, and the difference with Danny is that when he says something you can tell he really means it.  That’s what makes him unique and makes you want to listen to the lyrics of his songs. The combination of the way he talks about the songs and the way he sings them triples the impact.  I told Dan that I noticed during IWNSG that he seemed to be very touched by the song and I asked if that was how he felt, and he said yes, that he had felt deeply touched during several of Danny’s songs.

Then he added that when he said that his favorite thing was when Danny talked about the songs, that wasn’t to take away from his singing, but it just added so much to it.  Dan said that he wishes that Danny could do all different genres, that he could do all kinds of stuff and he would be fantastic (he specifically mentioned rock and R&B).  We all agreed that we think it’s great that Danny does show that rock side and the R&B side in his shows.  Dan brought up that he thinks that Danny’s values are very consistent with him being in country music, and I think he believes it was a good choice for Danny for that reason (which is something I have thought many times too), and he talked again about how much Danny engages the audience.  Another thing Dan said was that IWNSG reminded him of some traditional Irish folk songs, and he mentioned something about the kinds of songs that Iris Dement sings.  I know little about traditional Irish folk songs or Iris Dement, but I pass that comment along for anyone who might!

We just kept talking about Danny and the show and iheart and after awhile Dan couldn’t hold his eyes open anymore and went to sleep, but Ellen and I kept going!  I think it was about 2:45 when Ellen went back to her room.  I don’t think we were talked out even then but even ihearties have to sleep sometime!  The next day we had a nice drive back to Seattle and made it back in time for her to catch her train and for me to hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters.

Since then, Dan has made several comments about the weekend, all positive, about Danny’s show and having Ellen with us, and Ivan’s CD, and even about what he learned about iheart.  He told me that he no longer feels at all uncomfortable at the thought of me flying out to go to the Wausau show with “strangers”, he understands now that ihearties are not strangers to each other, we are good friends.

Something I have in common with Danny is that we both LOVE the ihearties. It has been so touching to me how much you guys care about me meeting Danny for the first time and seeing my first Danny show.  I was just overwhelmed by all the sweet messages on twitter and email and at iheart, and that affection from you all was every bit as important to me as seeing Danny in making this a wonderful experience.  And that is saying something because you all know I really just love that Danny Gokey to bits!  And you all too. 

Sophia’s Heart Foundation

One Heart…Touching Many

$1 Million Dollar Fundraising Campaign

“At every show, my fans ask me how they can help raise money for Sophia’s Heart, “ said Danny Gokey. “Sophia’s Heart Foundation will launch an on-line fundraising campaign through www.firstgiving.org/sophiasheart that gives fans the opportunity to do just that”.

Sophia’s Heart’s online fundraising campaign features a contest for fans, donors, and supporters to get creative and compete for prizes.

Danny Gokey announced today, the launch of the One Heart….Touching Many $1 Million Dollar Fundraising Campaign to help support Sophia’s Heart of Compassion Programs.

“I have a passion for helping people, especially children and families” said Gokey, “There are so many people who need our help and now Sophia’s Heart needs your help to raise money to support our Heart of Compassion Programs benefiting children and families.”

Sophia’s Heart Foundation (“Sophia’s Heart”) was founded by Soulful Country Music Recording Artist and American Idol finalist, Danny Gokey, in memory of his late wife, Sophia Gokey.  Sophia’s Heart exists to help mend and heal the hearts of children and families who have been touched by poverty, sickness, disease, broken families and broken dreams.  One Heart…Touching Many.

FUNDRAISING CONTEST

Donors, supporters and fans can create and design their own fundraising pages at www.firstgiving.org/SophiasHeart, to raise money on behalf of Sophia’s Heart.  Individuals or teams can create their own fundraising page and reach out to their network of family, friends, co-workers and neighbors to spread the mission and vision of Sophia’s Heart.   Teams are limited to no more than 4 members.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE

We know Danny Gokey has fans all around the world so everyone can participate in this online fundraising campaign.  All funds will be donated in US Dollars.

GET CREATIVE!!!

For all of those fans who have been asking to do a fundraiser for Sophia’s Heart, now is your time to shine!  Design your www.firstgiving.org/Sophiasheart page with pictures, videos, personal stories – whatever you would like to communicate to your network of family, friends, co-workers and why they should donate to Sophia’s Heart for this campaign.  Use email, FaceBook, Twitter, and other forms of social media to get the message out for your campaign.

Set a goal for your campaign ($500, $1,000, $5,000, $10,000 etc.) and customize a personal message for your friends and family and watch your fundraising progress toward your goal on your personal Sophia’s Heart fundraising page.  Don’t forget to reach out to your employer or other businesses for matching donations; this is a great way to reach your fundraising target!

The One Heart…Touching Many $1 Million Dollar Fundraising Campaign will run from November 4, 2010 through January 4, 2011.  Donations will be accepted after January 4, 2011, but will not count toward the contest prizes.

No cash or other forms of donations can be accepted except through our online www.firstgiving.com/sophiasheart for this campaign.  Matching fund requests and corporate giving inquiries can be directed to Sophia’s Heart at firstgiving@sophiasheart.org or you can call 1-800-595-6269 for more information.

PRIZES

Platinum Prize Level – Top Overall Fundraisers

The Top Overall Individual Fundraiser and the Top Overall Team (no more than four people per team) will each win (minimum fundraising total will be $10,000):

• A Private Dinner with Danny Gokey
• 2 Tickets to any Danny Gokey Concert in the U.S.
• VIP Meet & Greet Passes for concert

Sophia’s Heart will choose the date, time and location of the Private Dinner.  Location will be within the winners’ state.  Winners are responsible for transportation to the events if not in the city in which they reside. Winners in this category must reach the minimum level of $10,000 during the contest period – November 4, 2010 – January 4, 2011.

Gold Prize Level – $10,000 or More

Win a”Cruise with Danny Gokey to Benefit Sophia’s Heart”

Cruise departs from Tampa, Florida on February 3, 2011 and returns on February 7, 2011.  Winner is responsible for airfare to and from Tampa, Florida.

All individuals or teams (no more than four people per team) are eligible to win a “Cruise with Danny Gokey to Benefit Sophia’s Heart” who reach the $10,000 fundraising level between November 4, 2010 and January 4, 2011.

Silver Prize Level – $5,000 – $9,999

The Top 3 Individual Fundraisers and the Top 3 Teams in the Silver Prize level will receive a pair of tickets and Meet and Greet Passes to a future Danny Gokey show.  Sophia’s Heart will choose the time, date and location for this show within the winner’s state and will contact winners.  Winners are responsible for transportation to the events if not in the city in which they reside.

Bronze Prize Level – $1,000 – $4,999

All Individual and Team Fundraisers who reach the Bronze level will receive a special commemorative Sophia’s Heart T-shirt, signed by Danny Gokey along with a signed Danny Gokey “My Best Days” CD.

Everyone’s a Winner

All participants in our “One Heart…Touching Many” $1 Million Dollar Fundraising Campaign will receive a complimentary “Sophia’s Heart” bracelet.  All participants must have a valid email address.

Contest runs from November 4, 2010 through January 4, 2011.   Donations will be allowed after midnight January 4, 2011 but will not count toward the contest prizes.

HOW TO DONATE

If you do not want to participate in our One Heart…Touching Many Fundraising Contest, but would like to make a donation to our fundraising campaign, you can donate via our website at:  https://www.sophiasheart.org/donate.php.   – please add $1Million Campaign in the comments section.

Donations can also be mailed to:

Sophia’s Heart

2479 Murfreesboro Road, Suite 515

Nashville, TN  37217

Video credits: Our Steph

Video credits: Lori. Thanks, Lori!

Sophia’s Heart has also other parallel campaigns and programs going on.

You can check them out below and/or at Sophia’s Heart website:

SHF Appeal Campaign

“One Heart… Touching Many” Bike Drive

We told you about Danny’s cruise to benefit Sophia’s Heart before but we’re reminding you again of this unique opportunity before the offer ends! DO NOT MISS IT!

BOOK IT HERE!

The ship sets sail from Tampa, FL on Thursday, February 3rd.  The cruise will kick off with
a rousing concert from Danny and friends.  The first night aboard will feature a dinner with
the artists followed by parties well into the night.   As the ship heads to Cozumel on Friday,
guests will have the opportunity to explore the many activities available onboard the
Inspiration.  Friday evening will feature a concert and meet & greet with Danny.  While the
ship ports on Saturday, passengers can venture into the scenic city of Cozumel.  Guests can
embark on thrilling excursions in Mexico or simply relax in the sun.  Returning to the ship
Saturday night, passengers will enjoy a night of music and exciting surprises from Danny!
Guests can experience the numerous amenities aboard as the ship heads back to Florida.
Storme Warren, host of GAC “Headline Country”, will be on board to emcee this exciting
celebration and he will also host a special Super Bowl Party on this Super Bowl Sunday!
Remember your checkbooks, as items from our artists – and, as rumor has it,
some artists themselves – will be auctioned off to benefit Sophia’s Heart!