Archie Williams (singer)
{{short description|American singer (born 1963)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Archie Williams
| height = {{convert|5|ft|4|in|cm}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|3|23}}
| birth_place = Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
| known_for = Performing on AGT Season 15 after released from prison
| criminal_charges = Wrongfully sentenced to 37 years of prison for aggravated rape, battery, and murder{{Cite web|last=Keegan|first=Kayla|date=2020-08-12|title=Simon Cowell Breaks Down Hearing Archie Williams's Heartbreaking True Story|url=https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a32686481/agt-2020-archie-williams-true-story/|access-date=2020-10-16|website=Good Housekeeping|language=en-US}}
| relatives = Sheila Varner, Charlotte Alexander (Sisters)
}}
Archie Charles Williams (born March 23, 1961) is an American singer who appeared on season 15 of America's Got Talent. He was wrongfully incarcerated for 37 years in prison and released on March 21, 2019.
Early life
Williams was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Wrongful incarceration
On April 21, 1983, he was convicted in a case of rape and attempted murder four months earlier. Williams was 22 at the time and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. The Innocence Project fought for him for decades to get access to evidence that could prove that he was innocent. On March 21, 2019, after a judge ordered a review of the fingerprints found at the scene, Williams was found to be innocent and was released from prison.{{Cite news|last=Fuller|first=Thomas|date=2019-03-22|title=He Spent 36 Years Behind Bars. A Fingerprint Database Cleared Him in Hours.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/21/us/fingerprint-database-archie-williams.html|access-date=2022-01-05|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|last=Henderson|first=Cydney|title='America's Got Talent': Singer Archie Williams gets second chance after wrongful conviction|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/05/26/americas-got-talent-archie-williams-gets-second-chance-after-conviction/5262599002/|access-date=2020-09-10|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|author=Staff report|title=Archie Williams wrongfully spent years at Angola. Now he's a budding 'America's Got Talent' star.|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/movies_tv/article_bbd6eaee-9c92-11ea-8b4c-67eec76e98e0.html|access-date=2020-09-10|website=The Advocate|date=22 May 2020 |language=en}}
''America's Got Talent''
Williams sang "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Elton John for his first performance on America's Got Talent on May 26, 2020.{{Cite web|last=D'Agostino|first=Ryan|date=2020-08-12|title=Archie Williams on His Wrongful Conviction, George Floyd, and 'America's Got Talent'|url=https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a32851494/archie-williams-agt-wrongful-conviction-story/|access-date=2020-09-10|website=Good Housekeeping|language=en-US}} All four judges voted for him to move to the next level and he received a standing ovation from the audience and the judges. John said that he was "moved to tears" by the performance.{{Cite web|title=Archie Williams: Wrongfully convicted man who spent 37 years in jail now favourite to win America's Got Talent|url=https://news.sky.com/story/archie-williams-wrongfully-convicted-man-who-spent-37-years-in-jail-now-favourite-to-win-americas-got-talent-11995580|access-date=2020-09-10|website=Sky News|language=en}} As a result of Williams' story, Simon Cowell became an ambassador for The Innocence Project.{{Cite web|date=2020-05-26|title=Archie Williams Inspires Simon Cowell to become an Innocence Project Ambassador|url=https://www.innocenceproject.org/simon-cowell-joins-the-innocence-project-as-an-ambassador/|access-date=2020-09-10|website=Innocence Project|language=en-US}} Williams sang "Flying Without Wings" by Westlife during the semi-finals.{{Cite web|title=AGT: Exonerated Singer Archie Williams Dedicates Moving 'Flying Without Wings' Cover to His Daughter|url=https://people.com/tv/agt-archie-williams-semifinals-performance/|access-date=2020-09-10|website=PEOPLE.com|language=EN}} He moved ahead to the finals with four other acts.{{Cite web|last=Henderson|first=Cydney|title='AGT': Is Archie Williams moving on to the finale? Here are the results|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/09/09/agt-archie-williams-finale/5765745002/|access-date=2020-09-10|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US}} Archie finished as a Bottom 5 finalist of the top 10. Archie Williams came back to compete in America's Got Talent: All-Stars singing "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers, but failed to secure a spot in the finale.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
{{America's Got Talent}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Archie}}
Category:American male singers
Category:America's Got Talent contestants
Category:American people wrongfully convicted of murder
Category:American people wrongfully convicted of rape
Category:American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
Category:Singers from Louisiana
Category:Musicians from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Category:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Louisiana