$1 million voice: Sikeston's Neal Boyd wins 'America's Got Talent'

ELIZABETH DODD ~ edodd@semissourian.com Friends and family of Neal Boyd Lynda Muench, left, Amy Smith, Ann Costin and Marilyn Grant, all of Sikeston, MO., cheer when Neal Boyd won first place in "America's Got Talent" at a friend's house in Sikeston Wednesday night. [Click to enlarge]

SIKESTON, Mo. — The atmosphere was tense in Randy and Charlotte York's Sikeston home in the few minutes leading up to the announcement of the winner of "America's Got Talent" on Wednesday night.

But in an instant, the tension was broken, replaced by pure jubilation when the 50 or so friends and family of Neal E. Boyd heard their hometown boy had won the hugely popular national talent show and the $1 million prize that went with it.

Boyd's older brother, Michael, jumped for joy, hugging his mother and children.

Just a few minutes before Neal was declared winner, Michael had fingers crossed on both hands while Esther Boyd, Michael and Neal's mother, watched with a hand covering her mouth.

The months of tension as they waited for their tenor to find out his fate were broken. Esther's boy — a chubby child whose weight had once made him an outcast, Neal once said on the show — had won the hearts of millions and a million green notes.

When Neal was announced the winner, cheers erupted from those at the York home, family members and friends from the Boyds' church, St. Paul Episcopal, who immediately jumped on their feet, clapping and hugging one another. "He did it!" people screamed.

Esther Boyd appeared to be in shock, and son Michael helped her to her feet.

In this image released by NBC, opera singer Neal E. Boyd, an insurance salesman from Sikeston, Mo., performs after winning the NBC talent competition, "America's Got Talent," in Studio City, Calif., Wednesday. (AP Photo/NBC, Chris Haston) [Click to enlarge]

Neal Boyd was in tears. But he managed to pull it together for another performance, again singing "Nessun Dorma," the Puccini aria he sang on the first episode of the season and again in the finals, while tears streamed down his face.

The tension that broke when the results were announced had been building from the beginning of the show. Acts were eliminated one by one, with one the Sikeston crowd thought would give Neal hard competition, soul singer Queen Emily, going down first in fifth place.

The conventional wisdom at the York home was that Nuttin But Stringz, a duo of violin-playing brothers from New York who mix rock, hip hop and classical music styles, was the biggest threat to Boyd's chances. But when they were eliminated as the third-place act, the crowd had a good feeling their man would be the winner.

The soft-spoken Esther was overjoyed. Although she has been to Los Angeles for two of Neal's other performances, She was in Sikeston on Wednesday night at her son's request. "He wanted me to stay here," she said. "Because he wouldn't be able to protect me" from the frenzy if he won.

In this image released by NBC, opera singer Neal E. Boyd, center, is flanked by, from left, judges Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne, host Jerry Springer and judge David Hasselhoff after winning the NBC talent competition, "America's Got Talent," in Studio City, Calif., Wednesday. (AP Photo/NBC, Chris Haston) [Click to enlarge]

The moment after he won, Neal's teary eyes were on display, especially after he got a congratulatory message from one of his idols, famed opera singer Placido Domingo.

The tenor thanked Sikeston and Missouri. The 32-year-old Boyd had spent most of his life in Southeast Missouri, graduating from high school in Sikeston and attending Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau for four years. The university president, Dr. Ken Dobbins, was in the audience, having squeezed a trip to L.A. into his schedule at Neal's request despite an early meeting today with officials from Texas Tech University touring the River Campus.

Before the show, Dobbins said he was extremely proud of his former student regardless of the outcome.

Even to Neal, the outcome was a surprise.

ELIZABETH DODD ~ edodd@semissourian.com Neal Boyd's brother, Michael Boyd, center, hugs family friend Lynn Feeler with his son Isaac, 7, after Neal Boyd won first place in the national contest "America's Got Talent." [Click to enlarge]

"It would change my life," he said when host Jerry Springer asked him just before the results what winning would mean to him. "I didn't think that I would make it this far. I didn't think people would respond to opera, but they did."

He thanked America for their votes and support.

In the end, it was the closest vote in the show's three years, Springer said, with Boyd defeating runner-up Eli Mattson, a singer and pianist, by just half of 1 percent of the total vote.

Mattson, who Boyd has formed a good friendship with, according to family members, also spoke highly of the tenor.

"No matter what, Neal is going to be around forever," Mattson said.

Esther said the emotional, humble person people have watched on TV is genuine. "That's just Neal."

She thanked the community for all the support over the past four months since the show premiered in June, and especially for their votes in helping Neal be crowned the winner of the show.

"I found out that there are so many people that care about Neal and I want to thank everyone for their support," she said.

Boyd's friends are planning a community party, including a parade and possibly performance whenever he makes it back into town, said Lynn Feeler, a friend and fellow church member.

But no one is sure when that will be. "He said that if he won, he wouldn't be home for a while," Esther Boyd said.

Neal will now prepare for an Oct. 17 show in Las Vegas.

After the show ended, Esther kept her cell phone in her hand, waiting for a phone call from Neal.

As of about 9:45 p.m., he hadn't called yet. But Neal describes himself as a grounded person. He thanked his mother in almost every episode he appeared on, and even performed the song "Mama" by Il Divo on one episode for his mother.