Ruben Studdard

Ruben Studdard, American Idol’s Velvet Teddy Bear, was born in 1978 in West Germany. At the young age of three, he began singing at the Rising Star Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL. He received a football scholarship to Alabama A&M University, but he decided to pursue music as a career, majoring in voice studies.

He worked hard making demos before his big break on American Idol in 2003. He auditioned in Nashville singing the Stevie Wonder song “Ribbon in the Sky.” He impressed viewers singing such songs as “Superstar” (a hit for both the Carpenters and Luther Vandross) and “A Whole New World” (a Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle duet). He gained the nickname the Velvet Teddy Bear and Studdard was known for wearing 205 – his hometown area code – on his shirts.

He made it to the season two finale, going against fellow contestant Clay Aiken. There were 24 million votes recorded and Studdard won out over Aiken – reportedly by a mere 130,000 votes. There were rumors of calls being dropped, which caused the voting methods to be revised. Studdard was the only male winner of American Idol until Taylor Hicks, a fellow Birmingham native, won season five.

Studdard’s first single, “Flying Without Wings” was released shortly after he won the American Idol title. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Later that year, advanced sales of his album Soulful reached one million orders. The album ended up debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart and sold over 400,000 copies its first week. The single “Sorry 2004” reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #2 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. Ruben was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category, but lost to idol Luther Vandross. He was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Male R&B Artist at the BET Awards in 2004. He was awarded the NAACP Outstanding New Artist award in March 2004.

In November 2004, Studdard release the gospel album I Need an Angel . The album entered the gospel charts at #1 and it has sold over half a million copies. Overall, Studdard is the fifth best selling American Idol, having sold over 2.4 million albums in the United States.

In October 2006, Studdard’s third album The Return was released. It sold 71,000 copies its first week and appeared on the Billboard 200 Album chart at #8. He made a return to American Idol in May 2007, appearing on the season six finale.

Studdard has fought with a weight problem for years, but finally decided to get healthy after his second album. He started a diet and fitness program that resulted in him losing over 70 pounds.

Studdard has also dabbled a bit in acting. He has appeared on television (“8 Simple Rules,” “Life on a Stick,” “All of Us,” and “Eve”) and also made a cameo appearance in Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleased.

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