Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., the season six winner of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” spoke with the Parkersburg High School choir Wednesday as he is in Parkersburg for his 13th annual “Home For The Holidays” Christmas tour. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

PARKERSBURG — Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., the season six winner of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” and Kamron Lawson, a Beckley native who appeared on this season of “American Idol,” stopped by Parkersburg High School Wednesday to talk to the choir while in town for the “Landau’s Home For The Holidays” tour.

“You are the one group in Wood County Schools today who gets to be with Landau (Murphy),” Superintendent Christie Willis said to the large group of students packed into the choir room.

Murphy talked about being born in Logan County and his mother moving them to Detroit after his parents split when he was in high school.

“There were police in my school, metal detectors, gangs,” Murphy said. “So, coming from Almost Heaven to a crazy environment overnight, that I adapt to.”

He said he had to grow up fast and it wasn’t long before he dropped out of school and started working odd jobs to make money. He told the students he was very good at the interviews to get the jobs but was always worried someone was going to come along and take it from him.

Kamron Lawson, a Beckley native who appeared on this season of “American Idol,” and Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., the season six winner of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” spoke with the Parkersburg High School choir Wednesday while in town for the “Landau’s Home For The Holidays” tour. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

“I still had to worry about someone like you coming in that graduated high school,” Murphy said. “I could have been there five or six years, but you’re going to get that job because you have a diploma, and I don’t. That always haunted me.”

He said things were going good for him, though. He was working good jobs, making money singing at local bars and venues and was getting responses from posting his music online. This was until he said someone broke into his house and stole all of his belongings.

“I felt bad. But being from West Virginia I had this good thing inside of me saying it was going to be alright,” Murphy said.

Murphy said he also had another voice telling him to go out and rob someone back. He said the West Virginia side won after seeing a commercial for America’s Got Talent.

“I thought right in that instance, I have everything to gain and nothing to lose. They’ve taken everything from me,” Murphy said.

Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. reacts to the Parkersburg High School choir singing the school’s alma mater Wednesday. The season six winner of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” stopped by the school while in town for the “Landau’s Home For The Holidays” tour. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

He said he filled out an application online and got a call two weeks later to audition. He stood in line from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. waiting for his turn. He said he blew the producer he auditioned for away and they asked him where he had been.

“In West Virginia washing cars,” Murphy said, referring to the work he was doing prior to the audition.

He talked about how he went on to win the competition and began to travel the world performing. He said he started talking to students about staying in school and it made him feel like a hypocrite.

“You have to practice what you preach,” Murphy said. “I can tell you to stay in school and you could look at me and go, ‘You didn’t even stay in school! How are you going to tell me to stay in school?’ And that’s how I looked at it.”

He said the COVID Pandemic gave him the opportunity to obtain his high school equivalency diploma and it was one of the best decisions he could have made.

“Now I can stand here in front of you and say, ‘Stay in school, cause you’ll regret it if you drop out.’ And you will. You’ll regret it everyday of your life,” Murphy said.

He said he has plans now to go back to school and get his business management degree.

“My message is never give up on yourself,” Murphy said. “You are way bigger than your circumstances. … I just want to encourage you all to stay in school and you can achieve anything you want to.”

Lawson talked about his time as a cashier at a Beckley Walmart, and how his sister posted a video of him singing in the bathroom at work, and the attention it started getting on social media platforms. Although he didn’t win this season of American Idol, he is now living his dream.

“I was just a cashier, my sister said send me a video, and now I’m on tour,” Lawson said. “We’re going around all these cities and doing this beautiful Christmas tour.”

The duo will be performing Dec. 14 at the Blennerhassett School Auditorium with the show starting at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased at the door.

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com