Luther Ronzoni Vandross was born April 20,1951-July 5th 2005, was one of the most successful R&B vocalists of the late 20th century, famous for his lush voice, soulful and romantic ballads. Luther Vandross got his big break in the 1970s, as a back-up singer and then session musician and producer with the singer David Bowie, Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand. His legendary voice has been called “flawless” and “as smooth as silk.”
During his career, he sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times. On April 16, 2003, Luther Vandross suffered a stroke and lapsed into a coma; he had recently completed the album Dance With My Father. The album won four Grammy Awards in 2004 including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for the song “Dance with My Father”.
In 2008, Vandross was ranked #54 on Rolling Stone magazine’s List of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
The just released album “HIDDEN GEMS” is a compilation of album tracks and rare live performances. It’s the first time these songs appear in one place and allows the casual listener to discover songs they never heard and the devoted fan the opportunity to re-live what they love about Luther Vandross.
Here are my favorite Luther Vandross videos:
