December – 2004 had to be one of the most hectic months in Clay Aiken’s life. He was on tour, he had his own special on TV and he made the rounds of the talk shows to chat and sing.

On December 6, 2004, Clay made an appearance on The Tonight Show. He had a great talk with Jay Leno and sang a wonderful rendition of “Mary, Did You Know.”

Jay asked Clay about his Thanksgiving holiday. Clay told him that there were over 30 people who celebrated at his home. This was the interview when we learned about Clay’s relationship with Tupperware and about the importance of glass milk bottles. Remember?? Six bottles, all lined up perfectly!! Clay was clever, well spoken, interesting and very funny.

Clay brought along a video of his throat and showed us his vocal cords…..well, it was different.

Clay was introduced after Kevin Spacey, and instead of starting off by talking to Jay, he began by singing. Clay’s voice showed beauty and power and his love of the lyrics was obvious. It was evident that Clay had completely recovered from the illness he had suffered recently. There was obviously no vocal chord damage from his infection.

As always, Clay was dressed in his own style. His brown plaid pants and blue blazer stood out from the others. All and all, it was a wonderful visit as Clay was able to show his intense and stirring side as he sang and then his humorous, light banter and a set of slightly bruised vocal chords up there on the screen for all to see!

I think the video of “Mary, Did You Know?” shows one of the best performances I have seen or heard.

I hope you enjoy it.