When 21-year-old Atlanta-based saxophonist Avery Dixon appeared on America’s Got Talent’s seventeenth season, he became an instant inspiration to millions of young people around the globe. Revealing a harrowing story of bullying to the judges, Avery found solace in learning to play the saxophone, before wowing the panel with his unbelievable skills. Even show host Terry Crews shed a tear or two!
With Avery’s audition amassing over 413,000 views to date, this clip is absolutely unmissable. Music Man readers can watch the magic unfold in the video below…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYP_ybDuP7c%20
But before we dive into his spellbinding performance, we’ll let Avery tell his tragic truth in his own words: “My voice sounds a little bit different, and I looked a little bit different, too. My elementary school nickname was ‘Hammerhead’ because I had these knots on my head because I’m premature. I was born at 1 lb 8 oz, and my vocal cords don’t close all the way, so it made my voice sound really hairy.
“Students were so negative about my voice. One called me ‘Frog’ and she’d get the class in on the joke. It was relentless. And I was in such a dark place I actually wanted to commit suicide. That’s when I actually started learning how to play [saxophone].”
After re-centering himself with some deep, meditative breaths, Avery unleashes a soulful solo on his sax, earning instant smiles from Terry Crews and the judges as he pours every ounce of his emotion into his music. His velvet melodies serve the aura of a true professional as he glides through his breathtaking tune, pulling off complex runs with a jaw-dropping tone, and instantly winning over the judges with his flawless skill.
But after a moving intro, Avery picks up the pace to the beat of his backing track, the entire audience fleshing out his groove with claps, cheers, and a mid-song standing ovation. With his mother dancing along in the stage wings and Terry Crews yelling in support, even judges Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Sofia Vergara jump in on the fun, dancing behind their panel and showing Avery their full support.
It’s Simon Cowell who brings things back to reality when he tells Avery, “Every time I hear a story about a kid being bullied at school, it breaks my heart. It breaks it even more now because I have a son myself, and I could not think of anything worse. Any one of those idiots who bullied you now, I hope, is watching this audition,” – comments which set tears welling up in Avery’s eyes.
However, Terry Crews couldn’t help but race down to the judges’ panel himself to tell Avery through tears of his own, “You touched the heart of every human being in this building right now. And I wanna tell you, man, you’ve been bullied all your life, but you tell everybody that you have a big brother named Terry Crews who is here, who’s got your back, and all those bullies are gonna have to watch you succeed, my friend,” slamming the Golden Buzzer in the ultimate, emotional redemption.
Following his audition, Avery slayed the semifinals and the finals, making it all the way to AGT’s 2022 Finale episode, where he landed below the Top 5. But that wasn’t the end of Avery Dixon’s AGT career – the following year, Avery appeared on America’s Got Talent: All-Stars, where he made it to the Finale again, this time finishing in second place, behind winner Aiden Bryant.
Avery Dixon is certainly one to watch: his resilience and saxophone brilliance turned a painful past into a triumphant moment on AGT. If you want to discover more of his music and story, check the useful links below this paragraph.