Christopher Ruben Studdard is an American singer and actor. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol and received a Grammy Award nomination in 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his recording of "Superstar." In the years following Idol, Studdard has released seven studio albums, including his platinum-selling debut, Soulful, and the top-selling gospel follow-up, I Need an Angel. He is most well known for his recording career, which has produced hits including "Flying Without Wings," "Sorry 2004," and "Change Me," but he has also segued into television and stage work. Most notably, he starred as Fats Waller in a national tour revival of Ain't Misbehavin', which spawned a Grammy-nominated soundtrack.
A Song for You is a 1975 album by The Temptations. It features two R&B #1 hits: "Happy People", and "Shakey Ground", one of the group's final R&B #1 songs.
The Underdogs are an American R&B/pop production duo composed of Harvey Mason Jr. and Damon Thomas.
The second season of American Idol premiered on January 21, 2003, and continued until May 21, 2003. The title of show was shortened from American Idol: The Search for a Superstar of Season 1 to just American Idol. Brian Dunkleman quit after the first season, and Ryan Seacrest therefore became the lone host in Season 2 as well as all subsequent seasons. Kristin Holt was a special correspondent.
"Change Me" is the first single from Ruben Studdard's third album The Return. The song is produced by The Underdogs and written by Luke Boyd, Tank, Steve Russell, Damon Thomas, Harvey Mason, Jr., and Antonio Dixon. The song follows Ruben complaining about his girlfriend trying to change what he's become. The song peaked at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number eighteen on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The Return is the third studio album by American R&B artist Ruben Studdard and was released on October 17, 2006, by J Records. The first single, "Change Me", was released on July 31, 2006. The album was met with mixed reviews from critics who complained about the production and Ruben's performance. The Return debuted and peaked at number 8 but sales were low and it was the last album that Ruben released under J Records.
Soulful is the debut studio album from second-season American Idol winner Ruben Studdard, released on December 9, 2003 by J Records. The record received mixed reviews from critics divided over the quality of the track listing and Ruben's vocal performance. Soulful debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and spawned two singles: "Sorry 2004" and "What If".
The Essence Festival, known as "the party with a purpose", is an annual music festival which started in 1995 as a one-time event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Essence, a magazine aimed primarily towards African-American women. It became the largest African-American culture and music event in the United States. Locally referred to as the Essence Fest, it has been held in New Orleans, Louisiana since 1995 except in 2006, when it was held in Houston, Texas due to Hurricane Katrina's effect on New Orleans and 2020 when it was cancelled. It was also held in Durban, South Africa in 2016. The festival features artists simultaneously performing on a main stage as well as four standing-room only superlounge stages.
Don't Talk, Just Listen is the second album by American R&B group B5. It was released on September 10, 2007 in the United Kingdom and on September 11 in the United States. The first single is "Hydrolics" featuring Bow Wow, their second single is "In My Bedroom".
"Put You Up on Game" is a duet by American singers Aretha Franklin and Fantasia Barrino. It was written by Harvey Mason Jr., Damon Thomas, Steve Russell, Antonio Dixon, Kaleena Harper, and Larry Jackson for Franklin's 2007 compilation album Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen, with production helmed by The Underdogs. The song peaked at number ten on the Adult R&B Songs and earned the pair a NAACP Image Award nomination in the Outstanding Duo or Group category.
"Take You Down" is a song recorded by American recording artist Chris Brown for his second studio album, Exclusive (2007). The song was written by Brown, Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas, Steve Russell, James Fauntleroy and Lamar Edwards, while production was helmed by Edwards and The Underdogs. The song was released as the album's fourth single on April 6, 2008 in the United States. "Take You Down" is composed as slow R&B ballad with the lyrics base on sexual intercourse. The song garnered Brown a Grammy nomination in the category Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
"Celebrate Me Home" is a song written by Bob James and Kenny Loggins, and recorded by Loggins as the title track of his 1977 debut solo album Celebrate Me Home.
Rissi Palmer is the self-titled debut album from country music singer Rissi Palmer, issued on 1720 Entertainment. It debuted at #56 on the Top Country Albums chart, in addition to peaking at #16 on the Top Heatseekers and #41 in the Indie charts. The album's two singles, "Country Girl" and "Hold on to Me", both charted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Syreeta is the fourth solo album by Motown recording artist and American singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright, released by the Tamla label on April 26, 1980. It's also the second album to be titled Syreeta after her 1972 debut album.
Harvey Jay Mason Jr. is an American record producer, songwriter and movie producer. He has written and produced songs for artists including Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Deniece Williams, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Chris Brown, Red Velvet, Jonghyun and Taemin. In addition, he has produced music for television and films, including Dreamgirls, Sparkle, Pitch Perfect, Sing, Straight Outta Compton, and The Wiz Live!. He was elected as chairman of The Recording Academy in June 2019, became its interim President and Chief Executive Officer on January 16, 2020, and then assumed the permanent role of Chief Executive Officer on May 13, 2021.
Music Inspired by More than a Game is the official soundtrack album name for music taken from and inspired by the documentary film More than a Game. The film is centered on the life of LeBron James and was released in October 2009. The soundtrack and film were both executive produced by Harvey Mason Jr. on behalf of Interscope Records and Lionsgate. The soundtrack album was released on September 28, 2009 in the United Kingdom and September 29, 2009 in the United States by Zone 4 and Interscope Records.
Playlist: The Very Best of Dixie Chicks is the greatest hits album from American country band the Dixie Chicks. The album consists of twelve songs personally selected by the Dixie Chicks from their fourth through seventh studio albums. It was released in the United States on June 1, 2010. The group supported the album by touring with The Eagles in 2010. It is a part of Sony BMG's Playlist series. It was also re-released on Sony's midprice sub-label Camden entitled Wide Open Spaces: The Collection in 2012.
Antonio "Tony" Dixon is an American songwriter, singer and record producer, also known for his work with production duo The Underdogs and Eric Dawkins under the production moniker The Pentagon.
