He’s been called everything from a “Velvet Teddy Bear” by Gladys Knight to “Stud” by his Huffman High School football teammates. But now Birmingham’s own Ruben Studdard is known worldwide as the new “American Idol.”
A member of Rising Star Baptist Church in Birmingham, Studdard garnered the much sought-after title May 21. He made his way to the top with 130,000 more votes than runner-up Clay Aiken. America dialed up 24 million votes for the two “Idol” finalists.
And while the vote was close between Studdard and Aiken, a peek into their personal lives indicates they were even closer than that.
Both are Baptists with a strong faith. Each grew up singing in church, credited God for his success and said the outcome of the contest was in God’s hands.
Amy Rush Lachina, minister of children at NorthPark Baptist Church, Trussville, sang with Studdard in concert choir at Huffman High School. She was also the cheerleader assigned to Studdard during his football years.
“If you knew [Ruben], you knew [singing] was his dream,” Lachina said. “It’s what he always wanted to do, and to be able to watch his dream come true before the nation was really neat.
“He’s a good American idol because he’s a good Christian,” Lachina said.
A Christian since the age of 10, Studdard said his singing career began at age 3 at Rising Star, where he still attends with his parents. “[Being a Christian] not only affects my singing, it is my singing,” said Studdard, whose kind demeanor has won the hearts of many in Alabama and across the nation.
“I’m making sure I give [God] props (recognition) because he deserves all the credit and respect,” said the 24-year-old Studdard, who won by one-half of 1 percent of the viewers’ votes, which were cast by phone and text messaging.
“American Idol” is the Fox Network’s search for the next American pop star. Modeled after the British hit “Pop Idol,” the second season began in January with 234 contestants, selected from 70,000 regional auditions. The show’s judges — Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul — critiqued them, but the outcome depended on the button-punching fingers of viewers. The results were announced each Wednesday night, and one contestant would leave the show each week until only the winner
remained.
“We were both so calm tonight,’ said Clay Aiken, the 24-year-old runner-up from Raleigh, N.C., in a recorded interview following the final show. “We just had fun.” Gracious in defeat, Aiken called Studdard “one of the most talented people I know [and] one of the best friends I have. I’m so proud of him!”
Aiken also has been singing in church since he was a little boy, according to pastor Roger Shuford. He said members of Leesville Baptist Church usually gathered in the church fellowship hall or at the home of Aiken’s mother, Faye Parker, on Wednesday’s throughout the competition to see if Aiken made it through to the next round. Aiken is a student at UNC-Charlotte and works with special-needs children.
“It’s amazing to watch him,” Shuford told the Biblical Recorder, newspaper of North Carolina Baptists. “When he feels a song you can see it all over his face. He’s an awesome young man.”
Studdard also had support from his church and community. Nearly 400 gathered at his church May 21 to watch him win the “American Idol” title, according to the Tuscaloosa News. Others gathered in various areas across the city.
Fellow church members don’t expect fame to change the affable Studdard. “He’s still the same as he was when he was small — humble, a Christian young man from a good family and loved by everyone,” said Gloria Chancey, who watched Ruben grow up in the church. “I’m just so thrilled that he’s brought so many people together for one good cause.”
“It’s doing a great thing for Birmingham, showing that we have great talent here in Birmingham,” said the church’s pastor, Donnie Little.
Studdard, who often wore a shirt emblazoned with Birmingham’s 205 area code, said spending time in Hollywood filming the show did not have an adverse effect on his faith. Rather, “being able to pray and have somebody to talk to through it all” helped him, he said.
Studdard and Aiken will soon release separate recordings simultaneously, creating another showdown for fans. (TAB, ABP)
Share with others: