For 23 years, Richard Goodall worked as a janitor at West Vigo Middle School in Terre Haute, Indiana. Every day, he cleaned classrooms and hallways while quietly singing as he worked. The students and teachers knew he had an amazing voice, but outside those school walls, almost nobody knew about his talent.
Everything changed in 2022 when someone recorded Richard singing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” during a school assembly. The video quickly went viral, bringing millions of views and turning a regular school janitor into a national sensation. Suddenly, the man who had been singing in empty hallways was being seen and heard around the world.
After decades of working behind the scenes, Richard’s life completely changed. He married Angie Vanoven, retired from his janitor job, and even became the inspiration for a movie project about his journey. For years, he carried a mop while sharing his voice with anyone who happened to walk by — until one simple recording introduced the world to his incredible gift.
