Singer from Sikeston

Neal E. Boyd's story would make an inspiring movie. And now that Boyd has won $1 million and the opportunity to headline a Las Vegas show, don't toss out the notion.

Sikeston, Mo., native Boyd, who has been selling insurance in St. Louis, was named the winner Wednesday night of the months-long "America's Got Talent" television competition, during which Boyd told viewers that he got hooked on opera as a child. He studied at Southeast Missouri State University, the University of Missouri-Columbia and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.

Then the worst fears of any singer came true for Boyd. He developed polyps on his vocal cords. He had to stop singing. But he overcame this, too, just as he had so many hurdles.

Although he hasn't made much of it, surely Boyd was inspired by Paul Potts, winner last year of the competition's sister show in London, "Britain's Got Talent." The young Welsh tenor/cell-phone salesman wowed judges right from the start, singing the "Nessun Dorma" aria from Puccini's "Turandot." Sound familiar?

Among the highlights of the competition finale were video salutes to Boyd from Il Divo, a pop-opera singing sensation, and Placido Domingo, one of the world's greatest operatic tenors. They, along with the likes of Potts and Boyd, are spreading opera's popularity around the globe.

Thanks, Neal, for sharing your incredible journey.