Terry Fator pulled off something both funny and emotional when he sang Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind” with a puppet of Nelson. The season two winner of America’s Got Talent made it more than just a joke, because the little back-and-forth lines between him and the puppet added humor while the song itself carried all the feeling that people know from the original.
The performance had a lot of people emotional because they thought about loved ones or shared the song with family, and many wrote about how it hit them right in the heart. One viewer said: “First of all, I love the song. Second of all, I’ve never heard of this guy. Thirdly of all, he’s the greatest ventriloquist I’ve ever seen.”
Another added: “That was so beautiful, I cried a lot of tears watching this video. It was so touching to my heart.”
The cover pulled in over 1.3 million views on YouTube and became one of his most popular uploads. Fator also got fans excited with his version of “On the Road Again,” where the upbeat music and jokes with the puppet showed off the same strong voice but in a lighter way that made people smile and laugh.
Fator has been at this for a long time. He was born in Dallas, Texas in 1965 and won America’s Got Talent back in season two with his singing ventriloquism. After that he signed a major deal with a Las Vegas casino where he performed for more than a decade, and now since 2021 he has been headlining at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino. Fans keep showing up because his mix of comedy, music, and heartfelt delivery keeps working.
