Christopher Theodore Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978), best
known as Ruben Studdard, is an American R&B, pop, and gospel
singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American
Idol. He received a Grammy Award nomination in December 2003 for
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Superstar."
In the years following Idol, Studdard has released four studio albums,
including his most recent disc, 2009's Love Is.
In addition to appearing on various television shows he has toured
with Robin Givens in the comedy-drama Heaven I Need a Hug and in
2008 accepted the role of Fats Waller in a national tour of Ain't
Misbehavin'.
Studdard, who was born in Frankfurt, Germany while his American
father was stationed there with the U.S. Army, grew up in Birmingham,
Alabama. The youngest son of two teachers, at the age of three
he sang for the first time at the Rising Star Baptist Church in his
hometown of Birmingham. He continued singing gospel in church, performing
solos as a child while his mother sang in the local choir. While
at Huffman High School, he played football for which he received
a scholarship to Alabama A&M University. While at Alabama A&M
he joined the Omicron Delta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the
men's music fraternity of America.
After growing up listening to his mother's Donny Hathaway albums,
Fred Hammond, 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 Ray Reach's UAB Jazz Ensemble,
along with other local musicians. "A lot of people don't realize
how hard I was trying to get into the business before American Idol," Studdard
related several years later. "I was making demos and just working
so hard."[4] A back-up singer from Just a Few Cats asked him
to accompany her to Nashville, Tennessee for an audition on the 2003
second season of "American Idol".
[edit] American Idol
When auditioning, Studdard sang Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in
the Sky." This guided him to being one of the local finalists.
On American Idol, he impressed viewers with his performances of the
Leon Russell/Bonnie Bramlett song "Superstar" (best known
as a hit for The Carpenters) and the Peabo Bryson/Regina Belle duet "A
Whole New World"; during his time on the show, Studdard received
praise from music legends such as Lionel Richie, Neil Sedaka, Robin
Gibb of the Bee Gees, Luther Vandross, and Gladys Knight.
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. Studdard also
did a cover version of "For All We Know", originally recorded
by Donny Hathaway, whose music he grew up with.
He won the contest over runner-up Clay Aiken by only 134,000 votes
out of 24,000,000 cast in the May 2003 finale,[5] becoming the second
American Idol winner.
Alabama Governor Bob Riley declared March 11, 2003 as "Ruben
Studdard Day".[6]
[edit] Career
[edit] 2003–2004: Soulful
Debut Album: Soulful
Studdard released his first single, a cover of Westlife's "Flying
Without Wings" (which he had sung on the show's finale), produced
by The Underdogs and Babyface, a month later in June 2003. Fueled
largely by sales, it debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. In December
2003, advance orders for his album Soulful topped the 1 million mark
before it was released into stores. The album debuted at number one
on the Billboard 200 album chart 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 "Sorry 2004" from
this album found substantial airplay, reaching #9 in the Billboard
Hot 100 and #2 on the Billboard R&B singles chart. Studdard received
a Grammy Award nomination in December 2003 for Best Male R&B
Vocal Performance for "Superstar", nominated with his idol
Luther Vandross (Vandross won that category). In March 2004, Ruben
won the NAACP Outstanding New Artist award.
[edit] 2004-2005: I Need An Angel
Studdard released the gospel album I Need an Angel on November 23,
2004. The title track and first single "I Need an Angel" was
a cover of a 2002 single performed by R&B singer Daniel DeBourg
and written by R. Kelly. The album sold over 96,000 copies in its
first week, it also entered the Gospel charts at #1, opened at #20
on the Billboard 200 chart, it since has sold over 500,000 copies.
It was also #1 on the 2005 Billboard Year-End Gospel Albums Chart.
As of June 2007, Studdard is the fifth-best selling American Idol
performer with more than 2.4 million albums sold in the U.S.
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.[7]
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 diabetes and hypertension resulting in his losing over 70 pounds
on a vegetarian diet.[8]
[edit] 2006–2008: The Return
Third Album: The Return
Studdard's third album, The Return was released in October 2006;
it goes back to his R&B roots, but is different from his previous
efforts. Studdard collaborated with the artist Ne-Yo on this album,
along with a variety of producers. The single "Change Me" was
released ahead of the album. The Return sold 71,000 copies in its
first week to open at #8 on the Billboard 200 album chart, but sales
declined rapidly after that, not approaching those of his earlier
albums. However, Studdard did have good success on the Urban Contemporary
chart with "Change Me" (which reached #1) and its successor "Make
Ya Feel Beautiful". 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."[4]
Studdard appeared on the finale of American Idol season 6 in May
2007. He spent a few weeks touring with Robin Givens in the comedy-drama
Heaven I Need a Hug and prepared to take on the role of Fats Waller
in a national tour of Ain't Misbehavin' in 2008.[2] The tour is scheduled
to begin November 17, 2008 in Atlanta, GA and end May 14, 2009 in
Syracuse, NY.[9]
In December 2007, Studdard had been dropped from his record company,
J Records, due to poor sales of The Return and "[falling] short
of expectations."[10] He remained under contract with 19 Recordings,
however.[11] As such he was assigned the high-profile position of
performing the American Idol season 7 farewell song, a recording
of Kenny Loggins' "Celebrate Me Home", in a new version
produced by Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam.[11]
Studdard performed "Celebrate Me Home" live on May 20,
2008, at the Nokia Theatre for the first night of the two-night Grand
Finale of American Idol's seventh season.
[edit] 2009–2010: Love Is
Studdard was featured in the music video for gospel singer Deitrick
Haddon's "Love Him Like I Do" along with Gospel duo Mary
Mary.
Studdard announced that his next album, to be released May 19, 2009,
would be released on Sony Music offshoot Hickory Records. The new
album, entitled Love Is, is being produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry
Lewis.[12] The first single off Love Is is the ballad "Together",
which was written by Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Phillip
Taj Jackson and Martin Kleveland, produced by StarGate & Martin
K.
He performed his new single "Together" on American Idol
season 8 on March 26, 2009.[13]
Love Is was released on May 19, 2009 to mostly positive reviews.
The album, which features a mix of covers and original songs, sold
15,200 units in its first week to debut at #36 on the Billboard 200,
#5 on Independent Albums and #8 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[14]
Studdard appeared with the "David Foster and Friends" 10
city tour beginning October 21, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois and ending
November 8, 2009 in Vancouver, Canada.
A fifth album, Playlist: The Very Best of Ruben Studdard was released
on January 26, 2010 by Sony's Legacy Recordings.
Studdard returned to the American Idol stage on March 31, 2010 to
perform his latest single "Don't Make 'Em Like U No More".
In his on camera interview with Ryan Seacrest after his performance
he said that he would be touring with Clay Aiken in the summer.
Studdard and Aiken brought their “Timeless” tour to
cities in the US and Canada beginning in Asheville, North Carolina
on July 23, 2010 and ending in Biloxi, Mississippi on August 14.[15][16]
Instead of a concert focusing on each singers recordings, Studdard
and Aiken opted for a variety show format covering medleys of songs
from the 60s to the 90s with a few solos and interspersed with comedy
bits.[17]
[edit] 2010–present: New label
It was announced in July 2011 that Studdard had signed with Shanachie
Entertainment and would release his next album in the fall of 2011.[18]
[edit] Acting
Studdard has worked as an actor in several roles, including single-episode
appearances on the television series 8 Simple Rules, Life on a Stick,
All of Us, and Eve, as well as a cameo appearance in the film Scooby
Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. He has also appeared on a television commercial
for a Birmingham-area Kia dealer.
He appeared in an episode of One on One as himself & in an episode
of All of Us as an older Bobby. He also appeared in the 8 Simple
Rules episode where CJ's dad comes; he played a delivery boy whom
CJ mistakes for his father. He greets him by hugging him and saying, "You
have always been my idol," referring to his win on Idol. Studdard
also appeared on an episode of Eve as Paul, Janie's younger brother
who has a huge crush on Shelly.
Studdard headlined the revival tour of Ain't Misbehavin', starring
alongside fellow American Idol (season 2) alums, Trenyce and Frenchie
Davis. Starring as Fats Waller, Studdard received positive reviews
and was part of the cast recording album released by Rhino Records
on January 13, 2009.[19]
[edit] 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."[20]
Studdard has signed on as an official spokesperson for ‘Be
Sickle Smart’, a nationwide grassroots health-education program
aimed at increasing awareness of iron overload among people living
with sickle-cell disease.[21]
[edit] Personal life
Studdard met Surata Zuri McCants in October 2006, when he was signing
CDs at a Wal-Mart in Atlanta.[22] On June 28, 2008, Studdard married
McCants in a short, private ceremony in Mountain Brook, Alabama.[23]
After a performance on American Idol on March 31, 2010, Ruben discussed
losing approximately 80 pounds through a vegan diet and regular exercise.
[edit] Awards and nominations
American Music Awards
2004, Favorite Male R&B/Soul Artist: (Nominated)
BET Awards
2005, Best Gospel Artist: (Nominated)
2004, Best New Artist: (Nominated)
2004, Best Male R&B Artist: (Nominated)
Grammy Awards
2004, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: "Superstar" (Nominated)
Image Awards
2004, Outstanding New Artist: Soulful (Winner)
Soul Train Awards
2004, Best New R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist: "Superstar" (Nominated)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
Year Album Chart Positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US US
R&B US
Gospel US
Indie
2003 Soulful
Released: December 9, 2003
Label: J Records
(#54639)
Format: CD
1 1 — — RIAA certification: Platinum
U.S. sales: 1.8 million [24]
2004 I Need an Angel
Released: November 23, 2004
Label: J Records
(#62623)
Format: CD
20 6 1 — RIAA certification: Gold
U.S. sales: 483,000[24]
2006 The Return
Released: October 17, 2006
Label: J Records
(#78961)
Format: CD, digital download
8 2 — — U.S. sales: 238,000[24]
2009 Love Is
Released: May 19, 2009
Label: Hickory Records
(#301005)
Format: CD, digital download
36 8 — 5 U.S. sales: 50,000[25]
"—"
denotes the album failed to chart or not released
[edit] Compilation albums
Year Album Certifications
(sales threshold)
2010 Playlist: The Very Best of Ruben Studdard
Released January 26, 2010
Sony Legacy
U.S. sales: 3,500[25]
[edit] Singles
Year Title Chart positions Album
US US
R&B US
Urban
2003 "Flying Without Wings" 2 13 27 Non-album single
"
Superstar" 112 2 — Soulful
2004 "Sorry 2004" 9 2 —
"
What If" — 47 —
"
I Need an Angel" — — 32 I Need an Angel
2006 "Change Me" 94 18 1 The Return
2007 "Make Ya Feel Beautiful" — 32 6
2008 "Celebrate Me Home"[11] — — — single
2009 "Together" — 60 — Love Is
"
Don't Make 'Em Like U No More" — 32 40
[edit] Single certifications
Year Title CAN
2003 "Flying Without Wings" 3x Platinum[26]
[edit] Other albums
American Idol Season 2: All-Time Classic American Love Songs (2003)
"What the World Needs Now" (with Season 2 Finalists)
"God Bless the U.S.A. (Proud to Be an American)" (with Season 2 Finalists)
Superstar
American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics (2003)
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (American Idol Ensemble)
"This Christmas"
Genius & Friends (2005)
"Imagine" with Ray Charles and The Harlem Gospel Singers
Ain't Misbehavin' (2009 Cast Recording)
"Honeysuckle Rose" duet with Frenchie Davis
"The Jitterbug Waltz" with Patrice Covington & Company
"Lounging At The Waldorf" with Frenchie Davis, Trenyce Cobbins & Patrice
Covington
"Your Feet's Too Big"
[edit] Filmography
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)
Natural Born Komics (2006) (direct-to-DVD)