Alice Tan Ridley

Alice Tan Ridley was born in Georgia into a musical family of nine siblings, most of them artists. She has been captivating audiences since she was three years old. After moving to New York in 1971, raising a family (including her daughter, Academy Award-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe), and teaching handicapped children in the New York City school system, Ridley resumed her singing career full time in 1992 beginning with a tour of Morocco, when she was invited by the Moroccan ambassador to the US to sing touring the country. She has also performed in Argentina, Germany, Uruguay, and The Netherlands, as well as throughout the USA.

In 1992 Ridley started singing in the Subway in New York – at 14th Street Union Square, 34th Street Herald Square, and the famous 42nd Street Times Square – covering such songs as "I Will Always Love You," "I Will Survive," "Billie Jean," "My Heart Will Go On," and other hits.

Her legendary subway performances of stopping people dead in their tracks and rocking the station resulted in a flurry of YouTube videos, now reaching over 3 million hits. When Ridley would sing you couldn't miss the huge crowd that surrounded her and fueled her with love and appreciation. She is known locally as the "New York City Subway Idol."

She sang "Amazing Grace" in the film about LA street dancers, Rize, which showed at Sundance Film Festival and performed a soul stirring rendition of "America the Beautiful" in the film Heights. In 2002 Ridley won the Fox talent show 30 Seconds to Fame with her soulful rendition of "Midnight Train to Georgia."

At a concert at the United Nations for the UN Women's Group, her voice was described as an extraordinary instrument of healing, with resonant overtones like a Tibetan singing bowl she opens the "chakras."

Ridley is a master interpreter of lyrics with an emotional depth and charisma that is rare. She embodies a combination of raw power, charm, sensuality, spirituality, and pure funk.

Most recently, at the age of 58, she decided to take a leap of faith and audition for the show America's Got Talent. Ridley's raw power and charm immediately resonated with both the judges and the audience, and she was sent to Hollywood to compete in the finals. While she did not make it all the way to the end, she won the hearts of America and has built an unbelievable fan base.

Like Etta James, Diana Ross, and Tina Turner, she is a long lasting goddess of soul, with enough personality, talent, and a touch of funk to prove to be an unforgettable performer.