In R&B music, Luther Vandross ranked with Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson as one of the most successful singer/songwriters and producers of the 1980s. Amazingly, unlike those peers, for the most part he did not cross over to 'pop charts', a situation that finally began to change at the end of the '80s. Vandross had an elastic tenor that made him a natural for backup singing and commercial work in the early '70s, when he became a top session vocalist. In the second half of the '70s, he recorded under a variety of guises, cutting two albums for Cotillion under the name 'Luther', recording with the session groups Roundtree and Change, and singing on hits by Chic.
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was born on April 20th (1951, The Bronx, NYC) into a family immersed in gospel and soul singing. Vandross had already formed his own group while still at school and later worked with the musical theatre workshop, Listen My Brother. This enabled him to perform at Harlem's Apollo Theatre, and during 1974-75 Luther's composition, 'Everybody Rejoice', became a featured song in the Broadway production of 'The Wiz' starring Stephanie Mills.
After a brief hiatus from the music scene in the 70s, he was invited by an old school friend and workshop colleague, Carlos Alomar, to join him in the studio with David Bowie for the recording of 'Young Americans'. Vandross impressed Bowie enough to be invited to arrange the vocal parts and make a substantial contribution to the backing vocals for the album.
By the time Bowie's US tour was underway, Vandross had also secured the position as opening act. His vocal talent was soon in demand and his session credits with Chaka Khan, Ringo Starr, Barbra Streisand, and Donna Summer generated sufficient interest from the Cotillion label to sign him as part of a specially put-together vocal group, Luther. 'Luther' and 'This Close To You' (1976 & 1977 releases) flopped, partly owing to the use of a disco backing in favour of allowing Vandross to express his more romantic, soul style. Luther also recorded a few Christmas songs during this period. The excellent 'At Christmas Time' (released back in 1976) can be found on the 'Slow Jam Christmas, Vol.1' CD (1996 Right Stuff).
Luther subsequently drifted back to session work putting in outstanding performances for Quincy Jones, Patti Austin, Gwen Guthrie, Chic and Sister Sledge. This work was subsidized by his composing advertising jingles. Also, his legendary performances as guest singer with the European/American 'studio' group Change (in 1980) resulted in two UK Top 20 hits with 'Glow Of Love' and 'Searching'. These 2 tracks (as well as the 'Glow Of Love' album!) also did well in the United States, and this proved to be an important springboard for the next phase in Luther's career.
In addition to the previously mentioned session work, Luther's tenure as one of Roberta Flack's background vocalists probably changed his life. In short, the Diva Roberta Flack grew tired of seeing Luther waste his time singing in her shadows, and she knew how 'gifted' he was, so she fired him toward the end of 1980. Flack's act of love led to the eventual launch of Luther's stellar career, this time as solo artist on Epic/CBS Records in 1981. 'Never Too Much' earned him an R&B number 1 while the accompanying album reached the US Top 20. 'Never Too Much' sold over a million copies, and Luther was seen on high profile shows like Saturday Night Live (SNL) promoting the album. Who could forget a young Luther dressed in a black leather coat singing 'Never Too Much' & 'A House Is Not A Home' on SNL ? It was truly a sign of great things to come.
Subsequent albums like 'Forever, For Always, For Love' (1982) & 'Busy Body' (1983) were also million sellers for Luther Vandross, who's star became brighter with each album. Luther was a hot commodity, and he produced Aretha Franklin's 'Jump To It' (1982) & 'Get It Right' (1983) albums, while also dueting with Cheryl Lynn ('If This World Were Mine') and Dionne Warwick ('How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye'). Luther's hit albums, and outside projects proved to strengthen his overall popularity with the US R&B market and gave him two additional R&B number 1 hits with 'Stop To Love' (1986) and a duet with the late Gregory Hines, 'There's Nothing Better Than Love' (1987). The duet with Gregory Hines was so popular that Luther & Marcus Miller spearheaded production of the 8 track 'Gregory Hines' album, which has been out of print for years. 'Gregory Hines' did fairly well, and Luther's hit album 'Give Me The Reason' was also released during the same period.
Additional releases, like the 2 CD compilation 'The Best of Luther-The Best Of Love'(1989) featured the hit ballad 'Here And Now' (#6 Pop, #1, R&B) to close out the 1980's. 'Here & Now' became a classic wedding song, and it also helped Luther win his FIRST Grammy Award in the 'Best R&B Male Vocal' catagory in 1990.
Luther took a brief break from recording, and released the multi-platinum hit CD, 'Power Of Love' early in 1991. The hits included 'Power Of Love/Love Power' (US #4, April 1991) and 'Don't Want To Be A Fool' (US #9, August 1991), which crossed over to become major pop hits, and helped Vandross earn 2 more Grammy Awards in 1991 in the 'Best R&B Male Vocal' & 'Best R&B Song' catagories. Luther also produced Lisa Fischer's 'So Intense' (1991), which ultimately shared the Grammy Award for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance with Patti LaBelle's 'Burnin' in 1992.
Vandross returned to the pop Top Ten in 1992 with 'The Best Things in Life Are Free' from the movie 'Mo' Money', a duet with Janet Jackson. His next album, 'Never Let Me Go' (1993), marked a slight falloff in sales, but 'Songs' (1994), an all-covers album, restored his commercial standing, featuring a gold-selling pop Top Ten remake of 'Endless Love', a duet with Mariah Carey. Luther also contributed 'The Thrill I'm In' to the 1995 movie soundtrack CD for 'The Money Train', while 'This Is Christmas' (1995) and 'Your Secret Love' (1996) followed as million-sellers which joined other Platinum CDs in Luther's discography. 'Your Secret Love' also helped Luther earn his 4th Grammy Award in 1996 in 'The Best R&B Male Vocal' catagory. Amazingly, Luther's relationship with Epic/Sony began to deteriorate beyond repair, and he couldn't wait to sever ties with the company. Before Vandross could leave Sony, he had to deliver one last CD, and 'One Night With You: The Best of Love, Vol. 2' (1997), which compiled hits from 1991 to 1996 in addition to 4 new tracks, was released without much fanfare or promotion. The CD was a commercial failure, but the new track, 'I Can Make It Better', was a minor hit with Luther's loyal fans.
Luther returned in 1998 with his Virgin Records debut, 'I Know' (which would be his only project for that label). The first single 'Nights In Harlem', was a minor hit, but serious fans really enjoyed the title track (featuring Stevie Wonder on harmonica). The 1998 project also featured Luther's duet with Cassandra Wilson ('I'm Only Human'), which originally appeared on the 'Down In The Delta' movie soundtrack. After a 3 year hiatus, Luther joined Clive Davis' new J Records label (a unit of BMG), and released his self-titled CD during the Spring of 2001. 'Luther Vandross' proved to be a great comeback CD for Vandross, and songs like 'Take You Out', helped it become Vandross' best selling project in years.
Vandross has won countless awards and his reputation as a producer has been enhanced by his work with Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and Whitney Houston. While Luther maintained a hectic schedule, he also battled diabetes & high blood pressure, and his infamous 'yo-yo' diets didn't help matters. Toward the end of 2002, Luther began recording his 2nd CD for J Records, and shortly after completing the long awaited follow-up, Vandross suffered a massive stroke on April 16, 2003.
While Luther remained in a hospital's intensive care unit for months, fans & friends held various vigils, and prayed for his eventual recovery. On June 10, 2003 Luther's 'Dance With My Father' was released to critical acclaim, and it was NUMBER ONE on Billboard's Hot 200 Album Chart (a first for Vandross). Shortly afterwards, Luther awoke from his coma, and left the hospital toward the end of June, and his legions of fans & supporters rejoiced (while enjoying 'Dance With My Father').
While Luther continued to make strides toward recovery, J Records released his long overdue 1st Live CD ('Luther Vandross Live at Radio City Music Hall'
), and during one magical evening in Feburary 2004, The Grammy Awards became the 'Luther Show'.
Luther Vandross eventually won four Grammy awards, including Song of the Year for 'Dance with My Father', which he shares with songwriter Richard Marx. He also won for Best R&B Album and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for 'Dance with My Father', and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for 'The Closer I Get to You', his duet with Beyonce. Vandross was still recovering and was not well enough to attend, but he did address the crowd via a videotape after a tribute featuring Alicia Keys, Celine Dion and Richard Marx (who co-wrote 'Dance With My Father').
Making his first public appearance since his stroke, Luther said slowly: "I wish I could be with you there tonight. I want to thank everyone for your love and support". He then added, "And remember, when I say goodbye it's never for long, because"--and he sang--"I believe in the power of love!"
Luther's appearance that evening would be one of his final moments in the public, and the effects of stroke proved to be much more serious than anticipated.
On July 1, 2005, surrounded by his family & friends in a New Jersey hospital, Luther Vandross passed away, and millions of fans were stunned to find out that 'The Voice' had been silenced. While Luther isn't among us on Earth, his presence will always be felt because his gift was so immense. Luther Vandross is & will always be the standard for any aspiring male vocalist.
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