America's Got Talent
:'In The Stairwell,' a singing group from the U.S. Air Force Academy, performs on NBC's America's Got Talent. The lead singer in front is Benjamin Hightower of Mobile. Bram Gygax of Madison is second from the far left. (Trae Patton/NBC)
(NBC)
When Alabamians Bram Gygax of Madison and Benjamin Hightower of Mobile entered the U.S. Air Force Academy, they didn't know each other.
They met in a stairwell, or to be more precise, as part of an unofficial Air Force Academy singing group called "In the Stairwell." The a capella group's name has interesting origins. Freshmen cadets, like at all service academies, don't have much freedom to do as they please, to put it mildly.
"It's a very humbling experience (to be a service academy freshman), we'll put it that way," Gygax said.
The group was founded in 2004 by a group of freshmen, and the original group members found the only place they could get together under their restrictions was in a dorm stairwell. The "In the Stairwell" name stuck, and the group persisted and has grown over the years.
Though not an official academy group, "In the Stairwell" is often sought after to sing at retirement parties or civic functions in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where the academy is located.
They participated in the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella (the competition that the "Pitch Perfect" movies are based on), and made it all the way to the semifinals for the Midwest division in St. Louis.
Their performances found their way onto YouTube, and producers from NBC's "America's Got Talent" saw them and were impressed, and invited them to audition in Pasadena, California.
Performing the One Direction song "Drag Me Down" on the show in June, the group impressed the judges, which include former American Idol judge Simon Cowell, supermodel Heidi Klum, Spice Girls' alum Mel B and comedian Howie Mandel, who gave the group it's only red "X" buzzer.
They moved on in the competition, and will perform again on the show Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
Gygax, of Madison, and Hightower, son of gubernatorial candidate Bill Hightower of Mobile, became good friends through the group, sharing their Alabama heritage and love of performing.
Bram Gygax of Madison, left, and Benjamin Hightower of Mobile, are interviewed on the set of America's Got Talent. The Air Force Academy cadets are members of a singing group performing Tuesday night on the hit NBC talent show. (NBC photo)
Hightower, who has graduated and is now a second lieutenant in the Air Force, will be a groomsman in Gygax' wedding next summer.
Gygax, who was homeschooled in Madison and entered the Air Force Academy after a year at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, began singing and playing piano at the high school level, and started his own singing telegram service.
He put up fliers in coffee shops around Madison, and would get jobs singing to someone's wife at work for a wedding anniversary or for a birthday at a restaurant.
"I think that -- especially because it was a capella -- was influential in giving me the stage confidence I needed," Gygax said. "There were times that I'd be singing in a crowded PF Chang's. You just kind of have to let it fly."
Hightower, who graduated in 2013 from Murphy High School and is classically trained in piano and voice, is 'In the Stairwell's" lead singer, the "main dude out front," said Gygax.
Hightower said he's always loved music, and both he and Gygax thought that part of their lives was over when they joined the Air Force Academy.
To find the opportunity to keep performing, and now on national television, was nothing short of divine intervention for them, Hightower said.
"I think God has really opened the opportunity for me to continue to be able to that," he said.
Both men have a five-year-hitch to do in the Air Force after graduation, and Hightower is about to go to Belgium on a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to study at the University of Leuven.
Hightower, who is pursuing a master's degree in European Studies, will be an intelligence officer for the Air Force when his degree is complete, but he hopes to continue performing when possible.
When he is finished serving in the Air Force, Hightower said his aspirations are a toss-up between going to work for the U.S. State Department or becoming a full-time performer.
Gygax, who is entering his senior year at the Air Force Academy and will become an acquisitions officer when he graduates, said it remains to be seen where his career will go.
One thing is for certain, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of the "In the Stairwell" singers.
"Honestly, this has been one of the coolest experiences, being on national TV," Gygax said. "The way I think of it, when I have kids and I'm telling them about my college years and the academy, I'm not going to be remembering the late nights trying to get through their super rigorous academics. This is what I'll remember."
Want to watch, vote?
America's Got Talent airs Tuesday at 7 p.m. on NBC
To vote for "In The Stairwell" download the app at www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent
Haskins writes about points of pride statewide. Email your suggestions to shaskins@al.com, or tweet them to @Shelly_Haskins using #AlabamaProud