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Catching up with American Idols Chris Richardson and Phil Stacey

CHESAPEAKE  Virginia roots for favorite son Chris Richardson to continue winning votes tonight on “American Idol,” the good people of Harvest Outreach Ministries in Virginia Beach, Va have a favorite of their own on prime time’s most-watched show.

He’s 29-year-old Phil Stacey, an enlisted man serving with the Navy Band Southeast in Jacksonville, Fla. Stacey, a petty officer 3rd class from Cincinnati, made it through the first round of cuts Thursday, as did Richardson.

Stacey used to be stationed at the Armed Forces School of Music at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, and he belonged to the Beach church.

Richardson and Stacey are among the 10 males scheduled to perform tonight at 8 on Fox in a 90-minute program.

Stacey sang with the flock at Harvest Outreach from 2003 to ’05, and memories of him are fresh.

“He’s a talented guy,” said the Rev. Lucius Chappell, pastor of music and creative arts at Harvest Outreach.

“We’re really excited for him,” said Chappell’s wife, Kristie.

So, there you have it: two contestants in the showdown stage of the sixth “American Idol” who are known to many in Hampton Roads.

Richardson’s local roots are deeper – he was a football star at Great Bridge High School and is an employee of Hooters in Chesapeake – but Stacey still has support hereabouts.

Kristie Chappell said he was an active member of Harvest Outreach, where the Rev. Archie Callahan is the pastor. She recalls that Stacey volunteered to sing a song she had written (“The Carpenter’s Tree”) at Sunday services.

She remembers him as a talented all-around musician who plays guitar, piano, bass and drums.

“I’d say his chances of becoming the American Idol are as good as any of the contestants,” she said.

Both Richardson and Stacey advanced to the field of 20 without a ringing endorsement from judge Simon Cowell. After Richardson’s rendition of “I Don’t Want to Be,” Cowell said, “You’re a good-looking guy with potential. But in judging this vocal, I’d say you were below standards.”

Judge Randy Jackson disagreed with Cowell’s critique.

So did judge Paula Abdul, who said to Chris, “You were really good.”

After hearing Stacey sing “I Couldn’t Ask for More,” Cowell was not impressed. “You did not nail it,” he said to the sailor, who is married with two daughters.

In his first on-camera appearance he told of leaving his pregnant wife, Kendra, home in Florida while he auditioned in Memphis.

Stacey had said nothing of being a sailor until the Feb. 20 show. That he is a Navy musician, the lead singer with the Navy rock band Pride, was omitted from his “American Idol” biography.

In fact, he presents an image – baggy civilian clothes, goofy-looking hats – that is anything but ship-shape and squared away. The Stars & Stripes, a newspaper for members of the armed forces, contacted the Pentagon to confirm that this unmilitarylike dude in the olive hat is, indeed, a sailor.

The paper reports that Stacey is on temporary recruiting assignment in Southern California during his time on “American Idol.”

In Jacksonville, he’s the minister of music at the First Coast Christian Center. On the “American Idol” Web site he tells of asking God, before he performs, to help him do his best .

Richardson, too, has revealed his spiritual side during the competition, noting on the “ Idol” Web site that should he be the last singer standing in May, he’ll thank God for his good fortune.

After the male singers perform Tuesday, the females take the stage on Wednesday night from 8 until 9:30.

Come Thursday at 8, four contestants will hear they have been voted off.

Richardson, who until last week’s show had been all but invisible among the 24 semifinalists, was given more screen time on Feb. 20, telling the camera that he was ecstatic to see his father, Danny, having such a great time as he watched his son perform in Los Angeles.

“He’s living out his rock ’n’ roll fantasies through me,” said Richardson.

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