Harris attended the bus tour auditions for American Idol's thirteenth season in Tuscaloosa.
He then auditioned before the judges in Salt Lake City.
His audition performance of "Soulshine" was well-received, and in response, Keith Urban, a judge that year, said of Harris, "You sing 'cause you have to sing, not 'cause you want to sing.
And I mean that in the deepest way.
And that's why it's so believable and real."
For the group rounds, Harris joined with the season's eventual winner, Caleb Johnson for a performance of Alex Clare's "Too Close".
Before advancing to the semi-finals, Harris was one of a few contestants paired together for an impromptu sing-off.
Harris was paired with Casey Thrasher, and the judges intended to only put one of them through to the next round.
The judges were impressed with both performances however - Harris sang "Whipping Post" - and both contestants were put through.

In the semi-finals, Harris failed to receive enough votes to automatically advance into the finals.
He was kept in the competition when the judges chose him as a Wild Card.
Critics noted that Harris struggled with pitch in some of his performances.
Harris received mostly positive attention for his participation on the series though; Mary Colurso of AL.com wrote that Harris was well-liked on the series for his "real-deal authenticity and good-guy appeal", while Maura Johnston of Vulture called Harris "a blast of charisma and unexpected song choices".

Harris reached the Top 10 alongside Dexter Roberts, a friend he had already known for several years from the Alabama music scene.
The two of them auditioned together in Tuscaloosa.
Harris borrowed Roberts' guitar for that audition, as his own guitar had broken a string during the wait in line.
After finishing in sixth and seventh place respectively, Harris and Roberts returned to the American Idol stage for the season 13 finale, where they performed together alongside Darius Rucker.

Common opinion among critics was that Harris gave his best performance on American Idol when he covered "Can't You See" by The Marshall Tucker Band.
Michael Slezak of TVLine called that performance "gritty" and "emotionally-connected", Dave Holmes of Vulture called it "lived-in and emotional and warm", and Colurso described it as "Rough-edged and raspy, imbued with real-deal emotion."
Doug Gray, an original member of The Marshall Tucker Band, praised Harris' rendition of "Can't You See".
Harris himself considered it to be one of his two best performances on American Idol, along with his rendition of John Mayer's Gravity".

When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Harris was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe, as Majesty Rose was eliminated.

When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Harris was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe, as Sam Woolf was saved by the judges.

Due to the judges using their one save on Sam Woolf, the top 8 remained intact for another week.

When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Harris was among the bottom 2, but was declared safe, as Malaya Watson was eliminated.
Harris attended the bus tour auditions for American Idol's thirteenth season in Tuscaloosa. He then auditioned before the judges in Salt Lake City. His audition performance of "Soulshine" was well-received, and in response, Keith Urban, a judge that year, said of Harris, "You sing 'cause you have to sing, not 'cause you want to sing. And I mean that in the deepest way. And that's why it's so believable and real." For the group rounds, Harris joined with the season's eventual winner, Caleb Johnson for a performance of Alex Clare's "Too Close". Before advancing to the semi-finals, Harris was one of a few contestants paired together for an impromptu sing-off. Harris was paired with Casey Thrasher, and the judges intended to only put one of them through to the next round. The judges were impressed with both performances however - Harris sang "Whipping Post" - and both contestants were put through.
In the semi-finals, Harris failed to receive enough votes to automatically advance into the finals. He was kept in the competition when the judges chose him as a Wild Card. Critics noted that Harris struggled with pitch in some of his performances. Harris received mostly positive attention for his participation on the series though; Mary Colurso of AL.com wrote that Harris was well-liked on the series for his "real-deal authenticity and good-guy appeal", while Maura Johnston of Vulture called Harris "a blast of charisma and unexpected song choices".
Harris reached the Top 10 alongside Dexter Roberts, a friend he had already known for several years from the Alabama music scene. The two of them auditioned together in Tuscaloosa. Harris borrowed Roberts' guitar for that audition, as his own guitar had broken a string during the wait in line. After finishing in sixth and seventh place respectively, Harris and Roberts returned to the American Idol stage for the season 13 finale, where they performed together alongside Darius Rucker.
Common opinion among critics was that Harris gave his best performance on American Idol when he covered "Can't You See" by The Marshall Tucker Band. Michael Slezak of TVLine called that performance "gritty" and "emotionally-connected", Dave Holmes of Vulture called it "lived-in and emotional and warm", and Colurso described it as "Rough-edged and raspy, imbued with real-deal emotion." Doug Gray, an original member of The Marshall Tucker Band, praised Harris' rendition of "Can't You See". Harris himself considered it to be one of his two best performances on American Idol, along with his rendition of John Mayer's Gravity".
When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Harris was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe, as Majesty Rose was eliminated.
When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Harris was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe, as Sam Woolf was saved by the judges.
Due to the judges using their one save on Sam Woolf, the top 8 remained intact for another week.
When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Harris was among the bottom 2, but was declared safe, as Malaya Watson was eliminated.
C.J. Harris (singer)