An East Tennessee singer is moving ahead to the semifinals on America's Got Talent.
What a voice! Meet Michael Ketterer: he's a Chattanooga native and lived in Knoxville for some time, but has since moved to California.
In June, he touched the judges with his family's story. He told them he became a foster parent because when children are just surviving, they can't be dreaming.
Ketterer channeled that energy into inspiration for his audition.
The song itself moved judge Simon Cowell to use his golden buzzer and sent him straight to the live competition.
On Aug. 28, there wasn't a dry eye in the crowd when Ketterer performed a touching rendition of James Bay's song "Us," even bringing Simon Cowell to tears. He's moving to the semifinals which begin on Tuesday, Sept. 4.
It's not the first time the Ketterers have been on Channel 10.
In 2012, we shared their story of how their family grew from three to eight. Michael and his wife Ivey had one daughter, Sofia. She said she begged and pleaded for her parents to have another child so they decided to adopt through ChildHelp after watching friends find success.
Jared, Jaiden, and Jeriah joined the family after police found them running through the woods. They had been living in an abandoned trailer with no electricity or water. There were also meth labs inside their home.
They then got a call about Rodrigo, a shaken baby, blind with a feeding tube. Since Michael is a registered nurse, he decided he could help Rodrigo heal -- a recovery now considered a medical miracle.
Then, 11 months later, another addition... Shawn. He came to live with them as a foster child. And now, the family of 8 is living in Orange County.
