Craig Wayne Boyd Wins ‘The Voice’ Season Seven
Craig Wayne Boyd, a 35-year-old Nashville transplant, was named the winner of The Voice‘s seventh season last night. Naturally, the country-leaning singer was a member of Blake Shelton’s team, marking the fourth championship for Team Blake. Shelton’s other Voice-winning protégés include soul/R&B singer Jermaine Paul, pop-country singer Cassadee Pope and the show’s youngest winner, 18-year-old country darling Danielle Bradbery.
Boyd bested Matt McAndrew during Tuesday night’s finale and went on to perform his victory song, “My Baby’s Got a Smile on Her Face,” which was written by Mark Marchetti and Stephanie Jones. As it turns out, Marchetti, a songwriter and farmer who helps run Madison Creek Farms in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, is Loretta Lynn’s son-in-law — his wife is Lynn’s daughter Peggy. Watch a video of Boyd performing the song below.
Earlier in the show, Boyd sang “Sweet Home Alabama” with the reconstituted Lynyrd Skynyrd, once again showing off the Southern-rock chops he displayed with guest star Randy Houser during the homecoming episodes last week. One of Boyd’s musical highlights this season was a cover of Houser’s “Boots On.”
While it remains to be seen how Boyd will fare commercially and on the country charts, his win is further proof of the genre’s solidifying place in pop culture. Along with Pope and Bradbery, he is the third country singer to triumph on The Voice.