Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Celebrates 10 Years Since ‘AGT’ Win With Return to Vegas
Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for The Grov Reading Time: 3 minutes
Can you believe it has been 10 years since Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. won America’s Got Talent? The jazz singer wowed everyone with his Frank Sinatra-style voice. It led him to bring home the $1 million prize. After a decade of successful performances on stages all over the world, Landau is returning to Las Vegas.
Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. to Headline Vegas Show a Decade After ‘AGT’ Win
Landau will be performing at both the famous Smith Center and Myron’s Cabaret Jazz in Las Vegas. The shows are on Sept. 24 and 25. He will perform classics from The Great American Songbook and Motown favorites. This is a completely full-circle moment because part of his AGT prize was headlining a Las Vegas show. He performed at Caesar’s Palace back in 2011 with some of the Season 6 standout contestants.
AGT viewers were first introduced to Landau when he was working at a car wash a decade ago. He fought to overcome homelessness after living in his car for a brief period. With only $10 in his pocket, he stood in front of the judges hoping that his performance would change his life. Little did he know, he was about to become a star on one of the most-watched seasons ever.
The judges had their doubts but really were blown away by his rendition of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” His audition was such a surprise, Sharon Osbourne asked whether or not he was really singing. He was declared the winner of Season 6 after his unforgettable performance of “My Way.”
Landau went on to sign with Columbia Records after the show. His debut album, That’s Life, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz Chart. It was followed by Christmas Made For Two. Landau, his third album, was released in 2016. He will be releasing a fourth album recorded during a live performance called Landau Live In Las Vegas. Landau’s talents aren’t just limited to singing. He acted in the 2018 film, Choices and contributed songs to the soundtrack of the movie.
He Recently Earned His High School Diploma
Landau dropped out of high school three decades ago and never earned his diploma. He decided during quarantine to work towards getting his high school equivalency diploma. The 47-year-old went back to school online with the encouragement and support of those close to him.
“My manager and a few close friends kind of teamed up and encouraged me to make this downtime really count for something, and I’m so glad I did,” he said. “I wasn’t going to give up. I’d waited way too long and come too far. I wanted this diploma as much as I wanted to turn my life around by going on AGT. Maybe more.”
He has since joined the Never Too Late to Graduate campaign to help adults who did not finish high school earn their equivalency diplomas. Landau finally had the time to complete high school when live performances were postponed during the pandemic. He had been accustomed to being on the road for more than half the year.
“It was something that was always on my mind and something I knew I had to do,” he added. “Even with all the success I was experiencing, I wasn’t satisfied knowing I had not earned my diploma. It was important to me, but my tour schedule made it difficult to find time to prepare and test.”
Landau also wrote a book, From Washing Cars to Hollywood Stars, detailing his whole journey on AGT. It won Best Inspirational Book at the Indie Book Awards. He has dedicated his career to raising money for charities including the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia and raising money for children’s heart surgery. He was really able to turn his whole life around with his success on AGT and is still doing so a whole decade later.
