RCA Confirms Information about Clay's Christmas Special

New Clay biography at RCA

To the list of "Years Clay Aiken Will Never Forget," you can add "2004." As great as 2003 was for the singer born in Raleigh, North Carolina, 2004 has been even more spectacular, topped off with the release of a new Christmas CD and his first book. As the year comes to a close, Aiken embarks on his fourth tour of the U.S. in the last 18 months - this time it's a holiday tour to support his new album, "Merry Christmas With Love."

There's also his first network hour-long special. "A Clay Aiken Christmas", that will air on NBC-TV on Wednesday, Dec. 8th. Showcasing holiday songs from his CD, and will feature special guest stars Barry Manilow, gospel singer Yolanda Adams and “Will & Grace” star Megan Mullally.

Clay's Christmas tour begins Nov. 21 in Pasadena, Calif. He's scheduled to play 22 dates in 20 cities, accompanied by an orchestra. In some locales, like Atlanta, Clay will be accompanied by a local symphony or Philharmomic. The tour concludes Dec. 23 in Detroit.

Clay's first book, "Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life," is published in hardcover by Random House on Nov. 16. Asked to write a book, Ckay declined to pen his biography at age 25. He opted for telling inspirational stories about people who had an impact on his life, either positively or negatively, and the lessons he learned from those experiences.

Clay's Christmas CD, also released on Nov. 16, features some of his favorite holiday songs, including "O Holy Night" and " Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." The album was produced by Walter Afanasieff and Phil Ramone. This is the follow-up to Clay's debut CD, "Measure of a Man, called "the best pop album of 2003" by Billboard. Certified triple-platinum, that first album includes "This Is the Night," the best-selling single of 2003, and "Invisible," an airplay hit at top 40 radio.

One song that didn't appear on "Measure of a Man" was the Neil Sedaka/Phil Cody-penned "Solitaire," which was released as a commercial single in 2004, backed with "The Way." The single has sold over 320,000 copies to date, making it the second-best selling single of the year. It was No. 1 for nine weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Sales chart.

Aiken's awards and achievements make for a very long list. Among the highlights: he won an American Music Award and a Billboard Music Award; he was musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" and appeared as himself in an episode of NBC-TV's "Ed"; he graduated from UNC Charlotte with a degree in special education; and he still managed to devote a lot of his time to The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which he created to foster inclusion of children with special needs.

Clay's amazing journey began at home in Raleigh, where his musical talent was evident as early as age three. His mother, Faye, worked at a local Sears, and Clay would stand up on the carpet samples and sing a song for a dollar. He joined the Raleigh Boys Choir and then his own school choir, and was cast in high school musicals like "Leader of the Pack," "Oklahoma!" and "The Music Man." One summer he landed a role in a dinner theater production of "The Sound of Music."

When he enrolled in college, music took a back seat. He studied special education and worked with individuals with autism. Clay planned his life out: he would teach for six years and then go to William & Mary to get a Masters Degree. He figured by the time he was 50; he would be a high school principal. It didn't quite work out that way. Clay was assigned to the Bubel family in Charlotte, N.C., to take care of their 17-year-old autistic son, Mike. It was Mike's mother, Diane, who insisted Clay try out for "American Idol." Clay preferred "The Amazing Race" but said he would follow Diane's suggestion if she would stop nagging him, It turns out that Diane had the right idea, but the television series was just the beginning of Clay Aiken's career. He is a bona fide success on the charts, on the road and in the hearts of millions of devoted fans.