Alice Tan Ridley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alice Tan Ridley
Ridley performing in the Times Square Subway station
Background information
Born	(1952-12-21) December 21, 1952 (age 72) Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Gospel, R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	2009–present

Alice Tan Ridley (born December 21, 1952) is an amazing American singer. She sings gospel and R&B songs. You might also know her as the mother of famous actress Gabourey Sidibe. Alice became well-known when she reached the semi-finals of the TV show America's Got Talent. Before that, she even won $25,000 on another show called 30 Seconds to Fame. She released her first album, Never Lost My Way, when she was 63 years old in September 2016.

Early Life

Growing Up and Singing

Alice Tan Ridley was born in Georgia, USA. She is the mother of two children, Ahmed and Gabourey Sidibe. For about 30 years, Alice has shared her beautiful voice by singing in New York City subway stations. This is called busking, which means performing in public places for tips. She often sang at the Herald Square station in Midtown Manhattan.

Alice also used to be a paid singer at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem. There, she performed for their "Brunch and Gospel" events. For the past six years, Alice has been touring across America with her 7-piece band. They perform shows at different arts centers. Her daughter, Gabourey Sidibe, starred in the popular 2009 movie Precious and received many awards for her acting.

On October 6, 2012, Alice performed with a large 65-piece symphony orchestra for the very first time in her life. This special concert took place at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio.

America's Got Talent

Her Journey on the Show

Alice Tan Ridley auditioned for the fifth season of America's Got Talent in New York. This TV show looks for talented people from all over America. She sang the classic song "At Last" by Etta James. All three judges loved her performance and praised her. She then moved on to "Vegas Week," which is another round of auditions.

In Vegas, Alice was chosen to be one of the Top 48 contestants. On July 20, she performed "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight. The audience and judges gave her a standing ovation, meaning they stood up and clapped because her performance was so good. She moved forward to the semi-finals along with other talented acts.

For her semi-final performance, Alice sang "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston. She was the first performer of the night. Judge Piers Morgan said it was a great start to the show. However, when it came time for the results, the judges had to choose between Alice and another act. Two of the judges chose the other act, which meant Alice's time on America's Got Talent came to an end.

Performances and Results Table

Here's a look at Alice's performances and how she did on America's Got Talent: