South Carolina American Idol Contestant Dedicates Original Song To Late Mother

If you happened to watch American Idol this past weekend, you probably saw 21 year old Preston Duffee.  The South Carolina American Idol contestant performed a touching song he wrote for his late mother.  And, the original work entitled "Something To Write About"  impressed all three judges.  Duffee lost his mother to suicide two years ago.  In his video piece on American Idol he said he "misses her every day", and he knows "she'd be really proud" of his accomplishments.  Also, Duffee credited music with helping him get through the trauma emotionally and otherwise.  The song describes a conversation with God in which He reminds the author he has many things to write about, including both triumphs and tough times.  The emotional performance led judges to praise Duffee for his talents.  Plus, Katy Perry even indicated he reminded her of Luke Bryan.  Of course, the song includes a line about memories of singing Luke Bryan songs with friends.

So, as you can imagine, Duffee advanced to the next round.  And, he now heads from Hartsville to Hollywood.  The contestant's hometown of Hartsville is about an hour northeast of the Columbia area.  I watched his performance, and I really was blown away as well.  He is super talented.  I could totally hear him playing on our radio station one day.  Plus, he's pretty cute too, ladies!  We can't wait to follow this South Carolina American Idol contestant to see how high he flies.  And,  you can watch his appearance and performance below.

South Carolina is a very unique state. From beautiful destinations to southern hospitality, South Carolina offers a lot of things to the world. But, of course, everywhere has some quirky things all about them. Including the states so are you wondering what are the quirky facts about South Carolina? I grew up in South Carolina all of my life, so I am very fascinated to know the "quirky" things about the state I call home.

Only In Your State is sharing 11 quirky facts about South Carolina that many people would not believe are true. Can you think about some of those facts off the top of your head? I know I can't, but I am excited to see it! Check out 11 quirky facts about South Carolina that sound made up, but are 100% true.

Although Georgia is known as "The Peach State," South Carolina actually produces more peaches than any other state east of the Mississippi. Nationally, it is second to California!

Long before South Carolina was known as "The Palmetto State," it was called, "The Iodine State." Isn't that quite ironic? This came from a 1920s agricultural marketing campaign touting elevated levels of iodine in the state’s produce like things such as strawberries. 

Did you know an island in South Carolina is home to thousands of monkeys? Yes, monkeys! Morgan Island is home to 4,000 monkeys. The island is not open to the public and serves as a private research lab, but you can check out the monkeys from the water while you're riding by! 

Sumter, perhaps best known as the home of Shaw Air Force Base and a historic battlefield, has the world's largest ginkgo biloba farm. What's that? Ginkgo Biloba is used as an herbal remedy to treat many conditions, such as dementia, Alzheimer's disease, fatigue, anxiety, and depression.

Did you know America's first museum is located in South Carolina? It's located in Charleston, was established in 1773 by the Charleston Library Society. Growing up in Charleston, I have actually seen this building in person. 

One of the most famous pirates known to man, Blackbeard, was from South Carolina. You can take a tour and learn a little more about the pirate history during your next time in Charleston.

We certainly already know this one. But, sadly, South Carolina does not have a professional sports team. But, we're not completely alone on that.  We're in good company along with Alaska and Hawaii. But, we do take college teams pretty serious in South Carolina. 

South Carolina is known for great food for sure. It's the home of sweet tea and even better barbecue. You can pretty much enjoy sweet tea and barbecue in any area in South Carolina.

Guess what? The world's smallest police station is located in South Carolina. The small town of Ridgeway is the home of the world's smallest police station. It was once used as the location for the town well before becoming a police station in 1940.

Our beautiful Brookgreen Gardens is home to the world's largest collection of outdoor sculptures. Located in Murrells Inlet near Charleston, Brookgreen Gardens hosts special events and exhibits throughout the year. The beautiful sculptures are the perfect place to take pictures and enjoy. 

Did you know the world's largest cat lives in South Carolina? The largest cat in the world is in Myrtle Beach. Hercules lives at the Myrtle Beach Safari and has been featured in the Guinness Book of World Records. He weighs more than 900 pounds and stands more than 11 feet tall. Talk about HUGE!