An America's Got Talent contestant who blew the judges away with his emotional performance of Elton John's 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' has opened up about wanting 'to make up all the lost years' of his life after serving over 36 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.
Archie Williams, 59, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, shared his heart-wrenching story on Tuesday night's episode of the competition series, explaining that he was wrongfully convicted of rape and attempted murder. He spent over three decades in prison before he was released in March 2019 after DNA evidence cleared his name.
'I don't think you can explain it, the fullness of freedom,' he told Today's Natalie Morales on Wednesday. 'I don't think words can explain the fullness of freedom.'
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Unforgettable: Archie Williams, 59, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, performed an emotional rendition of Elton John's 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' on Tuesday's America's Got Talent
Heart-wrenching: Before his performance, the singer explained he was just 22 years old when he was wrongfully convicted of the rape and attempted murder of a white woman in 1982
Amazing: Williams, who spent 36 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, told Today's Natalie Morales he wants 'to make up all the lost years'
Before his performance, Williams revealed that he used to watch America's Got Talent while he was in prison, saying he would 'visualize' himself being there on stage.
When he stepped on stage, he candidly detailed the injustice he suffered when he was arrested at the age of 22.
'On the morning of December 9 of 1982, a 30-year-old white woman was raped and stabbed in her home. I was arrested on January 4. I couldn't believe it was really happening. I knew I was innocent,' he recalled.
'I didn't commit a crime. But being a poor black kid, I didn't have the economic ability to fight the state of Louisiana,' he explained. 'At the trial, none of the fingerprints at the scene matched mine.
'Three people testified that I was at home, but they wanted somebody to pay. I was sentenced to life and 80 years without the possibility of parole or probation.'
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Years lost: The Innocence Project, which works to free the wrongfully convicted, began working on Williams' case in the 1990s, but he was only freed last year (pictured)
Family: Upon his release, he learned that he had a daughter he never knew about. 'It's just the profoundest thing that's in my life right now,' he said
Goal: Williams revealed that he used to watch America's Got Talent while he was in prison, saying he would 'visualize' himself being there on stage
The Innocence Project, which works to free the wrongfully convicted, began working on Williams' case in the 1990s, but he was only freed last year.
After new evidence linked another man to the crime, he was released on March 21, 2019, after spending 36 years incarcerated. Upon his release, he learned that he had a daughter he never knew about.
'To think of her going all those years without me,' he told Morales as his eyes welled with tears. 'It's just the profoundest thing that's in my life right now.'
Williams is now focused on his future and his blossoming singing career.
'I want to make up all the lost years,' he said. 'And, you know, I want to do a career in singing with my nieces and nephews I have. We're just singers.'
Williams told NPR in November that he endured life at Louisiana State Penitentiary — nicknamed the 'Alcatraz of the South' — by forming a band with other inmates, saying it was the first place he ever sang gospel music.
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Success: In November, he sang at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, taking third place in the theater's weekly Amateur Night competition
Plans: 'I want to do a career in singing with my nieces and nephews I have. We're just singers,' Williams told Morales
Feeling the love: Williams gained millions of new fans when his unforgettable performance of aired on Tuesday's episode of America's Got Talent
'It was like a new birth there,' he recalled.
In November, he sang at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, taking third place in the theater's weekly Amateur Night competition.
Williams gained millions of new fans when his unforgettable performance of 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' aired on Tuesday's episode of America's Got Talent.
'Freedom is of the mind,' he told AGT host Terry Crews. 'I went to prison, but I never let my mind go to prison.'
His emotional rendition of the song earned him a standing ovation and Lạc Sơn Đại Phật even a shoutout from Elton John, who tweeted he was 'moved to tears' when he heard Williams' sing his song.
Touched: Elton John tweeted that he was 'moved to tears' when he heard Williams' story and saw his performance
Fans: Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Simon Cowell (left to right) joined the crowd in giving Williams a standing ovation
Using his platform: Cowell revealed on Tuesday he was so moved by Williams' story that he has become an ambassador for The Innocence Project to help others who are wrongly imprisoned
Simon Cowell was similarly stunned by Williams' story and performance, sharing on Twitter that he will never forget it.
The 60-year-old AGT judge and record executive shared a video of the moment, writing: 'This is Archie Williams. I will never forget this audition for the rest of my life. And I'll never listen to this song in the same way ever again.'
Cowell revealed on Tuesday that he was so moved by Williams' story that he has become an ambassador for The Innocence Project to help others who are wrongly imprisoned.
'Archie's performance is probably the single most important one in the history of America's Got Talent,' he said in a statement for the organization.
'What happened to Archie is tragic. While Archie's voice is extraordinary, unfortunately, his experience of being sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit is much more common than most people realize.'
Read more:
NPR Choice page
Archie Williams gives unforgettable audition on 'America's Got Talent'
Archie Williams, 59, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, shared his heart-wrenching story on Tuesday night's episode of the competition series, explaining that he was wrongfully convicted of rape and attempted murder. He spent over three decades in prison before he was released in March 2019 after DNA evidence cleared his name.
'I don't think you can explain it, the fullness of freedom,' he told Today's Natalie Morales on Wednesday. 'I don't think words can explain the fullness of freedom.'
Scroll down for video
Unforgettable: Archie Williams, 59, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, performed an emotional rendition of Elton John's 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' on Tuesday's America's Got Talent
Heart-wrenching: Before his performance, the singer explained he was just 22 years old when he was wrongfully convicted of the rape and attempted murder of a white woman in 1982
Amazing: Williams, who spent 36 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, told Today's Natalie Morales he wants 'to make up all the lost years'
Before his performance, Williams revealed that he used to watch America's Got Talent while he was in prison, saying he would 'visualize' himself being there on stage.
When he stepped on stage, he candidly detailed the injustice he suffered when he was arrested at the age of 22.
'On the morning of December 9 of 1982, a 30-year-old white woman was raped and stabbed in her home. I was arrested on January 4. I couldn't believe it was really happening. I knew I was innocent,' he recalled.
'I didn't commit a crime. But being a poor black kid, I didn't have the economic ability to fight the state of Louisiana,' he explained. 'At the trial, none of the fingerprints at the scene matched mine.
'Three people testified that I was at home, but they wanted somebody to pay. I was sentenced to life and 80 years without the possibility of parole or probation.'
RELATED ARTICLES
Previous
1
Next
'The very definition of a toxic work environment': Gabrielle... Elton John was 'moved to tears' after hearing wrongfully...
Share this article
Share
Years lost: The Innocence Project, which works to free the wrongfully convicted, began working on Williams' case in the 1990s, but he was only freed last year (pictured)
Family: Upon his release, he learned that he had a daughter he never knew about. 'It's just the profoundest thing that's in my life right now,' he said
Goal: Williams revealed that he used to watch America's Got Talent while he was in prison, saying he would 'visualize' himself being there on stage
The Innocence Project, which works to free the wrongfully convicted, began working on Williams' case in the 1990s, but he was only freed last year.
After new evidence linked another man to the crime, he was released on March 21, 2019, after spending 36 years incarcerated. Upon his release, he learned that he had a daughter he never knew about.
'To think of her going all those years without me,' he told Morales as his eyes welled with tears. 'It's just the profoundest thing that's in my life right now.'
Williams is now focused on his future and his blossoming singing career.
'I want to make up all the lost years,' he said. 'And, you know, I want to do a career in singing with my nieces and nephews I have. We're just singers.'
Williams told NPR in November that he endured life at Louisiana State Penitentiary — nicknamed the 'Alcatraz of the South' — by forming a band with other inmates, saying it was the first place he ever sang gospel music.
NBCUniversal Privacy Policy
Success: In November, he sang at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, taking third place in the theater's weekly Amateur Night competition
Plans: 'I want to do a career in singing with my nieces and nephews I have. We're just singers,' Williams told Morales
Feeling the love: Williams gained millions of new fans when his unforgettable performance of aired on Tuesday's episode of America's Got Talent
'It was like a new birth there,' he recalled.
In November, he sang at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, taking third place in the theater's weekly Amateur Night competition.
Williams gained millions of new fans when his unforgettable performance of 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' aired on Tuesday's episode of America's Got Talent.
'Freedom is of the mind,' he told AGT host Terry Crews. 'I went to prison, but I never let my mind go to prison.'
His emotional rendition of the song earned him a standing ovation and Lạc Sơn Đại Phật even a shoutout from Elton John, who tweeted he was 'moved to tears' when he heard Williams' sing his song.
Touched: Elton John tweeted that he was 'moved to tears' when he heard Williams' story and saw his performance
Fans: Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Simon Cowell (left to right) joined the crowd in giving Williams a standing ovation
Using his platform: Cowell revealed on Tuesday he was so moved by Williams' story that he has become an ambassador for The Innocence Project to help others who are wrongly imprisoned
Simon Cowell was similarly stunned by Williams' story and performance, sharing on Twitter that he will never forget it.
The 60-year-old AGT judge and record executive shared a video of the moment, writing: 'This is Archie Williams. I will never forget this audition for the rest of my life. And I'll never listen to this song in the same way ever again.'
Cowell revealed on Tuesday that he was so moved by Williams' story that he has become an ambassador for The Innocence Project to help others who are wrongly imprisoned.
'Archie's performance is probably the single most important one in the history of America's Got Talent,' he said in a statement for the organization.
'What happened to Archie is tragic. While Archie's voice is extraordinary, unfortunately, his experience of being sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit is much more common than most people realize.'
Read more:
NPR Choice page
Archie Williams gives unforgettable audition on 'America's Got Talent'
