Meet Drake Milligan, The America’s Got Talent Alum Known As “The Elvis Of Country”
Drake Milligan recently opened for Blake Shelton during his concert at the Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Indiana. 26-year-old Milligan has a devoted fanbase of his own, largely thanks to his breakout role on CMT’s Sun Records.
Milligan’s father played a lot of old country music, so he grew up admiring artists such as Merle Haggard. He was also intrigued by an Elvis Presley impersonator he saw at a local restaurant, which led to him becoming a huge fan of “The King.”
Young Milligan started performing as an Elvis impersonator himself. His experience paid off when he responded to a casting call for someone to play Elvis in the 2017 CMT show Sun Records. Milligan got the role and moved from Texas to Nashville to appear in the series.
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After that, Milligan competed on American Idol in 2018. However, he ended up dropping out because he felt he wasn’t ready for such a large platform at that point in his career.
Milligan returned to reality TV in 2022 when he competed on America’s Got Talent. After watching his outstanding audition, judge Howie Mandel called Milligan “The Elvis of Country Music.”
Milligan came in third place on that season of AGT. He’s maintained an active performing and recording schedule ever since and made his Grand Ole Opry debut in October 2022.
Blake Shelton And Drake Milligan Offer Nod To George Strait In Playful Duet Performance
More recently, Milligan opened for Blake Shelton at his show in Indiana. While Milligan thought he was done singing after finishing his set, Shelton surprised him by inviting him back onstage.
Shelton asked Milligan if he’d like to sing George Strait‘s iconic hit, “All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” as a duet with him. Of course, Milligan wasn’t going to turn down that chance!
It seemed fitting for the duo to sing “All My Ex’s.” For starters, the song references both Texas and Tennessee—the state where Milligan is from and the state where he lives now.
Secondly, Shelton’s current single, “Texas,” directly references “All My Ex’s” and Strait in the lyrics. It goes, “She’s probably in Texas, Amarillo, all I know. George Strait said it, yeah, that’s where all them exes go.”