After singing on ‘America’s Got Talent,’ this Charlotte man became ‘famous for love’
On a recent summer afternoon in Charlotte, Ray Singleton and his wife, Roslyn, were waiting for lunch outside of a Cousins Maine Lobster food truck.
In some ways, they’re like any other local couple — except the truck’s owners paid for their lunch.
“We’re just here living our life,” said Singleton, 31, who in mid-July impressed “America’s Got Talent” judges with his performance of “I Am Yours” by Andy Grammer, a song he dedicated to his wife.
The video, which also tells the couple’s story of love and hardship, has over 1.5 million views on YouTube. “It’s not just a story,” Singleton said. “It’s a life. It’s a movement. It’s an experience.”
Singleton moved to Charlotte in 2014 to attend Winthrop University in nearby Rock Hill. After graduation, he got a job selling cars, and for 11 years he led the music ministry at First Calvary Baptist Church in Rock Hill.
In 2016, he met Roslyn, a no-nonsense U.S. Navy veteran and six-year brain cancer survivor, at a party. “It doesn’t take all day to understand sunshine,” he said on the “AGT” video. The couple married in 2018, and a year later, Roslyn’s cancer returned.
According to her doctors, she had a mass the size of a half-dollar on her brain and would eventually undergo radiation, chemotherapy and then surgery. “It was hard seeing her go through that,” Singleton said on the show.
Singleton felt helpless and turned to what he knows best: music. In January 2020, before she went into surgery, he recorded her a song and it went viral. “If a husband can sing, and his wife needs him,” he said, “it makes sense that he’d sing for her.”
“His singing helped; it got me through brain cancer,” Roslyn said on “America’s Got Talent.” “It helped a lot.”
In an Instagram post on Monday, Singleton shared that his wife’s tumor has grown back. She’s having surgery again in Charlotte on Tuesday.
‘The Ellen Show’
Singleton’s earlier video grabbed the attention of comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who invited them onto her show in February 2020. While on “The Ellen Show,” NBA star Dwyane Wade taped a well-wishes message for the couple, and they took home a check for $25,000 from Honey Nut Cheerios.
Then came “America’s Got Talent.”
When the producer called him, Singleton said, “I was more than excited. I had no idea that an opportunity like this would ever come. But I knew inside that I was going to be on some stage at some point in my life… because when I’m on stage… I am on top of the world.”
In October 2020, Singleton was also invited to sing the national anthem for the Panthers.
Singleton was not selected as one of the 36 acts that would move forward to “America’s Got Talent’s” live rounds starting Aug. 10, but his musical journey is far from over.
After ‘America’s Got Talent’
After returning to Charlotte, he recorded a song, his first single, dedicated to Roslyn, and the couple launched a clothing line with T-shirts and hats sharing positive messages like “Love Heals.”
In late July, he performed at the Welcome Back Fest at Romare Bearden Park, with other notables, like Dae Lee and Anthony Hamilton, and he has weddings, private events and the upcoming Duke’s Mayo Classic games at Bank of America Stadium on the books.
The couple lives in the Steele Creek area and frequents Bricktop’s at SouthPark, where they had their first date, The Eagle on South Boulevard and Snooze in Plaza Midwood, among others.
Conversations pop up all over the city. “People wanted to be involved in (our) journey,” he said. “It’s unbelievable. People (we’ve never met) support us, pray for us, love us.”
After “Ellen”, Roslyn had to go to the emergency room because her scar wouldn’t heal. “She was in pain and we were in the ER, and this woman said, ‘Oh My God, Can you sing me a song?,’ ” Singleton recalled. “I was like, ‘We’re in the ER.’ ”
The same thing happens at malls, gas stations, the post office — people stop them and share how inspired they are by the couple’s story.
“One of my friends said, ‘You realize you’re famous for love,’ ” Singleton said. “That’s what it is that people can relate to.”
Singleton said the purpose of this visibility, to him, was bigger than just music.
“We’re giving people hope to believe and trust and have faith,” he said. “This has been an incredible adventure that’s been totally unexpected. If I’ve inspired one person to better their life, I’ll die a happy man.”
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This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 5:15 PM.