Roy Smith, a janitor at Burke High School in Omaha, Nebraska, gave a remarkable rendition of Sam Cooke‘s 1964 hit “A Change Is Gonna Come” during the school’s orchestra recital.
A video of Smith performance–wearing a bright pink suit–went viral after one student posted a short clip to Twitter.
“They had asked me to sing to [sic] with them,” Smith told ABC News.
According to Inside Edition, Smith has been singing since he was 13 years old. “I’m originally from New Orleans,” said Smith. “When I was there, I started singing when I was 13 impersonating James Brown.”
In his early 20s, he was offered a recording deal but declined the offer because he thought it was too risky.
Now, he mainly sings with gospel groups.
The students seem to be fans of Smith. They enjoy seeing him in the hallways, singing his infamous songs while putting smiles on their faces as he works.
“Whistle while you work, that’s my motto,” he told ABC News. “I’m like that every day. It brings joy to the students. The ones that are down and out, I give them something to cheer them up.”
s/o to our janitor, Mr. Roy, for killin’ it tonight at our orchestra concert pic.twitter.com/VWFbya6LK4
— Alex Gaeth (@alex_gaeth18) March 2, 2016
Cheering Burke’s High school students brings the school superstar janitor great satisfaction. “They’re awesome,” he said.
“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.”
