Before auditioning for American Idol, Bice released a solo album along with several records together with his groups while performing in the night club circuit. He began his own record label Sugar Money and later released two more records, See the Light and 3. He was a veteran of the club circuit, releasing his first CD in 1995 with his group Purge. His other pre-Idol groups contain Blue Sued Nickel (sic) and SugarMoney. Among his credits were starting for Blackfoot and Warrant in addition to performing live and recording with Johnny Neal, previously of The Allman Brothers Band. Bice had recorded other records before his stint on American Idol, which contained “Ex Gratia” (1999) with his group Purge, and “Recipe for Flavor” (2000) with SugarMoney. In 2001, Bice was charged with buying cocaine in a strip club. He avoided jail time by consenting to enter a drug plan. For the 2005 season, Idol producers increased their mandatory age limit from 16–26 to 16–28. In August 2004, Bice’s mom and other family members motivated him to go try out, since he was within the eligible age limit (he’d turn 29 in November 2004). Along with Constantine Maroulis and Taylor Hicks (victor of Season 5), Bice was among the earliest contestants to audition and participate on American Idol. Bice and Maroulis were among the very first contestants to compete utilizing the rock idiom. His performance in the audition phase of The Allman Brothers Band’s tune “Whipping Post” brought raves in the judges. His later performances created him as among the favorites in the contest. Through the last three performance show, Bice took the threat of performing with no group or backup singers. He sang “In a Dream”, an unknown tune recorded by Badlands.
$1.5 Million
