In recognition of National Autism Awareness Month, 12-year-old YouTube sensation Christopher Duffley, who is blind and has autism, has been featured in popular mainstream publications Huffington Post and The Blaze. The national media attention coincides with a criss-cross tour that has taken the young entertainer from performing alongside popular Christian recording artist Brenton Brown in California to making new fans in Georgia.
A story about Christopher, who currently is traveling to promote his CD, Eyes Of My Heart, ran in both the Huffington Post and The Blaze. With the headlines “Christopher Duffley Is Blind And Autistic But His Voice Will Bring Tears To Your Eyes” (HuffPost) and “What a Young Boy Who Is Blind and Autistic Did On A Church Stage Is Truly Inspirational” (The Blaze), the articles detailed Christopher’s story of being born prematurely and being adopted by his biological aunt after being placed in foster care.
Christopher Duffley is 12 years old and loves to share his story of faith; Photo Courtesy of Twitter.
The articles ran as part of the publications’ coverage of National Autism Awareness Month. Included in the articles was a link to a video of a recent performance at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The video of Christopher singing “I Can Only Imagine,” which the church shared online, has received more than 100,000 views on YouTube in the two weeks since it was posted.
Christopher has recently returned home after performing in Alabama, California and Georgia.
Christopher kicked off his criss-cross travels at EWTN in Irondale, Ala., where he taped an episode of the popular show Dana and Friends, hosted by renowned vocalist Dana Scallon.
Christopher Duffley with his older sister, Grace; Photo Courtesy of Facebook.
He then traveled to California, where he sang at Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village, Calif., the church where popular Christian recording artist Brenton Brown is the worship leader. During Christopher’s appearance at Calvary Community Church, Brown sang back up for Christopher. Christopher also performed at the Friendship Walk at Willow Elementary School in Agoura Hills, Calif., an annual walk that raises funds for the Friendship Circle, a non-profit organization for individuals with special needs.
Following his West Coast performances, Christopher traveled to Georgia, where he made a host of new fans while singing at Smokin’ On The River, Chattooga’s BBQ Cook-off in Summerville, Ga.
Christopher has also been selected as one of “10 Amazing Individuals With Autism Who Shined In 2013” in the first quarter 2014 issue of the Autism Speaks national newsletter.
The CD cover for Christopher’s new album ‘Eyes of My Heart’; Image Courtesy of Christopher Duffley
“Christopher’s heart is as big and beautiful as his voice,” says Liz Feld, president of Autism Speaks. “When Christopher sings, the only thing more powerful than his lyrics is the courage behind them. He inspires us to see what matters most–what’s inside.”
Christopher is garnering attention throughout the U.S. not only for his remarkable talent, but also for the challenges with which he lives. He released his debut CD, Eyes Of My Heart, on October 29, 2013.
Christopher’s story as a popular entertainer began when a video of the then 10-year-old Christopher singing “Open The Eyes of My Heart” at the Capitol Center for the Performing Arts in New Hampshire went viral, garnering more than 5.8 million views on YouTube. News of his remarkable talent spread like wildfire, culminating in Christopher singing the national anthem for the Boston Red Sox baseball team at Fenway Park.
Christopher Duffley singing ‘I’ll Be There’, a classic song of encouragement; Photo Courtesy of GodTube.
Demand for Christopher to release a CD swelled, propelling the young singer and his family to travel to Nashville to work with Dove Award-winning producer, songwriter and arranger Steven V. Taylor (Kirk Franklin, Michael W. Smith, Natalie Grant).
The result is an 11-song compilation of inspirational, patriotic and sacred songs, titled Eyes Of My Heart, that reaches deep into listeners’ hearts and encourages them to see with new eyes.
“We chose the title from the song ‘Open the Eyes of My Heart’ because of its meaning in our lives,” says Christine Duffley, Christopher’s mother. “It was the first real song Christopher sang when he was 3 years old. He sang it during a mission trip and people broke down in tears. When Christopher sings, ‘Open The Eyes Of My Heart,’ I remember to not only see with my physical eyes, but to see as God sees–through my heart.”
Christopher is a young prodigy with perfect pitch and a great love for music; Photo Courtesy of Elijah Magazine.
About Christopher
Christopher Duffley entered this world with only a 50 percent chance of survival. Born prematurely at 26 weeks, Christopher weighed just 1 lb., 12 oz. and tested positive for cocaine. Miraculously, he survived, but an eye condition, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a disease that affects the eyes of many premature babies, rendered him totally blind by the time he was 6 months old. Due to his birth parents’ inability to care for him because of their drug dependency, Christopher was discharged from the hospital into foster care.
But Christopher’s struggles were not the end of the story. When his biological aunt and her husband, Christine and Stephen Duffley, learned that Christopher was in foster care,
they sought him out. Once they located the child, they brought him home to New Hampshire to be part of their family.
Christopher recording with his older sister Grace; Photo Courtesy of Girard At Large.
By the time he reached 5 years old, Christopher had been diagnosed with autism. Although he had rarely conversed until he reached the first grade, Christopher’s adopted mother, Christine, had noticed his ability to make rhythmic noises and keep beat, and he had begun to pick out songs on the piano by age 3. Because of this natural affinity, music therapy was a logical choice to help Christopher learn to communicate, which Christine says he did more often by singing than talking. And, when he sang, it was in perfect pitch.
“Although the circumstances have been difficult and we have had challenges, we have found much joy and so many more blessings,” says Christine Duffley. “Family life is imperfect and messy, and it has been a journey of love, forgiveness and abandonment. Through it all, however, we are grateful that Christopher’s biological parents chose life and, now, God is using this life to touch the world for Christ.”
For more information about Christopher and his new album, visit christopherduffley.com
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