Crooner Ruben Studdard
pays tribute to Luther Vandross in his “Always & Forever” tour, bringing their smooth sounds to Orlando’s Hard Rock Live on Thursday.
Ruben Studdard, the second “American Idol” winner, says his admiration for R&B legend Luther Vandross wasn’t immediate.
“It took me maturing a bit to appreciate him in the way I do now,” said Studdard, 39. “At the height of his popularity, when I was a kid and my mom was a huge fan, it wasn’t at the top of my priorities. I was listening to rap music. When I became serious about my craft, the first person I gravitated to was him.”
He celebrates Vandross in the tour “Always & Forever” on Thursday at Hard Rock Live Orlando. (Details at hardrock.com.)
He is “elegantly channeling Vandross,” Variety said in its review, adding “the ‘Velvet Teddy Bear’ appropriated much of the late tenor’s nuances without mimicking too much of Vandross’ athleticism.”
Studdard won “American Idol” in 2003, surpassing Clay Aiken in a close race. Vandross died in 2005 at 54. He had suffered a stroke two years earlier and battled diabetes.
“Luther is one of the best song interpreters ever,” Studdard said, ranking him with Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. Studdard’s CD is called “Ruben Sings Luther,” and he marveled at the list of Vandross hits that were covers.
“I think that’s why his legacy has lasted so long — people respect the gift of making an old song come alive in a new way,” he said.
In the show, he performs such Vandross favorites as “Here and Now,” “Superstar,” “A House Is Not a Home” and “Give Me the Reason.” Studdard raved about “Evergreen,” which Vandross performed on “Songs,” a 1994 album of covers.
“People don’t talk about that album much, but it was my favorite,” he said. “My mother had them all. My mother was one of his biggest fans. She never missed an opportunity to see Luther Vandross. For me, I became a fan when I was given a copy of that album.”
He talks a bit between the 15 to 16 songs per show. “There are so many songs to be sung. It’s hard. If we spend too much time talking, we’ll run out of time for the show,” Studdard said. “I do a few of my songs in the show, but the vast majority are Luther songs.”
He described “American Idol” as transformative. “I wouldn’t have a career right now without ‘American Idol,’ to put it bluntly,” he said. “You guys wouldn’t really know who I was without it. For that, I am eternally grateful. I get an opportunity to do a job I love every day.”
The big challenge after the TV show was learning his private life was no longer private, he said. “We were 23-year-old kids, and we were still operating like nobodies because we were in a bubble for eight months,” he said. “The first time it really hit us for real is when we went on the ‘American Idol’ tour. We didn’t know people liked us like that. There was no social media. We had no way to know how fanatic people were about ‘American Idol’ until we got on the road.”
Studdard helped promote “Idol,” now an ABC show, in August when it staged auditions in Central Florida. He praised first “Idol” Kelly Clarkson, who is now a coach on NBC’s “The Voice.”
“Kelly is dope,” he said. “People asked me a couple of times if she made the right choice about doing ‘The Voice’ instead of doing ‘American Idol.’ People at ‘American Idol’ should be pleased with it, too. It shows how impactful the presence of the stars they created are. I’m super proud of Kelly.”