Atlanta's Craig Lewis Band gunning for 'America's Got Talent' finals

The winning act pockets $1 million and a show in Las Vegas.

UPDATE, Thursday, September 3, 2015: They made it into the finals - barely. Details here.

The pair – Zuri Craig and Jeffrey Lewis - met at a Clark Atlanta University talent show in 2005 and have been performing as a duo ever since.

“We became best friends,” Lewis said in an interview. “I can’t imagine us not singing together.”

They even combined their names into the Craig Lewis Band, which they acknowledge is confusing because it sounds like Craig Lewis is a person.

Over the years, they've had to work side jobs while trying to break through.

"We have moments when things are going very well," said Lewis, who grew up in Americus. "We were trying to figure out where our next meal would come from."

Craig, who grew up in D.C. but decided to stay in Atlanta after college, said he worked at a lot of restaurants as a server, the stereotypical way an artist can remain flexible. Lewis worked at a hotel and waited tables, too.

Craig last year convinced Lewis to try out for "America's Got Talent." Lewis said he was a nervous wreck but is now happy he did it.

The judges have praised them for their distinct yet equally soulful, passionate vocals.

First up: "This is a Man's Man's Man's World." The judges were impressed. "You were on point, bam, out of the game," Mel B said. "Contenders," Howard Stern said.

In the next round, they blew away guest judge Michael Buble with their cover of Mary J. Blige's  "I'm Goin' Down." He pushed the Golden Buzzer that got them straight to the live show.

Two weeks ago, they got into the top 21 after the first vote from America with a dramatic, impactful "Try a Little Tenderness."

The scariest part, they said, was the dancing. "We're not really dancers," Craig said. "This song being uptempo, we had to cut a rug a little bit. It worked out really well. We now like uptempo songs more. We usually rely more on ballads."