LUTHER VANDROSS

'Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr.' (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums^[1] and won eight Grammy Awards^[2] 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",^[3] co-written with Richard Marx.

Contents

Biography

1951–1979: Early life and career

1980–2003: Career success

2003–2005: Illness and death

Personal life

Influences and followers

Legacy

Tribute

Posthumous releases

Discography

References

Sources

External links

See also

Biography

1951–1979: Early life and career

Born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, he was born in Smith Housing Project. At age three he began playing the piano. Vandross grew up in a musical family that moved to the Bronx when he was thirteen. His sister sang with vocal group The Crests who had a number two hit in the early 1960s with "Sixteen Candles". Vandross' father died of diabetes when Vandross was eight years old. 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 on a duet with Elton John).
Luther Vandross was in a vocal group in high school, Shades of Jade, that once played at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.^[4] His first recording credit was as producer of the album ''Soul Christmas'' in 1968, his first vocal credit as a vocalist on the Quincy Jones album ''Best'', in 1969. He was also a member of a theater workshop, "Listen My Brother" who released a the singles, "Only Love Can Make a Better World" and "Listen My Brother", and appeared on the second and fifth episodes of Sesame Street in November 1969.^[5][6]
Vandross attended Western Michigan University for a year before dropping out to continue pursuing a career in music.^[7]
His next recording credit was on an album by Roberta Flack in 1972. Luther also sang on Delores Hall's Hall-Mark album from 1973. He sang with her on the song "Who's Gonna Make It Easier For Me", which he wrote. He also contributed another song, "In This Lonely Hour". Having co-written "Fascination" for David Bowie's ''Young Americans'', he went on to tour with him as a back-up vocalist in September 1974.^[8] Vandross wrote "Everybody Rejoice"^[9] for the 1975 Broadway musical ''The Wiz''; also appearing as a choir member in the movie.^[10]
Vandross also sang backing vocals for Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, Bette Midler, Chic, and Barbra Streisand. Early in his career, Vandross was content to remain mostly in the background, as a producer and backup singer for other artists, but Flack encouraged Vandross to start his own career.
Before his breakthrough, he released two albums with a singing group he formed, also called Luther, on Cotillion Records. 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.
Vandross also wrote and sang commercials jingles during the late 1970s and early 1980s, earning upwards of $600,000 per year around the New York area. He created and often sang jingles for such advertising campaigns as Kentucky Fried Chicken's "We Do Chicken Right", NBC's "Proud As a Peacock" and The US Army's "Be All You Can Be". Vandross also voiced a cartoon character named Zack for three Saturday morning animated PSA spots for ABC Television called "Zack of All Trades". Vandross continued his successful career as a popular session singer during the late 1970s. His lead vocals can be heard on the Gregg Diamond produced single "Hot Butterfly" from ''Bionic Boogie'' in 1978, which gained moderate club success.

1980–2003: Career success

Luther Vandross' ''Greatest Hits''

With some contributions from friend and songwriter/producer, Wayne K. Garfield (see the 11th chapter of Luther's biography—''Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross'' by Craig Seymour (Harper-Collins), Vandross finally made his long desired career breakthrough as a featured singer with the vaunted pop-dance act Change, a studio concept created by French-Italian bussinessman Jacques Fred Petrus (1949-1986) with songs written and produced by his Italian co-workers Davide Romani, Paolo Gianolio and Mauro Malavasi. Their 1980 hits, "A Lover's Holiday" (by Romani and Willoughby), "The Glow of Love" (by Romani, Malavasi and Garfield) and "Searching" (by Malavasi), of which Vandross sang on the last two, opened up the world for Vandross. And there was no doubt about whether Vandross liked the song "The Glow of Love". In an interview that Vibe Magazine did with him in 2001 Vandross said, ''"This is the most beautiful song I've ever sung in my life."'' Vandross was also originally intended to perform on the second and highly successful Change album "Miracles" in 1981, but declined the offer as Petrus didn't pay enough money. Vandross' decision rapidly led to a recording contract with Epic Records that same year but didn't stop him from doing some background vocals on "Miracles" and on the new Petrus created acts, NYC band, The B. B. & Q. band in 1981. During that hectic year Vandross jump-started his second attempt at a solo career with his debut album, ''Never Too Much''. In addition to the hit title track, it contained a version of the Burt Bacharach / Hal David song "A House Is Not a Home". The album went double platinum, 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 successful overall, many of his earlier albums made a much bigger impact on the R&B charts than on the pop charts. During the 1980s, Vandross had two singles that reached number one on the Billboard R&B charts: "Stop to Love", in 1986, and a duet with Gregory Hines—"There's Nothing Better Than Love."^[11] He was also an in-demand producer; he was at the helm for Aretha Franklin's albums ''Jump to It'' and ''Get It Right''. In 1983, the opportunity to work with his main music influence, Dionne Warwick, came about with Vandross producing, writings songs, and singing on ''How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye'', her fourth album for Arista Records. The title track duet reached #27 on the Hot 100 chart (#7 R&B/#4 Adult Contemporary),^[12] while the second single, "Got a Date" was only a moderate hit (#45 R&B/#15 Club Play).
The 1989 compilation ''The Best of Luther Vandross... The Best of Love'', included the ballad "Here and Now", his first single to chart in the Billboard pop chart top ten. He won his first Grammy award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in the 1991.

Vandross' ''From Luther With Love: The Videos'' DVD

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 brief speaking 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 Mariah Carey, doing a cover version of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross's duet "Endless Love." He also appears on Frank Sinatra's posthumous ''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 album released through Epic Records. After releasing ''I Know'' on Virgin Records, he signed with J Records. His first album on Clive Davis's new label, entitled ''Luther Vandross'', was released in 2001, and it produced the hits "Take You Out" (#7 R&B/#26 Pop), and "I'd Rather" (#17 Adult Contemporary/#40 R&B/#83 Pop)
In 2003, Vandross released the album ''Dance With My Father''. The title track, which was dedicated to Vandross' memory childhood dances with his father, won Luther and his co-writer, 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 his first to reach number one on the Billboard album chart. The video for the title track features various celebrities alongside their fathers and other family members. Celebrities such as Beyoncé, Celine Dion, Jason Kidd, Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones submitted home videos or pictures of their families for the music video.
Vandross's last known recording was his version of "One Shining Moment", CBS's closing theme song of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.

2003–2005: Illness and death

Luther Vandross's final album, ''Dance with My Father'' (2003).

Vandross had diabetes, a disease that ran in his family, as well as hypertension. His weight fluctuated over the years, with Vandross weighing over 300 pounds (136 kg) at his heaviest. 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. On April 16, 2003, just 4 days before his 52nd birthday, Vandross suffered a stroke in his home in Manhattan. 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, where he said, "Whenever I say goodbye it's never for long because I believe in the power of love". Other than an appearance on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', he was never seen in public again. Vandross died on July 1, 2005 at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey at the age of 54. 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. It was reported that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends. 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."
His funeral was in New York City on July 8, 2005.^[13] After two days of viewing, Vandross was laid to rest in George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey.^[14]

Personal life

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 came out of the closet, he also never explicitly denied being a homosexual, and generally attempted to steer questioners away from the issue altogether by saying that his busy lifestyle made marriage difficult and indicated that it was not what he wanted. There were also allegations that surfaced that he and Gregory Hines were romantically linked. Because they were close friends, people started to question their "just friends" relationship. ^[15] After his death, an article in Out magazine had several of Vandross' friends, including gay comedy writer Bruce Vilanch, claiming that Luther was indeed a closeted gay man.^[16]

Influences and followers

Vandross was inspired by the soul divas of the 1960s and 1970s: Dionne Warwick, Patti LaBelle, Diana Ross, and Aretha Franklin, whom he eventually produced.
Vandross' songs have also been performed numerous times by ''American Idol'' contestants. Notable covers include Season 1 Finalist Tamyra Gray's version of "Dance With My Father" on ''Boston Public'', R&B artist Keyshia Cole's version of "Never Too Much" on her 2005 debut album ''The Way It Is''.
Vandross performed many covers of older songs, such as "Since I Lost My Baby" (originally recorded by The Temptations), "Love the One You're With" (originally recorded by Stephen Stills), "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" (a duet with Cheryl Lynn, 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" (a hit for Roberta Flack) and the Bacharach/David standard, "A House Is Not A Home." Vandross's 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".

Legacy

Tribute

★ On July 27, 2004, GRP Records released a smooth jazz various artists tribute album, ''Forever, For Always, For Luther'', with ten popular songs written by Luther. The album featured vocal arrangements by Luther, and was produced by Rex Rideout and Bud Harner. Rideout had co-authored songs and contributed arrangements and played keyboards on Luther's final three albums. The tribute album was mixed by Ray Bardani, who recorded and mixed most of Luther's music over the years. It featured an ensemble of smooth jazz performers, many of whom had previously worked with Luther. ^[17]

★ On September 20, 2005, the album '' was released. The album is a collection of some of Luther's songs performed by various artists, including Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Fantasia, Beyoncé, Donna Summer, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Celine Dion, Wyclef Jean, Babyface, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, Angie Stone, Jamie Foxx and Aretha Franklin. Aretha Franklin won a Grammy for her rendition of "A House Is Not a Home," and Stevie Wonder and Beyoncé won a Grammy for their cover of "So Amazing."

★ On November 21, 2006, saxophonist Dave Koz released a followup to the earlier smooth jazz GRP tribute album, this time on his own Rendezvous Entertainment label, an album called ''Forever, For Always, For Luther Volume II'', also produced by Rex Rideout and Bud Harner. Dave Koz played on all the featured Luther Vandross tracks, which were recorded by various smooth jazz artists. ^[18]

Posthumous releases

J Records released a song "Shine"—an upbeat R&B track that samples Chic's disco song "My Forbidden Lover"—reaching #31 on the R&B chart. A later remix peaked at #10 on the Club Play chart. "Shine" and a track entitled "Got You Home" are previously unreleased songs on ''The Ultimate Luther Vandross'', a greatest hits album on Epic Records/J Records/Legacy Recordings that was released August 22, 2006.
On October 16, 2007, Epic Records/J Records/Legacy Recordings will release a 4 disc box set entitled Love Luther. Ii will feature all of Vandross' hits throughout his 24 year career. A single will be released from the box set entitled, "There's Only You"^[19]

Discography

References

1. Luther Vandross
2. Vandross' Funeral Soulful and Powerful
3. Obituary: Luther Vandross
4. Luther Vandross' Swan Song
5. Luther Vandross artist page
6. Luther Vandross dead at 54
7. Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross, , Craig, Seymour, HarperEntertainment, 2004, ISBN 0-06-059418-7
8. Luther Vandross
9. Full Cast and Crew for The Wiz
10. Luther Vandross
11. Artist Chart History
12. Artist Chart History
13. Luther Vandross Funeral Plans Set
14. Luther Vandross' All-Star Send-Off
15. Luther Vandross Dies at 54
16. The Secret Gay Life of Luther Vandross
17. Forever, For Always, For Luther, VerveMusicGroup.com
18. Forever, For Always, For Luther Volume II, smoothvibes.com
19. EUR Web article, "Luther Boxed Set Includes Rare/Unreleased Tracks, EURWeb.com

Sources

★ Seymour, Craig. ''The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross'', HarperCollins, 2004 - ISBN 0060594187

★ Vandross, Luther. ''The Best of Luther Vandross: The Best of Love'', Hal Leonard Corporation, 1990 - ISBN 0793502918

External links

★ Official site

★ All Music Guide entry

★ Luther Vandross's Gravesite

See also

★ Best selling music artists