Roy Smith, a janitor at Burke High School in Omaha, Nebraska, brought down the house on Tuesday night with his amazing rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” at the school’s orchestra performance.
“They had asked me to sing to with them,” Smith humbly said of his impressive pipes.
To the students, Smith is so much more than a janitor. They often find him wandering the halls, singing his songs and putting smiles on their faces as he works away.
“Whistle while you work, that’s my motto,” he said.
Smith also made headlines in 2014 for his incredible performance at the school’s Christmas concert, and he’s clearly shown no signs of quieting down since then.
“I’m like that every day,” he said of his harmonious hobby. “It brings joy to the students. The ones that are down and out, I give them something to cheer them up.”
He said he does most of his singing at church, something he’s grown up doing since he was a kid.
“I’m originally from New Orleans,” said Smith. “When I was there, I started singing when I was 13 impersonating James Brown.”
And if you ask him, the 2014 James Brown movie “Get on Up” was good and all, but “they should’ve gotten me to do that,” Smith joked of playing the lead role. More than anything, he just loves the joy that his songs bring to his beloved students.
“They’re awesome,” Smith said of the Burke High kids. “I get enjoyment out of it. If I could make your day, I’m happy then. If I do that, then my day is complete.”
