Joshua Mario "Josh" Gracin (born on October 18, 1980) is a country music singer who arose to fame as the fourth-place finalist on the second season of American Idol. After his departure, his debut album went gold in 2004.

Gracin grew up in Westland, Michigan. His father is of Croatian descent and his mother, Native American Indian. Josh's vocal debut was at a 7th grade talent show at Stevenson Jr. High where he performed the hit Standing Outside The Fire by one of his all time Idol's in country music Garth Brooks. Upon graduation from John Glenn High School in Westland, he attended Western Michigan University before he joined the United States Marine Corps. After basic training, he came home and married, eventually became a supply clerk at Camp Pendleton outside of San Diego and appeared on the second season of the hit TV show American Idol.

After his Idol stint and his discharge from the Marine Corps, Josh and his wife Ann Marie moved to Franklin, Tennessee in pursuit of his singing career. Together they have two daughters, Briana Marie Gracin, born March 30, 2002 and Gabriella Ann Gracin, born November 15, 2006, as well as a son, Landon Joshua Gracin, born August 4, 2005.

American Idol
Joshua Gracin appeared on the second season of American Idol. His country sound and his ongoing military service immediately made him stand out from Idol's pop- and R&B-oriented contestants. Gracin's best performances usually came when he was able to sing songs with a country flavor, but he often struggled in other genres.

Gracin attracted audience support by being willing to butt heads figuratively, and in one case almost literally, with judge Simon Cowell. Some attention was given to why Gracin was permitted time away from his unit to participate in the show, while many other Marine units were being sent to participate in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. However, his unit had not been selected for deployment, and Gracin had permission from the Marines to do the show. This is incorrect information. Josh Gracin was part of 1st Maintenance Battalion, which became known as CSSB-7, which was deployed to Iraq on February 1, 2003. CSSB-7 crossed the lines into Iraq the day the war began, and led a hard charge, eventually ending their push in Al Kut. Josh Gracin requested Mast, and was awarded permission to remain in California while the rest of 1st Maintenance Battalion deployed for the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.

Gracin's semifinal performance of Edwin McCain's "I'll Be" was a standout and is felt by many to be his high-water mark in the competition. A country-tinged rendition of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" was also well received; however, his country-fied performance of Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" was panned strongly by judges and viewers alike.

A mild controversy ensued when, with five singers left, Gracin survived a vote in which Trenyce was voted off. Many viewers felt the wrong choice had been made, as Trenyce had performed two songs well the night before while Gracin struggled with both "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" and Neil Sedaka's "Bad Blood", sparring uncharacteristically crossly with Cowell after the latter performance. A camera reaction shot when the results were announced revealed Gracin visibly dismayed when told he had avoided the Bottom 2. Gracin was voted off the following week, an episode that ironically included one of his best performances, that of the Bee Gees' To Love Somebody. He finished in fourth place.

Due to having to resume his Marine commitments, Gracin did not participate in the subsequent American Idol Finalists concert tour of American venues. After four years of service, he was honorably discharged in September 2004.

Joshua Gracin

Nickname: Josh
Place of birth: Westland, Michigan
Allegiance: USMC
Years of service: 2000-2004
Rank: Lance Corporal
Unit: 1st Maintenance Battalion
Battles/wars: Operation Iraqi Freedom

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