ODE TO LUTHER: Ruben Studdard at Sony Hall. “If you got all your people around you,” said The Velvet Teddy Bear, “live in the moment and enjoy being around folks you love.” PHOTO COURTESY OF DWIGHT BROWN/ NNPA NEWS WIRE

Ruben Studdard is a love ambassador and a superstar. It’s been a journey. Let him tell you …

It seems like Studdard won American Idol only yesterday. But that was 20 years ago. He’s grown as an artist since then. His talent as a vocalist extraordinaire is on view as he tours his

Luther Vandross tribute show, “Ruben Studdard Sings Luther,” a logical extension to his cover album “Ruben

Sings Luther.”

On July 19 Studdard and his band took the stage at Sony Hall in New York City’s Time Square area. His voice rang out from backstage as the band played. Then he walked out, to thunderous applause, looking the same as he’s looked for years, 30-ish but now age 45. Very professional, polished and folksy. A showbiz persona he’s honed since boyhood.

Studdard started his career as a kid singing in church and at weddings all over Birmingham, Ala. He was trying to break into the music industry and letting his mom book his shows. She would charge clients $30 for two hours of her son’s singing. Ruben would show up for the wedding rehearsal, sing his butt off and impress the dads. Then he’d explain that his services for the practice, wedding and reception would actually cost $150. But by then everyone was so impressed with him they gave him the money gladly. When he’d tell his mother what he’d done, she’d scold him, then slyly say: “Get your money baby!” Charming tales like this warmed the audience up and invited them into Ruben’s life.

Studdard crooned the Brenda Russell written ballad “If Only For One Night.” With eyes closed and feeling the moment as he sang, the audience was enraptured. Bringing the pace up he bounced around singing “’Til My Baby Comes Home,” “Never Too Much” and

“Bad Boy/Having A Party.” The festive atmosphere was in every corner of the hall.

The quicker pace got the crowd excited, as they clapped their hands and danced in their seats. That vibrant

vibe over-stimulated an audience member who screamed out: “I have to catch my breath!”

Heeding her slow-it-down SOS, Studdard sat and talked. He thanked some concertgoers from Alabama for supporting him and coming to his shows. That led him to recollect how his parents would throw parties. The adults played cards, and as the evening came, they shooed the kids upstairs, while they stayed downstairs and played music. Music that would influence him forever and always.

“Everyone was alive back then. If you got all your people around you, live in the moment and enjoy being around folks you love.” 

Then the hits kept coming: “So Amazing.” “Don’t You Know That.” “Here and Now.” “Creepin’.” Supported by a guitarist, bassist, drummer, two keyboardists and two backup singers the sound felt rich and filled the venue. The bond between performer and fans grew.

Studdard’s version of “Superstar” has become as iconic as Luther’s, and his rendition was soulful and heartfelt.

However, his musicianship went up several notches when he sang “A House Is Not a Home.” Jazzy, filled with subtle riffs, soft loud then soft again. He wrung the nuances out of the song, and it was at this moment when you felt like Luther was hovering over everyone.

Studdard’s relationship with Vandross has evolved. As a kid he didn’t like the singer. Not the voice or the songs, but there was another reason. His mom played Vandross’s music endlessly, leaving her young, naive son to believe that his mother was having an affair with a man named Luther Vandross.

At some point that misconception was cleared up, and as Studdard grew into his manhood so did his love for all things Luther. This night he sang and conjured the spirit of Vandross. He also took absolutely no responsibility for the setlist. “My momma did the set list. You, don’t like it, go to talk to Emily Studdard. She’s the one.” The audience laughed their approval.

Love, nostalgia and happiness permeated the final song, “Power of Love (Love Power).” Studdard, aka “The Velvet Teddy Bear,” left the crowd with the message it needed to hear. One that Luther started, and the former American Idol winner continues as he tours the country: “When I say goodbye it is never for long. ‘Cause I know our love still lives on … We’ve got love power. It’s the greatest power of them all.”