A young man named Justin Rhodes has been playing piano since he was toddler — at just 3 years old, he was already tickling the ivories. All Justin really ever wanted, however, was to make his dad proud.
“My dad sat me down and that was the beginning of music for me,” the singer-piano player said as a contestant on Season 9 of America’s Got Talent.
The problem was — his parents didn’t want him to make music his career; they wanted him to have a more stable career. Of course, Rhodes didn’t listen — perhaps he should have.
“It has not been an easy road,” Rhodes said. “It quickly became what would be my undoing.”
Playing in bars and clubs around Buffalo, NY ended up spiraling into a life of drugs and alcohol. Rhodes was headed down a dark path.
“It was the darkest time of my life,” Rhodes, who now lives in Tampa, FL, said. He was certain that his dad was disappointed in him; even though his dad had never said it directly to him. He just sensed it.
“I was ashamed, I was embarrassed and I was worthless,” he said.
Rhodes’ dad hasn’t seen his son perform and years; he was invited to make this happen when Rhodes auditioned for America’s Got Talent. His dad — he was about to be completely blown away by what he was about to watch.
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