Bo Bice proved that American Idol could have a rocker as a finalist, but
Chris Daughtry proved that the show could generate a successful rocker outside the context of the show. Of course, it helped that
Daughtry was the polar opposite of
Bice, a shaggy retro-rocker soaked in the South: bold and bald, he was the picture of a modern rocker, living by the rulebook written by
Live and
Fuel. These were the qualities that helped make
Chris Daughtry the most successful new rock & roll singer of 2006.