Thankful People: Talent show winner Neal E. Boyd grateful for success

Neal E. Boyd stood in front of a few hundred people at the Clinton community building in Sikeston, Mo., soaking up the standing ovation for about 30 seconds.

To the people in his hometown, Boyd had long been a local celebrity. But Tuesday night at the Clinton building was his first public appearance in Sikeston since achieving international star status, and this standing ovation was possibly the most satisfying in a career full of them.

To hear Boyd tell it, nothing is more satisfying than the approval of the folks back home.

This was the year of Neal E. Boyd, the defining period of the 33-year-old's life so far.

This time last year he was an insurance salesman, albeit one with a powerful tenor voice who had already earned him the nickname "The Voice of Missouri" from high-ranking state officials. Now he's $1 million richer and has the chance to bring opera and classical tenor to the musical mainstream following his win on NBC's "America's Got Talent" in October.

The humble Boyd isn't taking his unexpected success for granted. His modest Southeast Missouri upbringing -- he grew up poor in a single-parent household in Sikeston -- shows through in Boyd's conversation, even though much of his time is occupied by meetings with major record company executives these days.

Some time next year Boyd expects to have an album on CD racks across the country. In the short term, he will be a headliner of the NBC "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" telecast Wednesday.

"I saw the press release about a week ago and flipped out," Boyd said of the NBC telecast, adding, "I still have a hard time getting my head around [this new fame] sometimes."

The last year, Boyd said, has seen his dream from childhood -- to become a famous singer -- unfold before millions of TV viewers.

"I've spent 33 years having this huge dream of one day making it, to sing in front of millions of people and understanding myself that it was a possibility. This year, 2008, it just happened, and it consumed the entire year. It was a very long, very public realization.

"I was thankful that it was something that everybody could watch."

Now everywhere he goes he's mobbed by people who recognize him. On a recent trip through the small southwest Missouri town of Ozark, Boyd said he was greeted by three men who worked for a lawn-mowing service. Their longtime friend and co-worker pulled for Boyd during "America's Got Talent" and turned them on to the show before he died. The men were compelled to tell Boyd their story, and it rocked him emotionally.

"I get these things a hundred times a day," Boyd said.

Boyd said the holiday season was always a modest affair during his childhood, though he always appreciated what his mother did for him and his brother, Michael, even on a lean budget. One year his biggest present was an inexpensive watch he wore with pride.

But this year, things will be different.

"Financially, there's nothing better than knowing this Christmas is going to be great for my family," Boyd said. "This Christmas Uncle Neal's present isn't going to be the socks or the shirts they need, it's going to be the toy they want."

But there is a drawback to this new fame. Now that his time is in such demand -- appearances are already booked throughout December -- Boyd wonders if he'll even be able to spend Christmas with his family.

At least he'll have Thanksgiving with them, before he jets off to more public appearances -- a slice of normalcy in a life that's been turned from normal to famous.

msanders@semissourian.com

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