’American Idol’ alumni: Chris Daughtry

• Editor’s Note: This is the third of a series of blogs looking at the careers of former “American Idol” contestants with ties to Christian music.

American Idol has often carved out spots for throwback rockers with voices reminiscent of early ’90s grunge and ’70s hard rock.

Chris Daughtry was an illustration of that niche and has taken it to commercial success while still crossing over into Christian themes.

The band Daughtry which bears the singer’s name is currently on tour in Europe and will launch its next U.S. tour in March. The band will be supported on the tour by Lifehouse, which earned crossover play on Christian radio with the single “Hanging by a Moment.”

Daughtry’s album “Leave This Town” reached No. 1 on the Billboard album charts last year and has been in Top 200 albums for the past 27 weeks.

Daughtry was a Top 5 Idol finalist in 2006. The band’s initial self-titled release peaked at the top of the Billboard album charts two years ago this month.

The band also gained success on Christian music charts with the single “Home.” The song was released in April 2007 and hit the top spot on the Adult Top 40 charts. It reached the 12^th spot on the Christian singles chart and received heavy airplay on Christian music stations throughout 2007 and early 2008.

Daughtry also sang with Third Day on the song “Slow Down” on the band’s 2008 release “Revelation.”