Colton Dixon was born to Teresa and Michael Dixon and has a younger sister, Schyler Dixon. [2] He is also a devout Christian.[3] He graduated from Middle Tennessee School in 2009. Originally rising to fame as lead singer in the Christian rock band, Messenger, formed in 2010, he became a favorite during the early auditions of American Idol. Dixon auditioned in the tenth season, along with his sister Schyler, at the Nashville auditions. However, neither of them ended up in the Top 24. After he was sent home, Dixon performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on March 3, 2011. Dixon returned in season 11, however he did not plan to audition, initially planning to merely accompany his sister Schyler to her audition. The judges implored Dixon to audition as well, where he sang David Cook's "Permanent". Both he and Schyler were awarded golden tickets. Schyler was cut yet again during the Las Vegas round, which brought him to tears.