Neal Boyd makes Top 20 appearance on NBC's 'Talent'

Sikeston, Mo., native Neal E. Boyd made his Top 20 appearance on "America's Got Talent" Tuesday night, with his mother in the audience for the first time since the show began in June, and the judges gave him extremely high marks.

Boyd sang the song "Mama" by the vocal quartet Il Divo, a group known for taking modern songs and singing them in classical style. After the performance, judge Piers Morgan singled Boyd's mother Esther out of the audience and told her she should be proud of her son's performance, before saying "He's got a brilliant chance to win 'America's Got Talent.'"

Judge Sharon Osbourne told Boyd he looked and sang "like a superstar."

Judge David Hasselhoff told Boyd he had wondered before the performance if Las Vegas could sustain an opera tenor like him, but the performance destroyed any doubts.

"You blew me away tonight," Hasselhoff said.

Boyd will find out Thursday whether he's made the next cut as a Top 10 finalist. The winner will take home a $1 million prize and get his or her own show in Las Vegas.

Thursday's episode begins at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.