Lee DeWyze grew up in Mount Prospect, IL listening to Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, Bruce Springsteen, and Ben Harper. He had inclination to sell Lee DeWyze tickets from an early age, and left high school a year early to pursue that dream of being a paid musician drawing thousands of fans to his concerts.
After quitting high school he still needed to work, so he worked as a point salesman while trying to further his music career. Lee DeWyze had some success early on, enjoying some radio play on XRT in Chicago, but national, or sustainable success still eluded him. Then came American Idol. He entered the 2009 for the show's ninth season and reached the finals, winning it all.
