RuPaul

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RuPaul (October 2007)

RuPaul (actually RuPaul Andre Charles; born November 17, 1960 , San Diego , California ) is an American actor , dance music singer, singer-songwriter and presenter. He achieved worldwide fame as a drag queen in the 1990s. After his international breakthrough with the single Supermodel (You Better Work) , he appeared in many television programs and films and released several music albums. RuPaul has been producing and hosting the reality TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race since 2008 , for which he was awarded an Emmy in September 2016 . Best known as a drag queen, he also appears in male roles, mostly under the name RuPaul Charles.

biography

RuPaul without drag (May 2019)

Rupaul was born in San Diego in 1960 as one of four siblings. The childhood was marked by the divorce of his parents, after which he and his sisters grew up with his mother. At age 15, RuPaul moved to Atlanta , Georgia to study theater and worked as a musician and film producer there in the 1980s. There he took part in the underground film and helped develop the low-budget film Starbooty (and an album of the same name). RuPaul came into the public eye in 1989 with a cameo appearance in the music video for the popular hit single LoveShack by The B-52’s .

In the early 1990s, RuPaul became an institution in the New York City club scene and was voted Queen of Manhattan by party organizers and DJs on several occasions . During this time he began to appear under the name RuPaul Charles in various nightclubs, including often in the Pyramid Club . He also participated in the annual Wigstock drag festival for many years and appeared in the documentary Wigstock: The Movie . There are many videos made by Nelson Sullivan from this period on the internet .

In 1993 he released his first music album, Supermodel of the World , where he also made his international breakthrough as RuPaul with the dance track Supermodel (You Better Work) . The music video became an unexpected hit on MTV at a time when grunge and gangsta rap were popular. Shortly thereafter, he re-recorded Elton John's song Don't Go Breaking My Heart in a duet , which made it to number seven on the UK charts and was his greatest success there.

In 1995 RuPaul signed a modeling deal with MAC Cosmetics , which made him the first drag queen supermodel and published his biography called Lettin 'It All Hang Out . In 1996 he got his own talk show The RuPaul Show on the television channel VH1 , where he heard celebrities like Nirvana , Duran Duran , Taylor Dayne , Mary J. Blige , Beatrice Arthur , Dionne Warwick , Olivia Newton-John , Beenie Man , Bow Wow Wow , the Backstreet Boys and Chi Chi LaRue interviewed. In the same year he released his second album Foxy Lady . Despite its increasing popularity, the album failed on the Billboard 200 .

He had guest appearances in many films, including the two feature films The Brady Family and The Brady Family 2 , the adapted former television series Three Girls and Three Boys , in which he played Jan Brady's marriage counselor Mrs. Cummings.

In 1997 he worked with Martha Wash on a remake of the classic disco anthem It's Raining Men . During that time, he appeared frequently in advertisements on WebEx television and in magazines. In the same year he released a Christmas album called Ho, Ho, Ho .

In 2001 he recorded the Eurodance track You're No Lady with Brigitte Nielsen's dance band Gitta . In 2004 RuPaul released his third album Red Hot . The album achieved some radio and club success but very little press coverage. In 2006, RuPaul's fourth album was released, entitled ReWorked .

On June 20, 2007, the Starrbooty soundtrack was released on iTunes in the United States. A CD version is available on RuPaul's official website. The single Call Me Starrbooty was released in 2007 and did not make it into the US dance charts. The album contains new songs by the singer and interludes with dialogues from the film. The film was released on DVD in October 2007.

In mid-2008, RuPaul began work on RuPaul's Drag Race , a reality show which was broadcast on the Logo channel from February 2009 . The series documents RuPaul's search for “America's next drag superstar”.

On February 11, 2009, the single Cover Girl was released as a forerunner to the new album and was downloaded from iTunes. The album Champion will follow on February 24, 2009. In May 2009 RuPaul hosted the NewNowNext Awards .

In 2018, RuPaul became the first drag queen to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

In November 2013 RuPaul sang along with Lady Gaga whose song fashion in the Muppet Show the television channel ABC . On February 24, 2014 RuPaul's album Born Naked was released with the single Sissy That Walk , for which the music video was recorded in the 6th season of RuPaul's Drag Race . The album Realness followed on March 2, 2015 at the start of the 7th season of RuPaul's Drag Race and contains 15 tracks, including various duets, for example Die Tomorrow feat. Frank music . In 2016 the album Butch Queen was released with the single U Wear It Well . In 2016 and 2017, RuPaul was awarded an Emmy in the category Best Reality Show Host . In January 2017, RuPaul married his long-time partner Georges LeBar. 2017, the listed news magazine Time RuPaul in the Time 100 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" on. On March 16, 2018, RuPaul became the world's first drag performer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .

The series AJ and the Queen , developed jointly with Michael Patrick King and in which RuPaul also plays the leading role, has been broadcast since 2020 .

Discography

Studio albums

year Title
music label 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US
1993 Supermodel of the World
Tommy Boy 1058 		US109 (6 weeks)
US
First published: June 8, 1993
Producers: Eric Kupper, Jimmy Harry
2014 Born Naked
RuCo, Inc. 		US85 (1 week)
US
First published: February 24, 2014
Producer: Lucian Piane

More studio albums

  • 1993: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About RuPaul *, * (But Were Afraid to Ask) (Tommy Boy 584)
  • 1996: Foxy Lady ( Rhino 72256; release: October 29th)
  • 1997: Ho, Ho, Ho (Rhino 72936; release: October 28th)
  • 2004: Red Hot (RuCo, Inc .; release: September 21)
  • 2009: Champion (RuCo, Inc .; release: February 24th)
  • 2011: Glamazon (RuCo, Inc .; release: May 3rd)
  • 2015: Realness (RuCo, Inc .; release: March 2nd)
  • 2015: Slay Belles (RuCo, Inc .; release: October 23)
  • 2016: Butch Queen (RuCo, Inc .; release: March 4th)
  • 2017: American (RuCo, Inc .; release: March 24th)
  • 2018: Christmas Party (RuCo, Inc .; release: November 1st)
  • 2020: You're a Winner, Baby (RuCo, Inc .; release: January 10th)

Soundtracks

  • 1986: RuPaul Is: Starbooty! (FunTone USA 23)
  • 2007: Starrbooty: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (RuCo, Inc .; release: June 19)

Compilations

  • 1996: Drag Queen Superstar ( split album with Divine ; Tralla 03)
  • 1998: Rupaul's Go-Go Box Classics (Rhino 75234; release: March 17th)
  • 2006: ReWorked (RuCo, Inc.)
  • 2010: Drag Race (RuCo, Inc.)
  • 2011: SuperGlam DQ (RuCo, Inc.)
  • 2014: RuPaul Presents: The CoverGurlz (World of Wonder Records; release: January 28th)
  • 2015: RuPaul Presents: CoverGurlz2 (World of Wonder Records; release: February 3rd)
  • 2015: Greatest Hits (RuCo, Inc .; Release: May 16)
  • 2016: Butch Queen: Ru-Mixes (RuCo, Inc.)
  • 2017: Remember Me: Essential, Vol. 1 (RuCo, Inc .; release: February 3rd)
  • 2017: Essential Vol. 2 (RuCo, Inc .; release: June 9th)

EPs

  • 1985: Sex Freak
  • 2005: Workout: The Rumixes
  • 2012: Responsitrannity
  • 2012: Live Forever Remixes
  • 2012: Theme from Drag U
  • 2012: (Here It Comes) Around Again
  • 2012: Sexy Drag Queen
  • 2012: If I Dream (Remixes)
  • 2016: Butch Queen: RuMixes

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US US Dance Dance
1993 Supermodel (You Better Work) /
House of Love
Supermodel of the World 		DE100 (1 week)
DE 		AT16 (8 weeks)
AT 		- UK39 (6 weeks)
UK 		US45 (20 weeks)
US 		Dance2 (18 weeks)
Dance
First publication: December 1992
A-side: feat. La Wanda Page
Authors: Jimmy Harry, Larry Tee /
RuPaul Charles, Jimmy Harry
House of Love / Back to My Roots
Supermodel of the World 		- - - UK40 (2 weeks)
UK 		- Dance1 (12 weeks)
Dance
First published: May 1993
Authors (B-side): RuPaul Charles, Eric Kupper, Jimmy Harry
A Shade Shady (Now Prance)
Supermodel of the World 		- - - - - Dance1 (11 weeks)
Dance
First release: August 1993
feat. La Wanda Page
Authors: RuPaul Charles, Eric Kupper
1994 Supermodel (You Better Work) /
Little Drummer Boy 		- - - UK61 (2 weeks)
UK 		- -
First published: December 1993
B-side: American Christmas carol
Don't Go Breaking My Heart
Duets 		DE62 (7 weeks)
DE 		AT25 (2 weeks)
AT 		CH28 (5 weeks)
CH 		UK7 (8 weeks)
UK 		US92 (2 weeks)
US 		Dance3 (14 weeks)
Dance
First published: February 1994
with Elton John
Authors: Ann Orson , Carte Blanche
Original: Elton John and Kiki Dee , 1976
1996 I Will Survive
Take Me Higher 		- - - UK14 (4 weeks)
UK 		- Dance37 (7 weeks)
Dance
First release: February 1996
Diana Ross feat. RuPaul
Authors: Freddie Perren, Dino Fekaris
Original: Gloria Gaynor , 1978
Snapshot
Foxy Lady 		- - - - US95 (5 weeks)
US 		Dance4 (14 weeks)
Dance
First published: September 1996
Authors: RuPaul Charles, Eric Kupper
1997 A Little Bit of Love
Foxy Lady 		- - - - - Dance28 (8 weeks)
Dance
First published: February 1997
Authors: RuPaul Charles, Joe Carrano
Celebrate
Foxy Lady / Ho, Ho, Ho 		- - - - - Dance31 (7 weeks)
Dance
First published: September 1997
Authors: RuPaul Charles, Peter Lorimer, Richard Gonzalez
It's Raining Men… The Sequel
The Collection 		- - - UK21 (3 weeks)
UK 		- Dance22 (11 weeks)
Dance
First publication: December 1997
Martha Wash feat. RuPaul
Authors: Paul Shaffer , Paul Jabara
Original: The Weather Girls , 1983
2004 Looking Good, Feeling Gorgeous
Red Hot 		- - - - - Dance2 (14 weeks)
Dance
First published: August 2004
Authors: Assaf Amdursky, Craig Peterson,
Darrell Martin, William Brown
2005 WorkOut (Mixes)
Red Hot 		- - - - - Dance5 (13 weeks)
Dance
First published: March 2005
Remixes: Vasquez / Kupper / Blueroom / Carrano
Authors: John Madden, Eric Kupper,
Frankie Knuckles , Robert Brown
2006 People Are People
Red Hot 		- - - - - Dance10 (12 weeks)
Dance
First published: January 2006
Author: Martin Gore
Original: Depeche Mode , 1984
Supermodel (The Rumixes)
ReWorked 		- - - - - Dance21 (8 weeks)
Dance
First release: June 2006
feat. Shirley Q. Liquor
Mixes: DJ BunJoe, Funky Junction, Oscar M.,
Craig C, Chris Castagno, Danny Blume
2009 Cover girl
champion 		- - - - - Dance16 (12 weeks)
Dance
First published: March 2009
Authors: RuPaul Charles, Lucian Piane

More singles

  • 1987: Ping Ting Ting (as RuPaul Andre Charles)
  • 1991: I've Got That Feelin '
  • 1991: The Rupaul High-Energy Megamix (including Free Your Mind , House of Love , Thinkin 'Bout You , Everybody Dance , Supermodel )
  • 1993: Everybody Dance
  • 1993: House of Love
  • 1993: Back to My Roots
  • 1993: Little Drummer Boy
  • 1994: Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get (from the soundtrack The Addams Family in Crazy Tradition )
  • 1994: The Extravaganza Megamix
  • 1995: Free to Be
  • 1997: Funky Christmas
  • 1999: Super (Promo)
  • 2001: Say My Name (Discobrothers feat. RuPaul)
  • 2001: You're No Lady (vs. Gitta - dance act around Brigitte Nielsen)
  • 2007: Computer Love (NSA feat.RuPaul)
  • 2007: Call Me Starrbooty
  • 2007: Come 2 Me ( Lucy Lawless feat. RuPaul)
  • 2009: Jealous of My Boogie
  • 2009: Cover Girl (Put the Bass in Your Walk)
  • 2010: Devil Made Me Do It
  • 2010: Tranny Chaser
  • 2011: superstar
  • 2011: Glamazon
  • 2012: Peanut Butter (feat.Big Freedia)
  • 2012: Sexy Drag Queen: Remixes
  • 2012: Responsitrannity: Remixes
  • 2012: (Here It Comes) Around Again: Remixes
  • 2012: Theme from Drag U
  • 2013: I Bring the Beat: Remixes (mp3 single)
  • 2013: Lick It Lollipop (feat.Lady Bunny)
  • 2013: It's Not Personal (It's Drag)
  • 2016: Read U Wrote U (Ellis Miah Mix) (feat. The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 2; AAC single; release: October 12th)

Other works

  • 1999: Come (lyrics, sung by Martha Wash)
  • 1999: Do the Right Thing (Don't Do Me Wrong) (text and background voice, sung by Ev-Va)
  • 1999: Queer Duck (title song, voice of Lucky Duck)
  • 2000: Bad Girl (unpublished, recorded for the album Notorious KIM by Lil 'Kim )
  • 2003: It's Only Rock'n Roll (But I Like It) (background voice, sung by Siedah Garrett )
  • 2004: Electric Ecstacy (Eklektica feat. RuPaul, available as download)
  • 2006: Come 2 Me (Lucy Lawless feat. RuPaul, available from Lucy Lawless' fan club)
  • 2007: Computer Love (NSA feat. RuPaul, available as download)

Demos

During 2006, a series of demos were briefly available for fans to download from RuPaul's official MySpace page.

September 7, 2006

  • StarrBooty '91 (Rare Demo)
  • Free to Be (Steve Silk Hurley '94)
  • Love Your Funky Self (Steve Silk Hurley '94)
  • Don't Walk Away (Steve Silk Hurley '94)

October 11, 2006

  • You're No Lady (Spanish Version) (recorded by RuPaul vs. Gitta)
  • Say My Name (recorded by DiscoBros. fea. RuPaul)
  • You're No Lady (Radio Edit) (recorded by RuPaul vs. Gitta)

October 27, 2006

  • Dog Done Bit'cha

November 10, 2006

  • Electric Ecstasy (Club Remix) (recorded with Eklektica)

bibliography

Filmography (selection)

swell

  1. ^ Emmy Award for RuPaul
  2. ↑ Drag icon RuPaul will speak at Pride Toronto Sunday (English)
  3. ↑ weblinkportal.de ( Memento from May 15, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  4. ^ RuPaul Charles - Awards & Nominations. In: Television Academy - Emmys. Accessed March 13, 2018 .
  5. ↑ RuPaul is one of the "100 most influential people in the world" on m-maenner.de
  6. ↑ RuPaul Honored With Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame
  7. ↑ a b Chart sources: DE AT CH UK Billboard Hot 100 Billboard 200 Billboard Dance (from 2003)
  8. ^ The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7
  9. ^ Joel Whitburn : Hot Dance / Disco 1974-2003, ISBN 978-0-89820-156-7

Web links

Commons : RuPaul  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME RuPaul
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Charles, RuPaul Andre
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor, dance music singer, singer-songwriter and drag queen
DATE OF BIRTH 17th November 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH San Diego