Home      Celebrity Gallery      Celebrity Ecards     Celebrity Birthdays    Movies     Jokes

Early life Young, who is of German and Irish descent, was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, growing up in the same Boulder neighborhood as actress Jessica Biel and American Idol Season 2 contestant Samantha Cohen. He is the fifth and last son of Jay Young, a retired minor-league baseball player, and Kay Whitney, a cosmetologist and member of the Mormon Church (although Young himself is not a member of the Mormon religion, but rather a Non-denominational Christian).Young has four older brothers: Josh, Duff, Marc, and Ryan. He was named after his great-grandfather, Asa, and after baseball player George Brett; he has been called Ace by his family since his childhood and did not know his legal name until he was six years old.

Young, who has been singing since the age of nine, attended voice lessons and performed at local shopping malls and recreation centers during his youth. He performed at various venues in Colorado and other western states, most notably at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Young graduated from Fairview High School, his local high school, in 1999, having participated in athletics, choir, and International Baccalaureate classes during his school years.

After his high school graduation, Young opened for Brian McKnight and New Edition, and sung the national anthem at Denver Nuggets games. His first published song, "Reason I Live" was featured in the 2000 film The Little Vampire.

Career In 2003, Young moved to Los Angeles, California, where he initially worked in sales and home remodeling. During this time, he guest-starred in an episode of Half & Half, playing a character named Ace Blackwell. Young auditioned for American Idol in Denver, wearing a tuque beanie and singing a rendition of Westlife's "Swear It Again". American Idol judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson approved his entry, with Jackson noting that Young was one of the best singers he had seen audition. Simon Cowell disagreed with Abdul and Jackson but also approved Young, with a small "yes".

Young was one of 24 contestants to make it to the semi-finals. His first performance, using a falsetto, was a rendition of the song "Butterflies". On March 9, 2006, Young made it into the top twelve of American Idol. On the March 15, 2006 results show, he was placed in the bottom three (along with Melissa McGhee and Lisa Tucker) and on March 29, 2006, he again appeared in the bottom three (along with Katharine McPhee and Lisa Tucker), but was not eliminated either time. On April 12, 2006, Young was ranked in the bottom three for the third time, with Elliott Yamin and Bucky Covington. Covington was eliminated, while Young advanced to the final seven. On April 19, 2006, he was placed in the bottom three (alongside Chris Daughtry and Paris Bennett) for the fourth time and was eliminated.

On April 26, Young performed as a guest on Total Request Live, singing an original song called "Don't Go" a cappella; the song will be included in his upcoming album. He has also appeared at the grand opening of The Camden House of Beverly Hills (an event showcasing rising stars under the age of thirty), was invited to the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association dinner, sang the national anthem at a summer Colorado Crush game and hosted a solo concert at the Pepsi Center. Young continues to perform at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

Although Young is currently unsigned to a record label (as of August 2006), he has been in talks with RCA Records. He was named one of People Magazine's "Hottest Bachelors" on June 16, 2006.

Personal life Young is currently based in Los Angeles, California. His hobbies include playing the piano, football, baseball, and basketball. During his time on American Idol, Young befriended Chris Daughtry, whom he met at the Denver audition for the show. The two lived in the same apartments during the show's runtime, and following Young's elimination, he stated that he would step in front of a moving train for Daughtry any time. Fans of the pair have categorized them as "Chrisace" or "Chrace", while Young became known as "High Rollers", a name based off a pun of the name "Ace".

Young frequently uses the Internet and says he is "always using the search engines- Google or Yahoo!" and also iTunes. Since 1999, he has worked voluntarily in the Children's Hospital of Denver, entertaining hospital-bound patients every Christmas.