Andrew Lockwood's a cappella group, Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town, came close but didn't win a recent reality television competition, "The Sing-Off," which aired over five nights on NBC in December.
However, after almost 40 years of singing, Lockwood, who is a custodian at Haight Elementary School, doesn't seem to mind. He relished the high-stress Hollywood experience and the group, already successful, is now more sought after than ever.
"It was a great experience, it was a grueling experience, it was a fun-filled experience," he said.
Henry Haight Elementary School was equally happy for Lockwood. A big banner signed by students reading "Congratulations Mr. Andrew" hangs in a hallway across from the school office.
When the finale of the television show was about to air, Haight office manager Juanita Williams said the school sent out e-mails to the district telling people to vote for Lockwood's group. Students were excited that they had a bona fide reality-TV star in their midst.
"We were very excited," Williams said. "We put his video on the webpage with an announcement of the show and the show dates and times."
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