Ruben Studdard will appear Saturday evening at the 17th annual Henry Street Heritage Festival, Roanoke’s celebration of African-American culture at Elmwood Park. The former “American Idol” champion is expected to perform a few songs from his upcoming album, “The Return.”

Studdard’s visit to Roanoke will be more appearance than performance, according to the people from Vibe 100 who brought him here. He is expected to take the stage around 7 p.m.

“Ruben will go on right before the Bar-Kays,” said Walt Ford, programming director for Vibe 100, Roanoke-Lynchburg’s classic soul and rhythm and blues FM radio station.

“The music this year will be as good as any we’ve had at Henry Street. Ruben, the Bar-Kays … they’ve all got that classic sound.”

Studdard rose to fame during the epic second season of “Idol,” when he bested Clay Aiken in a memorable contest that was decided by 134,000 votes out of 24 million cast by the show’s viewers.

On the charts, however, it is runner-up Aiken who has won the popularity contest. Aiken, who performed at the Roanoke Civic Center in 2004, has sold nearly seven million albums in three years, compared with Studdard’s tally of two million-plus. Studdard ranks fourth in sales among “Idol” alumni, behind Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Aiken.

Studdard’s 2003 debut album, “Soulful,” went to No. 1 and spawned three top 10 singles. Now, with a new album due in less than three weeks, Studdard seems primed to make a grand “Return.”