If you can’t be number one, then there’s nothing wrong with being a single notch behind.

Northampton County native Chris Daughtry saw his first album n appropriately entitled “Daughtry” which is also the name of his band n debut at number two on the Billboard 200 chart.

Released Nov. 21 through RCA Records, “Daughtry” sold 304,000 copies in its first week. That was great news to his grandparents, Calvin and Barbara Daughtry of Lasker.

“We’re very proud of Chris and we know he will continue to do very well,” Mrs. Daughtry said. “We thank everyone that has supported Chris in the past and that continue to do so by purchasing his CD.”

Meanwhile, Mrs. Daughtry confessed that her grandson’s road to stardom still takes a bit of getting use to.

“To see him on all the TV shows, including American Idol, and to hear him sing on the radio is still amazing,” she noted. “We’ve always known that Chris was an extremely talented young man, but to actually see and read what is happening to him now amazes us.”

Born in Roanoke Rapids, Chris Daughtry spent his childhood and early teen years growing up in Lasker before moving to Charlottesville, Va. with his parents, Pete and Sandra Daughtry. It was there that his love of music took root right next door where his grandfather ran the “Lasker Grand Old Opry.”

“Chris has such a wide range in his music,” Mrs. Daughtry stressed. “We’re hoping that he’ll one day consider doing a country music album.”

For now, Chris Daughtry appears to be sticking with rock-and-roll. It was that style of American music and his deep, rich vocals that took him to the final four on American Idol.

Since fulfilling his contractual obligations with the American Idol Summer Tour, Chris has traveled the “talk show” circuit. He made appearances on The Tonight Show, Total Request Live and The Today Show. He also appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in which he performed &uot;Wanted Dead or Alive&uot;—his track on the American Idol Season Five: Encores CD n and was featured earlier this week on CBS’ The Early Show.

Daughtry was offered the lead singer role of the rock band Fuel, but turned it down to launch his own band.

In June, Daughtry made a cameo appearance on the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, where he performed a parody of Daniel Powter’s &uot;Bad Day&uot;—the &uot;theme song&uot; for the fifth season of Idol—with comedian Jimmy Fallon.

One month later, Daughtry signed a contract with 19 Entertainment and RCA Records and immediately began to work on his first album. That work earned rave reviews on Amazon.com where Tammy La Gorce said, “here are a dozen songs that’ll flick your rock & roll switch, whether you’re a Creed fan, a club kid, or a mambo king: &uot;Used To&uot; and &uot;Over You,&uot; a couple of early tracks, ought to arrive bundled with a road map they’re so highway sing-along-ready, and &uot;Feels Like Tonight&uot; screws the lid on the premise that Daughtry can deliver a punchy pop-rock song without flinching.”

La Gorce added, “Daughtry is a man of many moods–contemplative, explosive, insistent, humble. No matter which pokes through on a given song, he steadies it to a place as honest as it is accessible. Rare is the rocker who lays out so broad an on-ramp.”