Gary Morissette

Updated Thu. Jul. 10 2008 12:14 AM ET

Voted off Top 16

In just a few short months, Gary Morissette has gone from being a construction worker in British Columbia who thought he'd missed his chance to audition, to a member of the Canadian Idol Top 24. "I was really upset that I couldn't make it to the auditions in Vancouver because the Coquihalla Highway was closed due to an avalanche, so when my mom told me about the Last Chance Auditions, I put one together to make sure I got my chance!"

Gary made Canadian Idol history in Season 6 as the first-ever competitor to make the Top 24 from the Last Chance Online Audition process. He submitted his audition on video to the Idol website and got a virtual Gold Ticket from the judges in order to have the chance to impress them in person during the Top 200 round.

Gary was ecstatic when he made it into the Top 24, expressing his joy by planting a kiss on host Ben Mulroney. "It definitely wasn't planned! I was so pumped I would have kissed anyone standing there, it just happened to be Ben Mulroney."

From the very beginning, Gary has viewed his road to Canadian Idol as a dream he is turning into reality. "I learned from the Top 200 round that the strength to succeed is inside me," Gary reflects. "You can harness and transform any negative energy inside you into a positive."

This season, Gary promises viewers weekly lessons in what he calls The 3 R's - raw, rowdy, rock 'n' roll performances!

Gary considers his sound to be a unique blend of rock greats like John Fogerty, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix and Soundgarden's Chris Cornell - all musicians that are inspirations to him. He stresses that though that he is on his own path, "I am an individual spirit. I want to do what feels natural without trying to be someone else."

Song List

Top 24 - Good Golly Miss Molly (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Top 20 - Mr. Bojangles (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Version)

Top 16 - House of The Rising Sun (The Animals Version)