Ryan Shaw

Born December 26, 1980, in Decatur, GA, to a deeply religious family, Ryan Shaw began singing in the Pentecostal church when he was only three years old, taking his first solo when he was five. Music, specifically, religious music, continued to be an all-important part of his life, and while he was enrolled at Georgia State University he tried out, and made the cut, for a part in a gospel musical. In 1998, he dropped out of school and joined the cast of Tyler Perry's I Know I've Been Changed, moving to New York to perform.

When the play's run ended, he found work singing old Motown hits and dance songs from the 1950s and '60s (many of which were unfamiliar to Shaw, who had listened to little secular music before leaving Georgia). Shaw joined the Fabulous Soul Shakers in 2004, and the group's guitarist, Johnny Gale, convinced his friend Jimmy Bralower to check Shaw out.

In 2006, after being impressed by what he heard, Bralower, a percussionist and producer, invited Shaw and Gale to his home to record a short demo. In 2007, This Is Ryan Shaw, a collection of covers from artists such as Wilson Pickett, Bobby Womack, and Jackie Wilson, as well as some original songs, was released. The album is available on Razor and Tie Records. Ryan Shaw is currently on tour with Van Halen.