You could hardly find a more inspiring contestant on this season of America’s Got Talent than singer Cody Lee. The 22-year-old singer has autism and blindness, but that doesn’t stop him. Cody has mastered six instruments and loves tap dancing, and he calls every day of his performance “a good day.”
Cody is a unique musician; he is a true musical talent, one of only 25 people in the entire world. These special people have almost superhuman talents in the areas of phonographic (audio) and photographic (visual) memory.
Cody’s mother explains, “We discovered early on that he loved music. He would listen, his eyes would get huge, and he would start singing. Through music and performing, he was able to cope with life in this world, because when you’re autistic, it’s hard to do what everyone else is doing,” she said. “It saved his life to play music.”
When Cody walked up on stage accompanied by his mother, AGT judge Gabrielle Union asked him how he would audition, and Cody succinctly replied, “I’m going to sing a song on the piano.”
Cody then wowed the AGT studio and the audience with Leon Russell’s “A Song for You,” showcasing a soulful voice complemented by a spectacular soprano with beautiful harmonies as he played the piano.
“What just happened there was extraordinary,” said a stunned Simon Cowell. “Your voice is fantastic – I’ll remember that moment for the rest of my life.”
Gabrielle Union, however, was the judge who made Cody’s dream come true.
“I’m a new judge this season, and I’m also a young mom this year,” Gabrielle explained. “This is the hardest job of my life and the most rewarding job of my life. You want to give your children the moon and the stars and the rainbow. And today I’m going to give you something special,” she continued, hitting the Golden Buzzer, which brought everyone, Cody, her family, and the audience to tears.
