Luther Vandross
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| Luther Vandross
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| Background information
<tr><td>Birth name</td><td colspan="2">Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr.</td></tr><tr><td>Born</td><td colspan="2">April 20, 1951</td></tr><tr><td>Origin</td><td colspan="2">Manhattan, New York, United States Image:Flag of the United States.svg</td></tr><tr><td>Died</td><td colspan="2">July 1, 2005</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">R&B/Soul</td></tr><tr><td>Occupation(s)</td><td colspan="2">Singer and producer</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right: 1em;">Label(s)</td><td colspan="2">Cotillion Records |
Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was a American R&B singer. During his career, Vandross sold over 25 million albums<ref>Luther Vandross. AskMen.com (UK Edition). Retrieved on 2006-12-02.</ref> and won eight Grammy awards<ref>Vandross' Funeral Soulful and Powerful. Yahoo! News (July 8 2005). Retrieved on 2006-12-02.</ref> including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times. He won four Grammy awards in 2004 including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for the track "Dance With My Father",<ref name="BBC">Obituary: Luther Vandross. BBC News (July 1 2005). Retrieved on 2006-12-02.</ref> co-written with Richard Marx.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] 1951-1980: Early life and career
Born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, Vandross grew up in a musical family that moved to the Bronx when he was thirteen. His sister sang with vocal group The Crests<ref name="BBC"/> who had a number one hit in the early 1960's with "Sixteen Candles". Vandross' father died of diabetes when Vandross was eight years old.<ref name="BBC"/> His life-changing moment came when at the age of thirteen he heard Dionne Warwick sing "Anyone Who Had A Heart" (a song he would cover in his later years).[citation needed]
Vandross formed a vocal group, "Listen My Brother", in high school which once played at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem.<ref>Luther Vandross' Swan Song. Yahoo! Music (July 1 2005). Retrieved on 2006-12-02.</ref> His first recording credit was as producer of the album Soul Christmas in 1968 and appeared as a vocalist on the Quincy Jones album Best in 1969. He was also a member of a theater workshop at the time and appeared on the first episode of Sesame Street in November 1969.<ref name="CNN">Luther Vandross dead at 54. CNN (July 1 2005). Retrieved on 2006-12-02.</ref>
He attended Western Michigan University for a year, but then dropped out to continue pursuing an already flourishing career in music.<ref>Seymour, Craig (2004). Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross. HarperEntertainment. ISBN 0-06-059418-7.</ref>
His next recording credit was on an album by Roberta Flack in 1972. Vandross wrote "Everybody Rejoice",<ref>Full Cast and Crew for The Wiz. IMDb. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.</ref> for the 1975 Broadway musical and 1978 movie The Wiz. He also appeared as a choir member in the movie.<ref>Luther Vandross. IMDb. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.</ref> Having co-written "Fascination" for David Bowie's Young Americans, he went on to tour with him in September 1974.<ref>Luther Vandross. Vibe.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.</ref><ref name="CNN"/>
Vandross also sang backing vocals for Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, Bette Midler, Chic, and Barbra Streisand. During the beginning of his career, Vandross was content to remain mostly in the background, as a producer and backup singer for other artists. Flack encouraged Vandross into starting his own career. She believed he was an incredible talent who, in addition to his songwriting and production skills, deserved to be heard.[citation needed]
Before his breakthrough, he released two albums with a singing group he formed, also called Luther, on Cotillion Records.[citation needed] The group had a successful single entitled "It's Good for the Soul", although their two albums - the self-titled Luther in 1976 and This Close to You in 1977 - were not successful. Vandross bought back the rights to these albums after the record label dropped the group, preventing their later re-release.[citation needed]
Vandross also wrote and sang commercials jingles during the late 1970s & early 1980s,<ref name="BBC"/> earning upwards of $600,000 per year around the New York area.[citation needed] He created and often sang jingles for such advertising campaigns as Kentucky Fried Chicken's "We Do Chicken Right",[citation needed] NBC's "Proud As A Peacock"[citation needed] and The US Army's "Be All You Can Be".[citation needed] Vandross also voiced a cartoon character named Zack for 3 Saturday morning animated PSA spots for ABC Television called "Zack of All Trades".[citation needed] Vandross continued his successful career as a popular session singer during the late 70's. His lead vocals can be heard on the Gregg Diamond produced single "Hot Butterfly" from Bionic Boogie in 1978 which gained moderate club success.[citation needed]
[edit] 1980-2003: Career success
He eventually made his breakthrough as a guest singer with the group Change. Their 1980 hits, "The Glow of Love" and "Searching" led to a recording contract with Epic Records, and in 1981, he made his first solo recording debut with the album Never Too Much, that contained the track "A House is Not a Home". The album went double platinum,[citation needed] with the song "Never Too Much" reaching number-one on the R&B charts. This period also marked the beginning of frequent songwriting collaboration with bassist Marcus Miller, who played on many of the tracks, and would also produce or co-produce a number of tracks for Vandross.
Vandross released a series of successful albums during the 1980s and continued his session work with guest vocals on groups like Charme in 1982. Although the albums were very successful overall, many of his earlier albums made a much bigger impact on the R&B charts.[citation needed] Vandross had more modest success on the pop charts during this time. During the 1980s, Vandross had two other singles that reached number-one on the R&B charts: "Stop to Love" in 1986 and a duet with Gregory Hines "There's Nothing Better Than Love" He was also an in-demand producer;[citation needed] he was at the helm for Aretha Franklin's albums Jump To It and Get It Right.
The 1989 compilation of greatest hits, The Best Of Luther Vandross...The Best Of Love, included the ballad "Here And Now", the first Vandross single to chart in the Billboard pop chart top ten. He also won his first award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in the Grammy Awards of 1991. "Here and Now" became a staple at weddings, and on Soft AC radio.[citation needed] In addition, the song allowed him to expand his musical horizons beyond R&B; his songs also became popular on smooth jazz radio.
More albums followed in the 1990s, beginning with 1991's Power of Love which spawned two top ten pop hits. He won his second Best Male R&B Vocal in the Grammy Awards of 1992 with the track "Power of Love/Love Power" winning the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in the same year. In 1992, "The Best Things in Life are Free", a duet with Janet Jackson from the movie Mo' Money became a hit.
In 1993, Vandross had a nonspeaking role in the Robert Townsend movie Meteor Man. He played a hit man who plotted to stop Townsend's title character.
Vandross hit the top ten again in 1994 with "Endless Love", a duet with Mariah Carey, from the album Songs and a cover of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross's hit song from the film Endless Love. He also sang a duet with Frank Sinatra on Sinatra's Duets album. In the Grammy Awards of 1997, he won his third Best Male R&B Vocal for the track "Your Secret Love". A second greatest hits album, released in 1997, compiled most of his 1990s hits and was his final record released through Epic Records. After recording "I Know" on Virgin Records, he signed with J Records. His first album on Clive Davis' new label, entitled Luther Vandross, was released in 2001, and it produced the hits "Take You Out", "Grown Thangs" and "I'd Rather".
In 2003, Vandross released the album Dance With My Father in memory of his father.[citation needed] The title track, which was dedicated to the memory of the younger Vandross' childhood dances with his father, won Luther and his co-writer, singer Richard Marx, the 2004 Grammy Award for Song Of The Year. The song also won Vandross his fourth and final award in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category. The album was also the first album by Vandross to reach number-one on the Billboard album chart. The video for the title track features a various celebreties alongside their dads and family members. Celebrities such as Beyonce, Celine Dion, Jason Kidd, Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones submitted home videos or pictures of their families for the music video.[citation needed]
Vandross's last known recording was his signature version of "One Shining Moment",[citation needed] CBS's closing theme song of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.
[edit] 2003-2005: Illness and death
Vandross had diabetes,<ref name="BBC"/> a disease that ran in his family, as well as hypertension. His weight fluctuated several times over the years, and Vandross had weighed over 300 pounds (136 kg) at his heaviest.[citation needed] His father, Luther Sr., died of complications from diabetes when Luther Jr. was eight years old. Luther Jr.'s two sisters and a brother also predeceased him.[citation needed] On April 16, 2003, Vandross suffered a stroke in his home in Manhattan.<ref name="BBC"/> Though the cause of Vandross' stroke was not specifically attributed to diabetes, diabetics have been identified as being much more susceptible to strokes than non-diabetics.
He appeared briefly on videotape at the 2004 Grammys to accept his Song of the Year award, he was otherwise never seen in public again. On the videotape on which Vandross appeared, he sent an emotional message that said: "Whenever I say goodbye it's never for long because I believe in the power of love".<ref name="BBC"/> Vandross died on July 1, 2005 at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey. He was 54.[citation needed] At this time, the cause of death was not known, although hospital spokesman Rob Cavanaugh has said that Vandross never recovered from the 2003 stroke.[citation needed] It was reported that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends.[citation needed] The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a friend of Vandross, described him as "a boy so mellow, so powerful; a boy of rare, rare vintage. We lost Luther very early because of his medical condition, but his legacy will be a powerful legacy".[citation needed]
His funeral was in New York City on July 8, 2005.[citation needed] After two days of viewing, Vandross was laid to rest in George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey.[citation needed]
[edit] Influences and followers
Vandross was inspired by the soul divas of the 1960s: Dionne Warwick, Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles, Diana Ross & The Supremes, and Aretha Franklin, for whom he eventually produced for.
Vandross' songs have also been covered numerous times by American Idol contestants. Most notable covers include Season 1 Finalist Tamyra Gray's cover of "Dance With My Father" on Boston Public and "A House is Not a Home", which many consider one of the greatest performances in the show's history. Season 2 Winner Ruben Studdard has also covered "A House is Not a Home" and more infamously "Superstar". R&B artist Keyshia Cole covered Vandross' 1981 hit "Never too much" for her 2005 debut album The Way It Is.
Vandross did many covers of older songs, such as "Since I Lost My Baby" (originally recorded by The Temptations), "Superstar/Until You Come Back To Me" ("Superstar" was a hit for The Carpenters and "Until You Come Back To Me" was a 1974 hit for Aretha Franklin), "Love Won't Let Me Wait" (originally recorded by Major Harris), "Always and Forever" (originally recorded by Heatwave), "If This World Were Mine" (originally recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell), "Creepin'" and "Knocks Me Off My Feet" (both originally recorded by Stevie Wonder), "Hello" (the 1984 number-one hit by Lionel Richie), "Lovely Day" (originally recorded by Bill Withers), "Killing Me Softly" (originally recorded by Roberta Flack) and "A House is Not A Home", a Burt Bacharach standard. His hit "Love Power" included snippets of the soul classic "The Power of Love". Another hit, "Bad Boy (Having a Party)", contained a passage from Sam Cooke's "Having a Party".
Vandross inspired his J Records labelmate, Ruben Studdard, the American Idol of 2003. Besides Studdard, Vandross also inspired countless other artists, both male and female, such as Boyz II Men, Usher, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Brandy. It was with Beyoncé that he recorded yet another cover of a well-known song, "The Closer I Get To You", originally recorded by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Miscellania
[edit] Sexuality
During Vandross's entire career, he was dogged by questions regarding his sexuality. A lifelong bachelor, his name was never romantically linked in the media with women. Although Vandross never explicitly denied being gay, he never publicly acknowledged it either. He generally attempted to steer questioners away from the issue altogether by saying that his busy lifestyle made marriage difficult and indicated that it wasn't what he wanted.<ref>Luther Vandross Dies at 54. 6ABC (July 2 2005). Retrieved on 2006-12-02.</ref> After his death an article in Out magazine had several of Vandross' friends, including Bruce Vilanch, claiming that Luther was indeed a very unhappily closeted gay man.<ref>The Secret Gay Life of Luther Vandross. Out.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.</ref>
[edit] Tribute
On September 20, 2005, the album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross was released. The album is a collection of some of Luther's songs performed by various artists. The artists on this compilation include Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Fantasia , Beyonce, Donna Summer, Alicia Keys, Cissy Houston, Elton John, Celine Dion, Wyclef Jean, Babyface, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, Angie Stone, Jamie Foxx and Aretha Franklin, who won a Grammy for her rendition of "A House Is Not a Home".
[edit] Posthumous releases
Luther Vandross's home label, J Records, recently released a song called "Shine" to radio, an upbeat R&B track sampling Chic's disco classic "My Forbidden Lover". This and a track titled "Got You Home" are never-before-released songs that appeared on The Ultimate Luther Vandross, a greatest hits album that showcases his greatest hits on Epic Records/J Records/Legacy Recordings. The album was released August 22, 2006.
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] Biographies
- Seymour, Craig (2004). Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross. HarperEntertainment. ISBN 0-06-059418-7.
[edit] See also
[edit] External references
[edit] Obituaries
- From the Guardian Unlimited
- From the Los Angeles Times
- From the San Francisco Chronicle
- From the BBC
- From CNNde:Luther Vandross
es:Luther Vandross fr:Luther Vandross io:Luther Vandross id:Luther Vandross nl:Luther Vandross ja:ルーサー・ヴァンドロス no:Luther Vandross oc:Luther Vandross pl:Luther Vandross pt:Luther Vandross fi:Luther Vandross sv:Luther Vandross
Categories: Articles lacking sources from December 2006 | All articles lacking sources | Articles with unsourced statements | 1951 births | 2005 deaths | African-American singers | American dance musicians | American diabetics | American rhythm and blues singers | American songwriters | American soul singers | Cause of death disputed | Grammy Award winners | Hollywood Squares panelists | People from New York City | Smooth jazz
