Luther Vandross
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This article is about the singer. For his self-titled album, see Luther Vandross (album).
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| Luther Vandross | |
|---|---|
Vandross performing with Diana Ross in New York, July 2000
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr. |
| Born | April 20, 1951 New York City, New York, US |
| Died | July 1, 2005 (aged 54) Edison, New Jersey, US |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards |
| Years active | 1978–2005 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Change, Chic, Martha Wash,Dionne Warwick, Mariah Carey, Richard Marx, Whitney Houston, Busta Rhymes,Beyoncé, David Bowie |
| Website | luthervandross |
Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr.[1] (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Throughout his career, Vandross was an in demand background vocalist for several different artists including Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Barbra Streisand, Ben E. King, and Donna Summer. He later became the lead singer of the group Change, which released its certified gold debut album, The Glow of Love, in 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. After Vandross left the group, he was signed to Epic Records as a solo artist and released his debut solo album, Never Too Much, in 1981.
His hit songs include, "Never Too Much", "Here and Now", "Any Love", "Power of Love/Love Power", "I Can Make It Better" and "For You to Love". Many of his songs were covers of original music by other artists such as "If This World Were Mine" (duet with Cheryl Lynn), "Since I Lost My Baby", "Superstar" and "Always and Forever". Duets such as "The Closer I Get to You" with Beyoncé, "Endless Love" with Mariah Carey and "The Best Things in Life Are Free" with Janet Jackson were all hits in his career.
During his career, Vandross sold over 25 million records worldwide,[2] and received eight Grammy Awards[3] including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four different times. He won a total of four Grammy Awards in 2004 including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for a song recorded not long before his death, "Dance with My Father".[4] The song was co-written with Vandross' friend and protégé, Richard Marx.
Contents
[hide]Biography[edit]
1951–1979: Early life and career[edit]
Vandross was born on April 20, 1951 at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, New York City.[5] He was the fourth child and second son of Mary Ida Vandross and Luther Vandross, Sr.[6] His father was an upholsterer, and his mother was a nurse.[7] Vandross was raised on Manhattan's Lower East Side in the NYCHA Alfred E. Smith Houses public housing development.[8] At the age of three, having his own phonograph, he taught himself to play the piano by ear.[1]
Vandross' father died of diabetes when Vandross was eight years old.[1][8] In 2003, Vandross co-wrote the song "Dance with My Father" and dedicated it to him; the title was based on his childhood memories and his mother's recollections of the family singing and dancing in the house. His family moved to the Bronx when he was nine.[9] His sisters, Patricia "Pat" and Ann began taking Vandross to the Apollo Theater and to a theater in Brooklyn to see Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin.[1] Patricia sang with the vocal group The Crests,[10] and was featured on the song "Sweetest One".[11]
In high school, Vandross performed in a group, Shades of Jade, that once played at the Apollo Theater.[1] He was also a member of a theater workshop, Listen My Brother,[1] which released the singles "Only Love Can Make a Better World" and "Listen My Brother". He also appeared in the second and fifth episodes of Sesame Street in November 1969.[citation needed] Vandross graduated from William Howard Taft High School in 1969,[10] and attended Western Michigan University for a year before dropping out to continue pursuing a career in music.[12]
Vandross founded the first-ever Patti LaBelle fan club, of which he was president. LaBelle confirmed this in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. This 'Oprah Prime' interview first aired in America on November 3, 2013.[13][citation needed][when?]
Vandross sang on Delores Hall's Hall-Mark album (1973). He sang with her on the song "Who's Gonna Make It Easier for Me", which he wrote, and he contributed another song, "In This Lonely Hour".[citation needed] Having co-written "Fascination" (1974) for David Bowie's Young Americans (1975), he went on to tour with him as a back-up vocalist in September 1974.[citation needed] Vandross wrote "Everybody Rejoice" for the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz.[12]
Vandross also sang backing vocals for artists including Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan, Ben E. King, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, and Donna Summer, and for the bands Chic and Todd Rundgren's Utopia.[citation needed]
Before his solo breakthrough, Vandross was part of a singing quintet in the late 1970s named Luther, consisting of former Shades of Jade members Anthony Hinton and Diane Sumler, as well as Theresa V. Reed, and Christine Wiltshire, signed to Cotillion Records. Although the singles "It's Good for the Soul", "Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)", and "The Second Time Around" were relatively successful, their two albums, the self-titled Luther (1976) and This Close to You (1977), didn't sell enough to make the charts. Vandross bought back the rights to those albums after Cotillion dropped the group, preventing their later re-release.[citation needed]
Vandross also wrote and sang commercial jingles from 1977 until the early 1980s, for companies including Mountain Dew, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King, and Juicy Fruit.[8] He continued his successful career as a popular session singer during the late 1970s.[citation needed]
In 1978, Vandross sang lead vocals for a disco band called Greg Diamond's Bionic Boogie on the song titled "Hot Butterfly".[1] Also in 1978, he appeared on Quincy Jones's Sounds...and Stuff Like That!!, most notably on the song "I'm Gonna Miss You in the Morning" along with Patti Austin.[14] Luther also sang with the band Soirée and was the lead vocalist on the track "You Are the Sunshine of My Life"; he also contributed background vocals to the album along with Jocelyn Brown and Sharon Redd, each of whom also saw solo success. Additionally, he sang the lead vocals on the group Mascara's LP title song "See You in L.A." released in 1979. Vandross also appeared on the group Charme's 1979 album Let It In, most notably on a remake ofToto's hit single "Georgy Porgy".[citation needed]
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