Ryan Shaw

Ryan Shaw is an American soul musician and Broadway performer born on December 25, 1980, in Decatur, Georgia. A figure in the soul-revival movement, he has received three Grammy nominations in the category of Best Traditional R&B Performance.

Shaw's introduction to music came through the Free Church of God in Christ in Atlanta, Georgia, where he began singing harmony in the church choir at the age of five. The gospel tradition shaped his early musical education, and in a 2007 interview he noted that for a long time the only songs he learned were gospel songs. That foundation led him to win a spot in a gospel musical at Georgia State University, and in 1998 he left college to participate in Tyler Perry's play I Know I've Been Changed.

Following the conclusion of that production, Shaw relocated to New York, where he turned to performing Motown covers. In 2004 he joined the group Fabulous Soul Shakers. Two years later he recorded a demo that attracted the attention of Columbia Records, resulting in a record deal. His debut album, This Is Ryan Shaw, released in 2007, combined original material with covers of songs associated with Wilson Pickett, Bobby Womack, and Jackie Wilson, and reached number 22 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Shaw subsequently served as the opening act for Van Halen's 2007–08 tour. In late 2009, his single It Gets Better reached number two on the Netherlands Single Top 100. He released Real Love on Dynotone Records on May 15, 2012, followed by It Gets Better in 2010 and Imagining Marvin in 2020.

Shaw made his Broadway debut in 2013, portraying Stevie Wonder in Motown: The Musical. In 2018 he played Judas in the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and Lyric Opera of Chicago co-production of Jesus Christ Superstar. In June 2015, Shaw advanced to Judge Cuts Week on season 10 of America's Got Talent before being eliminated during Judge Cuts Week 2 in July of that year.