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Christopher Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978), best known as Ruben Studdard, is an American pop, R&B, and gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol, beating out Clay Aiken.
Studdard in 2009 Background information Birth name Christopher Ruben Studdard Born ( 1978-09-12) September 12, 1978 (age 40), Origin, Genres, Occupation(s), Years active 2003–Present Labels (2003–present) (2003–2007) (2008–2010) (2011–2013) (2013–Present) Christopher Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978) is an,. He rose to fame as winner of the of and received a nomination in 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his recording of.
In the years following Idol, Studdard has released seven studio albums, including his platinum-selling debut, and the top-selling gospel follow-up,. He is most well known for his recording career, which has produced hits including ', ', and, but he has also segued into television and stage work. Most notably, he starred as in a national tour revival of, which spawned a Grammy-nominated soundtrack. In 2013, Studdard appeared as a contestant on the of weight-loss competition show. He later signed to and collaborated with the label's chairman, on Studdard's sixth studio album, Unconditional Love, in 2014. That album received strong reviews as a return-to-form and included a tour with. In 2018, Studdard, who has long been compared to R&B singer, released a cover album called Ruben Sings Luther and launched his Always & Forever national tour.
He made his debut in December 2018 in Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show (aka Ruben & Clay’s Christmas Show) at the. Contents. Early life Studdard was born in, to American parents, while his father was stationed there with the U.S. Army, and grew up in,. The youngest son of two teachers, at the age of three, he sang for the first time at the Rising Star in his hometown of Birmingham. He continued singing in church, performing solos as a child while his mother sang in the local choir.
While at, he played for which he received a scholarship to. While at Alabama A&M, he joined the Omicron Delta chapter of, the men's music fraternity of America. After growing up listening to his mother's albums, and gospel music, Studdard began to pursue a career in the music industry, majoring in voice studies at Alabama A&M. He sang with Just a Few Cats, a popular local Birmingham jazz and R&B band founded by members of 's, along with other local musicians. Years later, Studdard stated: 'A lot of people don't realize how hard I was trying to get into the business before American Idol. I was making demos and just working so hard.'
A back-up singer from Just a Few Cats asked him to accompany her to for an audition on the 2003 second season of American Idol. American Idol When auditioning, Studdard sang 's '. This guided him to being one of the local finalists.
On American Idol, he impressed viewers with his performances of the / song (best known as a hit for ) and the / duet '. During his time on the show, Studdard received praise from music legends such as, of the,. During the televised competition, Studdard gained the nickname 'Velvet Teddy Bear' and was noted for his shirts printed with '205', the telephone area code of his hometown of Birmingham.
He won the contest over runner-up by only 134,000 votes out of 24,000,000 cast in the May 2003 finale, becoming the second American Idol winner. Alabama Governor, declared March 11, 2003 as 'Ruben Studdard Day'.
Performances and results Week Theme Song Original artist Result Top 32 Contestant's choice ' Advanced Top 12 Motown ' Safe Top 11 Movie Soundtracks ' - & Safe Top 10 Country rock ' Safe Top 8 Disco ' Safe Top 8 Billboard Number Ones ' Safe Top 7 ' Billy Joel Safe Top 6 ' and Safe Top 5 1960s ' Bottom 2 ' Neil Sedaka Top 4 ' Bee Gees Safe ' Bee Gees Top 3 Random ' Safe Judges' Choice ' - Simon Cowell Idol's Choice ' Top 2 Finale ' Winner ' '. Due to 's disqualification, the Top 9 performances became Top 8 when no one was eliminated.
When announced the results for this particular night, Studdard was among the Bottom 2 but declared safe, as was eliminated. Career 2003–2004: Soulful Studdard released his first single, a cover of 's ' (which he had sung on the American Idol finale), produced. Fueled largely by sales, it debuted at number two on the. In December 2003, advance orders for his album topped the one million mark before it was released into stores. The album debuted at number one on the that month, selling over 400,000 copies in its first week and attaining the second highest first-week sales of any American Idol winner. The single ' from this album found substantial airplay, reaching number nine in the and number two on the Billboard. Studdard received a nomination in December 2003 for for 'Superstar', nominated alongside his idol, who ultimately won the category.
In March 2004, Ruben won the NAACP Outstanding New Artist award. 2004–2005: I Need an Angel Studdard released the gospel album on November 23, 2004. The title track and first single ' was a cover of a 2002 single performed by singer and written.
The sold over 96,000 copies in its first week, entering the Gospel charts at number one and at number twenty on the chart. It since has sold over 500,000 copies, securing Gold certification from the. It was also number one on the 2005 Billboard Year-End Gospel Albums Chart. In March 2005, Studdard filed a lawsuit against his godfather and business advisor Ronald Edwards. The suit alleges that Edwards ran up $156,000 on Studdard's credit cards and stole $90,000 from his checking account. Edwards filed a countersuit. On June 15, 2006, Studdard was awarded $500,000 for personal losses and another $1.5 million in punitive damages.
Between his second and third albums, Studdard began a diet and fitness program to deal with his weight, out of concern for a family history of and, resulting in his losing over 70 pounds on a diet. In 2004, Studdard made a cameo in the film, singing a cover of 's '. He also made guest appearances on TV shows including,. 2006–2008: The Return Studdard's third album, was released in October 2006.
Returning to R&B music on this album, Studdard collaborated with a variety of producers, including,. Studdard also co-wrote several songs on the album. The Return sold 71,000 copies in its first week to open at number eight on the.
The lead single, reached number one on Billboard's Urban Contemporary chart, while the follow-up track, ', also made a strong impression on the R&B charts. Studdard continued to tour, saying he would play a variety of music: 'Coming out to my show is like coming to my house. I'll play the songs I love. It's like a party. For me, a party has all different types of music happening.' Studdard appeared on the finale of American Idol season 6 in May 2007. He spent a few weeks touring with in the comedy-drama Heaven I Need a Hug and prepared to take on the role of in a national tour of in 2008.
The tour is scheduled to begin November 17, 2008 in Atlanta, GA and end May 14, 2009 in Syracuse, NY. In December 2007, Studdard had been dropped from his record company, due to poor sales of The Return and 'falling short of expectations'. He remained under contract with and was assigned the high-profile position of performing the farewell song, a recording of ' ', in a new version produced. Studdard performed 'Celebrate Me Home' live on May 20, 2008, at the for the first night of the two-night grand finale of American Idol's seventh season. In 2008, Studdard also collaborated with gospel singer and duo on the hit gospel song 'Love Him Like I Do'. 2009–2010: Love Is Studdard announced that his next album, to be released May 19, 2009, would be released on offshoot.
The new album, entitled, was produced. The album spawned the singles 'Together' and 'Don't Make 'Em Like U No More'. Love Is was released on May 19, 2009, to positive reviews. The album, which features a mix of covers and original songs, sold 15,200 units in its first week to debut at number 36 on the Billboard 200, number five on and number eight on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Studdard appeared with the ' and Friends' ten-city tour beginning October 21, 2009, in, Illinois and ending November 8, 2009, in, Canada. A compilation album, was released on January 26, 2010 by Sony's. Studdard returned to the American Idol stage on March 31, 2010 to perform 'Don't Make 'Em Like U No More'.
In his on-camera interview with after his performance, he announced that he would be touring with in the summer. Studdard and Aiken brought their Timeless tour to cities in the US and Canada beginning in on July 23, 2010 and ending in on August 14. Instead of a concert focusing on each singers recordings, Studdard and Aiken opted for a variety show format covering medleys of songs from the 1960s to the 1990s, with a few solos and interspersed with comedy bits. 2010–2013: Letters from Birmingham In 2011, Studdard signed with Shanachie Entertainment. His first album for the label and fifth studio release overall, was released in March 2012.
A concept album that traces a relationship through a series of romantic letters, Letters from Birmingham received mostly positive reviews, especially for his duet with, 'Do It Right', which was praised as 'sublime' and 'tantalizing'. The album also included covers of 's ' and ' from, recast as a love song. Since its release, 'Letters from Birmingham' has sold 22,000 copies, and the lead single, 'June 28 (I'm Single)', which referenced his marriage and subsequent divorce, reached the top 20 of Billboard's urban charts.
2013–2014: The Biggest Loser and Unconditional Love Studdard joined the cast of fifteenth season of the NBC weight loss competition show, and was credited as its first ever celebrity contestant. At 6'3 and 462 pounds, Studdard had the highest starting weight and BMI of the entire cast. A member of the show's Red Team, Studdard was first eliminated in the fourth week after he failed to make his weight loss goal.
However, because opposing coach had given her team caffeine pills in violation of the rules, Studdard's elimination was voided and he returned before once again being eliminated during the competition's eighth week. At the show's finale on February 4, 2014 (which coincided with the release of Studdard's newest album, Unconditional Love), it was revealed that he had lost a total of 119 pounds for an ending weight of 343 pounds. Studdard credited the weight loss for improving his ability to perform onstage.
During the finale, Studdard also performed his new album's lead single, 'Meant to Be', accompanied by the song's cowriter and producer, on piano. Unconditional Love is Studdard's sixth studio album and first with his new label, Verve Records. Foster, who has won 16, was the executive producer of the disc, which primarily consists of covers of love songs along with two originals, including 'Meant to Be'.
Studdard has called it 'the album that everybody expected from me when I won American Idol.' The album features collaborations with, and, and includes covers of songs originally performed by artists such as,. Since its release, the album has received some of Studdard's best reviews of his career. According to critics, the album 'finds Studdard at the top of his game vocally' and he hits his stride, 'exuding grace, confidence and class' as he successfully positions himself as a 'stylish crooner.' Unconditional Love debuted at #46 on the and #7 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.
Studdard supported the release of Unconditional Love with the national Born Again Tour with his collaborator. 2015-Present: Ruben Sings Luther and Broadway debut Studdard continues to appear regularly on, including mentoring and performing with contestants in its on Fox.
He released a new single, 'Can't Nobody Love You,' on April 8, 2016, and appeared on several talk shows to promote the song. In 2017, he released a cover of ' and guested on 's holiday album, performing 'Your Presence With Me'. In 2018, Studdard, who had long been compared to, released a tribute album, Ruben Sings Luther, on the SEG Music label. He supported the album with the Always & Forever national tour. In an interview with, Studdard said that, “Since I won American Idol, people have been asking for me to sing Luther songs for a long time. I thought, ‘OK. You want to hear it?
I might as well do it. I thought it was the perfect time to pay homage to one of the greatest song interpreters of all time.” Both the album and tour received strong reviews, with noting that 'Studdard truly took wing and made the music of Vandross his own' on tour and calling the album a 'full-on lush-and-funky tribute'. Studdard made his debut in December 2018, reuniting with in Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show (aka Ruben & Clay’s Christmas Show) at the, with previews beginning December 7 and the show officially opening December 11. The show will continue through Dec. 30, with a portion of ticket sales benefitting the. The show's announcement received widespread press coverage from, and more. Acting Studdard has worked as an in several roles, including single-episode appearances on the television series, and, as well as a cameo appearance in the film.
He has also appeared on a television commercial for a Birmingham-area dealer. Studdard headlined the revival tour of, starring alongside fellow American Idol alumni. Starring as, Studdard received positive reviews and was part of the cast recording album released by on January 13, 2009. The album was nominated for the.
Advocacy Studdard's love of music led him to create The Ruben Studdard Foundation for the Advancement of Children in the Music Arts. The foundation's mission statement says their aim is 'to promote the essential role of the arts in education through learning initiatives for the development of students in the Greater Birmingham Area.' Studdard also signed on as an official spokesperson for 'Be Sickle Smart', a nationwide grassroots health-education program aimed at increasing awareness of among people living with. Personal life Studdard met Surata Zuri McCants in October 2006, when he was signing CDs at a Wal-Mart in Atlanta. On June 28, 2008, Studdard married McCants in a short, private ceremony in Mountain Brook, Alabama.
On November 16, 2011, Studdard's attorney announced that Studdard was in the process of a divorce. Studdard's divorce was finalized in April 2012. Studdard received an honorary Master of Arts degree from his alma mater of, where he received a bachelor degree in Vocal Studies, at its December 2015 commencement ceremony. He is a member of fraternity. Some sources give Birmingham, Alabama as his birthplace, but Studdard has said in interviews that he was born in Frankfurt while his father was stationed there with the U.S.
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Ruben Studdard, America’s Idol officially confirmed that he will be releasing RUBEN SINGS LUTHER to his musical hero Luther Vandross on March 16th and will be launching a 25 city ‘Always and Forever Tour’ starting in Sacramento, California on April 8th. “My goal was to not only to pay tribute to Luther but to add my own passion on top of Luther’s brilliant songs. It all started with my mom who has always loved Luther and played his music in our home continuously – especially during Christmas. You can say I grew up with the world’s biggest Luther fan. In my young teens, I would perform a Luther song or two at weddings and people would keep requesting more of his hits. I recorded ‘Superstar’ awhile back which was Grammy nominated and sang different Luther songs during my live shows. But people always asked when I was going to do an album of Luther’s songs. Happily the day has arrived.
It was a thrilling experience selecting the songs from his different albums and putting my own interpretation on them. I am so proud of this record”, commented Ruben.
“As for the tour, we are not only recreating the beautiful production elements, musicians, background singers, wardrobe and lighting that were ever present when Luther took the stage, but my heart and soul will be in every note I sing as I honor one of the greatest vocalists we’ve ever had.” Ruben Studdard, the Grammy nominated R&B, gospel and pop singer was the winner of American Idol’s second season. He has recorded six studio albums, appears frequently on tv, toured extensively and has sold over two million albums worldwide. See more at: http://thehowardtheatre.com/show/2019/01/03/ruben-studdard-sings-luther-vandross/.