Colby Swift is that tall, lanky cowboy who stole our hearts and made us laugh when he auditioned for American Idol last season. His sense of humor was fun to watch, especially during the conversation between Luke Bryan and himself.
Colby, however, was more than funny. He was also humble and talented, but he was still a ‘diamond in the rough’, according to Luke Bryan. This 19-year-old singing boy from Midfield, Texas, had been through a lot during his youth.
He was abandoned by his mother when he was young, which left him with many questions for a long time. How could anyone leave their own child to their fate like that. He felt betrayed and alone. He is proud of his father, who helped him through all this. His father, in turn, is very proud of the man who his son has become. He finds it difficult to hear his son sing, knowing that he has already been through so much.

After he got his golden ticket to Hollywood, the real work started. Season 17 is full of talented singers and Hollywood is an extremely hard place. In the weeks leading up to his performance in Hollywood, Colby worked hard on his act. He came on stage with new clothes and a cowboy hat. One thing, however, wasn’t complete on his outfit; his boots.
Colby’s boots were so old and trampled that there were holes in them. The camera people didn’t notice anything, but Luke Bryan did. As he sang “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” by Freddy Fender, the audience noticed his enormous talent and gave him a standing ovation.

While his group of singers were backstage waiting for the result, Luke Bryan surprised everyone by giving his own shoes to the young singer. “These boots are made for the next round,” said Luke Bryan to Colby. Although he was voted out in the group round, we hope to see more of this young talent!