Rising performer to sing at banquet

Rockymounttelegram.com
By Laura McFarland, Rocky Mount Telegram
Thursday, January 17, 2008

His fame almost didn't happen.
When Ruben Studdard first learned about the auditions for the 2003 season of "American Idol" in Nashville, Tenn., he did not want to go.

Ruben Studdard has released three albums since winning the crown in the 'American Idol' competition.

"Somebody talked me into it – one of my friends that was going to audition. I decided to go with her, and the rest is history," said Studdard in a phone interview from his native Birmingham, Ala.

"The rest" for Studdard meant national exposure on the reality television show, the title as the second American Idol and a recording contract with J Records. Four years and three albums later, Studdard, 29, remains grateful for the opportunity to do what he had been doing since age 3 – making music.

The singer will show some of his appreciation for the people who helped him become the man he is today when he comes to Rocky Mount next week.

Studdard will be the guest entertainer when the Boys and Girls Club of Nash/Edgecombe Counties honor some of their top members at 6 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Dunn Center for the Performing Arts, said Ronald McNeill, the organization's director of operations. The performer will sing for 20 to 30 minutes in two separate parts.

"With him being an 'American Idol' winner and a national recording artist, we thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for our kids to get to experience the presence of a past Boys and Girls Club member who has reached for his dreams and has accomplished those dreams," McNeill said.

Studdard grew up in the Boys and Girls Club in Birmingham, so it is dear to his heart. He is now a spokesman for the national organization.

"There are a lot of great people that grew up in the Boys and Girls clubs, just like I did. ... It is just a wonderful thing, and they teach you a lot. I think we take those principles with us throughout our lives," Studdard said.

Education has always been important to Studdard, whose parents were teachers and taught him its value early on. He was a music education major at Alabama A&M University until he left school in 2000 to pursue a music career.

When he left Alabama to drive to Nashville, Tenn., for the "Idol" auditions, Studdard was working for a local church, for

booksamillion.com and for Music for Kids as a teacher. He also had been pursuing his music career for three years with the jazz and R&B band Just a Few Cats.

The "Idol" auditions were exciting, especially when all three judges gave him the coveted "yes" to go onto the next round. Studdard's image did not exactly fit the typical pop star image, but his soulful renditions of songs by Stevie Wonder and Leon Russell earned him praise from fans and judges and the nickname "velvet teddy bear" from singer Gladys Knight.

"It is awesome to have somebody that has accomplished so much recognize that you have a good voice, and I am just happy that she feels like I deserve the nickname," Studdard said.

After beating Clay Aiken for the title, Studdard recorded his first album, "Soulful," which went on to be certified platinum. A year later, he released the gospel album "I Need an Angel," to pay tribute to the music he grew up listening to. His third album, "The Return," in 2006 returned to his R&B roots.

Studdard recently returned from Copenhagen, Denmark, where he was working on a fourth album for his new record label.

Tickets to the event at the Dunn Center are $25. To purchase tickets, call 985-5197.