‘America’s Got Talent’ Underdog Avery Dixon Wows Judges With Feel-Good Saxophone Performance

We all love a feel-good underdog story, and America’s Got Talent certainly delivered that on the season 17 premiere last night (May 31). The show featured a parade of solid performances from pop group XOMG Pop!, which was created by Jojo Siwa, the Pack Drumline, a group that gave a rousing drumline and dance performance, all of which led to the evening’s Golden Buzzer performance from a young saxophone player named Avery Dixon.

The Golden Buzzer is a coveted reward in the early staged of AGT, as it allows an act to head straight into the live performances of the season. When Dixon introduced himself, he began by telling the judges, Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel, that he picked up the saxophone after being bullied as a child. Born premature at a mere one pound, eight ounces, Dixon’s vocal cords didn’t properly develop, and he was left with knots on his head, which cause classmates to torment him to the point where he was suicidal.

He turned to music as an outlet, and his hard work paid off. After his performance, which earned him an emotional standing ovation from the audience, host Terry Crews hit the Golden Buzzer, explaining, “You touched the heart of every human being in this building right now. You’ve been bullied all your life, but you tell every bully that you have got a big brother named Terry Crews who is here, who’s got your back. All those bullies are gonna have to watch you succeed.”

Crews then walked a tearful Dixon offstage, embracing him and telling him, “Your talent did this. You did this,” while Cowell applauded, saying, “That’s what it’s all about.”

AGT will continue with auditions next Tuesday at 8 PM ET/PT on NBC.