Ryan Christopher Shaw is a soul music

Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

ian from Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

, USA.

Biography

Shaw began singing in Pentecostal

Pentecostalism

Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...

 church at the age of three, having been raised in a deeply religious household. Shaw won a spot in a gospel musical at Georgia State University

Georgia State University

Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...

, and in 1998 he dropped out of college to take part in Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry is an American actor, director, playwright, entrepreneur, screenwriter, producer, author, and songwriter. Perry wrote and produced many stage plays during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2005, he released his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman...

's play I Know I've Been Changed

I Know I've Been Changed

I Know I've Been Changed was the first major successful play from famed playwright Tyler Perry. Tyler was homeless and decided to give the theater scene one more chance. The play focuses on critical issues including child abuse and rape...

. 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

Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

, and is now signed to said label, OneHaven Records and RED Distribution

RED Distribution

RED - An Artist Development Company is a Sony Music Entertainment-owned sales and marketing division that handles releases for over sixty independent record labels....

 for his CDs in stores, and for digital downloads, NYC-based indie Razor & Tie

Razor & Tie

Razor & Tie is a New York-based corporation founded in 1990 by Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam. The company encompasses a record label with major label distribution , a home video company, a media buying company, a music publishing business, a marketing, promotion and sales team, and a direct...

. The album, This Is Ryan Shaw, mixes new material with covers of songs by Wilson Pickett

Wilson Pickett

Wilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...

, Bobby Womack

Bobby Womack

Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...

, and Jackie Wilson

Jackie Wilson

Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history...

. He was the opening act for the
Van Halen tour 07-08. Recently on tour, Shaw has been playing what he has said would be his new single off his second album due in the fall. The single's name is "Choosin."

At the end of 2009 he reached some fame in the Netherlands with his single It gets better who top at the single top 100 charts at number 2.

Awards and nominations

• Grammy Awards
  • 2008, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: "I Am Your Man" (Nominated)
  • 2011, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: "In Between" (Nominated)

Discography

• This Is Ryan Shaw (RED
  RED Distribution
  RED - An Artist Development Company is a Sony Music Entertainment-owned sales and marketing division that handles releases for over sixty independent record labels....
  
  /Columbia
  Columbia Records
  Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
  
  /OneHaven, 2007) #22 Billboard Heatseekers)
• It Gets Better (2010)

External links

• Website
• My Space
• Eventful
• You Tube