Who is Colescott Rubin? 'American Idol' Season 22 bassist possesses bizarre ability to 'create art while sleeping'
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: 'American Idol' Season 22 contestant Colescott Rubin performs in his sleep. He possesses the bizarre ability to create art while sleeping, including writing songs, lyrics, and jokes. Moreover, he vividly dreams his performances before they take place.
During his waking hours, Colescott's band "Colescott & His Red Hots," named after his grandfather's 1940s swing band, draws musical inspiration from his great-grandfather Warrington Colescott Sr, a New Orleans jazz violinist who performed with Louis Armstrong over a century ago.
Colescott was born in Santa Rosa, California, in 1996 to Tamara Rubin, a single mother who is Lead poisoning prevention activist and documentary filmmaker.
In 2001, his mother met and married Leonard Rubin, an inventor, musician, and music collector with a lifelong interest in jazz.
As a kid, he was inspired by his parents' jazz record collection, which his father began collecting by spending time with incredible artists in New York City and at Berklee College of Music in the 1970s.
Leonard has had a significant effect on Colescott's musical education throughout the years.
'American Idol' Season 22 star Colescott Rubin's brothers suffered from lead poisoning as babies
Colescott has three younger siblings, aged 15, 19, and 21. Unfortunately, two of them experienced developmental problems due to lead poisoning as infants in 2005. When he's not preparing, practicing, or performing, he likes playing music and games with them, as well as teaching them to play instruments.
He is an excellent role model and friend to his brothers, encouraging and involving them musically every day. In addition to his musical pursuits, he has contributed music to his mother's documentary film on childhood Lead poisoning.
Due to the financial difficulty caused by his brothers’ acute lead poisoning, Colescott's family has been unable to finance his musical pursuits; therefore, he has sought various inventive methods to continue his education.
When did 'American Idol' Season 22 star Colescott Rubin start playing bass?
Colescott was introduced to music at a young age, as his family would take him to concerts in Golden Gate Park and music festivals across California each summer. His first music lessons were on the violin when he was five years old.
The sound of the violin caused such damage to his ears that he made a vow never to play a high-pitched instrument again. His family relocated to Portland, Oregon, in 2002. He began piano lessons at the age of eight in Portland.
Upon entering fifth grade at the Portland Waldorf School, he held the distinction of being the tallest student in his class. Consequently, the instructor assigned him a bass.
'American Idol' Season 22 star Colescott Rubin is a Presidential Scholar at Berklee
Colescott has collaborated with Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard, Terrell Stafford, Chuck Israels, Kenny Werner, Charmaine Neville, and several other artists since his start.
He wants to revive jazz as dance music and become a masterful consummate performer who creates not only musical events but also memorable and uplifting presentations for his fans.
Colescott graduated Berklee College of Music as Presidential Scholar in May of 2020. At Berklee he studied performing and jazz composition. He was a member of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute and after graduating secured a staff position with the College.
He has performed in festivals all over the world including Spain, Iceland, Argentina and Russia - as well as across the United States - Boston, New Orleans, California, Oregon, Washington and more. You can find his upcoming performances (and most recent album) on his website.
Tune into 'American Idol' Season 22 on April 25 ABC at 8 PM ET to see if Colescott Rubin scores himself a Golden Ticket (or a Platinum one) on his way to Hollywood.