Ryan Shaw | |
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 Ryan Shaw in 2007. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ryan Shaw |
| Born | December 25, 1980 |
| Origin | Decatur, Georgia |
| Genres | R&B Soul |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | RED, Columbia, Razor & Tie, OneHaven, Dynotone |
| Website | ryanshaw.com |
Ryan Christopher Shaw (born December 25, 1980) is an American soul musician from Georgia. He is part of the soul-revival movement in music [1] and has been nominated for a Grammy three times, in the category of Best Traditional R&B Performance.
Shaw is from Decatur, Georgia. [2] He learned to sing at the Free Church of God in Christ of Atlanta, Georgia [1] and began singing harmony in a church choir at age five. [2] In a 2007 interview, Shaw stated "My church was very traditional, and for a long time the only songs I learned were gospel songs." [1]
Shaw won a spot in a gospel musical at Georgia State University, and in 1998 he dropped out of college to take part in Tyler Perry's play I Know I've Been Changed . At the end of the play's run he began doing Motown covers in New York, joining the group Fabulous Soul Shakers in 2004. He recorded a demo in 2006, won the ear of Columbia Records, and was signed to said label. The album, This is Ryan Shaw, mixes new material with covers of songs by Wilson Pickett, Bobby Womack, and Jackie Wilson. He was the opening act for the Van Halen tour 07-08.
At the end of 2009, Shaw reached some fame in the Netherlands with his single It Gets Better, which peaked at number 2 on the single top 100 charts. On May 15, 2012 Ryan Shaw released Real Love on Dynotone Records.
In 2013, Shaw made his debut on Broadway, playing Stevie Wonder in Motown: The Musical. [2] In June 2015, Shaw advanced from the auditions to Judge Cuts Week on season 10 of America's Got Talent . However, in July 2015, he was eliminated from the competition during Judge Cuts Week 2. [3] In 2018, Shaw played Judas in the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre/Lyric Opera of Chicago production of Jesus Christ Superstar . [4]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "I Am Your Man" | Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance | Nominated [5] |
| 2011 | "In Between" | Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance | Nominated [5] |
| 2014 | "Yesterday" | Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance | Nominated [5] |
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening, and U.S. record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential in its proliferation during the civil rights movement. Soul also became popular worldwide, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa. It had a resurgence in the mid-to late 1990s with the subgenre neo soul, which incorporated modern production elements and hip hop influences.
The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful American vocal band, with 12 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Most of these hits were written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland. Their breakthrough is considered to have made it possible for future African-American R&B and soul musicians to find mainstream success. Billboard ranked the Supremes as the 16th greatest Hot 100 artist of all time.
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June Deniece Williams is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the great soul voices" by the BBC.
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P.J. Morton is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Since 2012, he has been the keyboardist for the pop band Maroon 5. Morton originally joined the band as a touring member in 2010 and became an official member in 2012 after Jesse Carmichael went on a short hiatus.
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