Southern Music Watch: American Idol

I'm a fickle American Idol fan, the kind that tunes in one year, and forgets about it the next. 2006 happens to be an "on" year, and I'm not ashamed to say I'm closely following the fortunes of the 12 remaining would-be stars of Season 5.One of the remarkable things about this unremarkable show is the near-total dominance of Southern contestants. Here are the winners, along with their home towns, from the first four seasons: Season 1: Kelly Clarkson; Burleson, Texas Season 2: Ruben Studdard; Birmingham, Alabama Season 3: Fantasia Barrino; High Point, North Carolina Season 4: Carrie Underwood; Checotah, Oklahoma (less than an hour from Arkansas border)And it's not just the winners. Here are the runner-ups from the last four years: Season 1: Justin Guarini; Doylestown, Pennsylvania* Season 2: Clay Aiken; Raleigh, North Carolina Season 3: Diana DeGarmo; Snellville, Georgia Season 4: Bo Bice; Huntsville, Alabama * (UPDATE:Reader RK points out that Justin has Southern roots, too -- he was admitted to the Atlanta Boys Choir at the age of 4.)So out of the eight top finishers of the first four seasons, only one wasn't from the South or (in Underwood's case) a close border state. (*With the above update, it's a clean sweep.)Season five is shaping up the same way. Out of the dozen hopefuls still standing after last night's round of eliminations, fully eight of them are Southerners (including three from North Carolina alone).Why the South's dominance of Idol? The Raleigh News & Observer had this to say: Professor Bill Ferris of UNC-Chapel Hill teaches about Southern culture and folklore and has studied the state's musical history. He said it makes sense that North Carolinians are doing well on "Idol." "This is a state that has a very rich musical legacy -- from blues to bluegrass to gospel," said Ferris, 64. And even though it might seem as though today's MTV-saturated youth are removed from those traditions, Ferris said they pop up in everyday places. "They grow up in the church, usually, which is filled with music," he said, adding social picnics and music festivals to the list of common North Carolina childhood influences. "They are surrounded with music from the time they can walk."That seems right on target, especially the part about church. In reading the bios of the contestants, you'll notice that most reference their religious backgrounds.I also think the public tends to fall for the "rootsy" and authentic feel of many of the Southern singers, who often come from humble backgrounds and don't try to hide their Southern cadances and drawls. Perhaps they're also getting votes in a subconscious acknowledgment of the Southern roots -- think blues, gospel and country -- of most American music.