America's Got Talent is known for having some tear-jerking stories featured on the show, not to mention incredible performers. But one man's story had the judges completely captivated during one of the season premieres. Archie Williams, a 59-year-old man from Louisiana who was wrongfully convicted of rape, took the stage.
When the judges asked to hear a little about him, he told a heart-wrenching tale of how he had just gotten out of prison after serving 37 years for a crime he did not commit. Jaws practically hit the floor when he started speaking about his wrongful conviction. In a video segment, we heard even more about the incredibly painful, yet ultimately triumphant, journey this man has been on. Then he gave a stunningly emotional performance of Elton John's song, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me."
It was unbelievably raw, making the beautiful performance easy to connect to. Archie received a standing ovation and a spot in the next round by a unanimous vote. But the biggest surprise came later when Elton John himself gave Archie an amazing shout-out on Twitter.
It's hard not to be moved by Archie's story. In 1983, he was convicted of rape, though he didn't commit the crime. Despite there being no forensic evidence to convict him, at age 22 he was sentenced to life in prison.
While Archie was wrongfully convicted, the fact that he was able to get through what had to be excruciating times is nothing short of incredible. His case was eventually taken on by the Innocence Project in the 1990s. Just last year, a fingerprint analysis took place that proved he was innocent. Archie was released in March 2019.
It's hard to imagine not living the rest of your life filled with anger and bitterness after a wrongful conviction. Thirty-seven years of Archie's life were taken from him through no fault of his own. Still, his attitude is one beaming with optimism. He doesn't seem to be living in the past but instead is grateful for his hopeful future.
He summed up how he was able to stay grounded, telling host Terry Crews, "I never let my mind go to prison." He also said he had watched AGT over the years and dreamed of appearing on the stage himself one day. He says freedom is still hard to fully process, however, calling it "a feeling I'm still trying to grab."
Now that Archie is in the public eye, we hope he will have a lot more hope and optimism to grab onto. His stunning performance had viewers completely captivated last night. No doubt his spot on that stage was more than earned, regardless of whether or not he got to continue on for another round. But he blew away everyone who had the good fortune of tuning in.
One viewer, in particular, was deeply moved by Archie's rendition of the song — Elton John himself. The legendary singer-songwriter took to Twitter to share his thoughts on watching the beautiful performance, writing:
“I was moved to tears when I heard Archie’s story and saw him perform “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me”. The courage and forgiveness shown by him is truly inspiring. The same spirit that the world found so inspiring with Nelson Mandela. Love, E xx.”
Elton wasn't the only one who loved the performance. The ever-so-hard-to-impress Simon Cowell also had a lot to say about it. "Archie's performance is probably the single most important one in the history of America's Got Talent," Simon said in a press release.
Those are really powerful words coming from Simon. He continued, "What happened to Archie is tragic. While Archie's voice is extraordinary, unfortunately, his experience of being sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit is much more common than most people realize. There are thousands of innocent people in jails and prisons."
Simon says Archie's story touched him so deeply that he was inspired to join the Innocence Project himself. He's doing so in an effort to help others who have been wrongfully convicted get justice. "I'm honored to become an Ambassador for the Innocence Project and want to do what I can to help more people like Archie."
While there is a lot of injustice in the world, no one knows about it better than Archie Williams. "I knew I was innocent," he said of being arrested. "I didn't commit a crime. But being a poor black kid, I didn't have the economic ability to fight the state of Louisiana."
Archie's story is resonating with so many viewers. And while we can't wait to hear more from him about how he got to where he is, we also can't wait to hear him sing. It's taken 37 years for Archie to get justice. But now he's living out his dream.
