Ruben Studdard

Christopher Theodore Ruben Studdard was born on September 12, 1978, in Frankfurt, West Germany, where his father was stationed with the U.S. Army, and was raised in Birmingham, Alabama. The youngest son of two teachers, Studdard sang for the first time at age three at Rising Star Baptist Church in Birmingham. He attended Huffman High School, where he played football and earned a scholarship to Alabama A&M University. At Alabama A&M, he majored in voice studies and joined the Omicron Delta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the men's music fraternity of North America. During his time in Birmingham, he performed with Just a Few Cats, a local jazz and R&B band founded by members of Ray Reach's UAB Jazz Ensemble. It was a backup singer from that group who invited him to audition for the second season of American Idol in 2003.

Studdard auditioned with Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky" and went on to impress audiences throughout the competition with performances including the Leon Russell and Bonnie Bramlett song "Superstar" and the Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle duet "A Whole New World." He earned praise from figures including Lionel Richie, Neil Sedaka, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, Luther Vandross, and Gladys Knight. During the competition he acquired the nickname "Velvet Teddy Bear" and became recognized for wearing shirts bearing "205," the area code for Birmingham. He won the season two finale over runner-up Clay Aiken by 134,000 votes out of 24 million cast, becoming the second American Idol winner. Alabama Governor Bob Riley declared March 11, 2003, as "Ruben Studdard Day."

Following his Idol victory, Studdard released his debut single, a cover of Westlife's "Flying Without Wings," which debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Advance orders for his debut album, Soulful, surpassed one million before its release, and the album opened at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 400,000 copies in its first week — the highest first-week sales ever recorded by a debut male R&B act. The single "Sorry 2004" reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard R&B singles chart. In December 2003, Studdard received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his recording of "Superstar," nominated alongside Luther Vandross, who ultimately won the category. In March 2004, he received the NAACP Outstanding New Artist award.

His second album, I Need an Angel, released on November 23, 2004, was a gospel record that debuted at number one on the Gospel charts and number twenty on the Billboard 200, eventually selling over 500,000 copies and earning Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. It also ranked number one on the 2005 Billboard Year-End Gospel Albums Chart. Between his second and third albums, Studdard undertook a diet and fitness program, losing over 70 pounds on a vegetarian diet due to a family history of diabetes and hypertension. His third album, The Return, released in October 2006, marked a return to R&B and featured collaborations with producers Scott Storch, Stargate, and Ne-Yo, as well as several songs Studdard co-wrote. The lead single, "Change Me," reached number one on Billboard's Urban Contemporary chart.

Studdard's stage career developed alongside his recording work. He took on the role of Fats Waller in a national tour revival of Ain't Misbehavin', which began November 17, 2008, in Atlanta, Georgia, and concluded May 14, 2009, in Syracuse, New York. That production generated a Grammy-nominated soundtrack. His Broadway debut came in December 2018, when he appeared at the Imperial Theatre in Ruben & Clay's First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show alongside his former American Idol competitor Clay Aiken. Both productions are listed among his Broadway credits, which span 2008 to 2018.

In 2013, Studdard appeared as a contestant on the fifteenth season of the weight-loss competition series The Biggest Loser. The following year, he signed to Verve Records and collaborated with the label's chairman, David Foster, on his sixth studio album, Unconditional Love, released in 2014, which included a tour with Lalah Hathaway. In 2018, he released Ruben Sings Luther, a cover album paying tribute to Luther Vandross, and launched his Always & Forever national tour. In 2023, Studdard and Aiken reunited for Twenty The Tour, a joint nationwide tour marking the twentieth anniversary of their American Idol debut. That same year, Studdard released his eighth studio album, The Way I Remember It.