Genres: Seasonal,Pop,Instrumental,Soundtracks,Soul/R&B

Luther Vandross was born in the city of New York in the lower east side of Manhattan. He began the practice of music at a very young age in which he began to play the piano at age three. His family also had musical talent and he would have siblings that would be performers as well.

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Luther Vandross

I’d like to be remembered as a premier singer of songs, not just a popular act in a given period.

New York Born

Luther Vandross was born in the city of New York in the lower east side of Manhattan. He began the practice of music at a very young age in which he began to play the piano at age three. His family also had musical talent and he would have siblings that would be performers as well. He would gain early acclaim while singing with a group called Shades of Jade, which would gain him an appearance at the Apollo Theater. He attended the school Western Michigan University but would drop out after only one year citing his desire to pursue a career in music as his only motivation.

Getting Started

Luther Vandross would get his first professional start when he would record with the artist Roberta Flack while he was also the founder of the Patti LaBelle fan club later on. He would go on to sing with Delores Hall on her Hall Mark album in 1973 when the song Who’s Gonna Make It Easier For Me would get musical acclaim for him as he was the sole writer of the song. He would go on tour with David Bowie due to the fact that he would write the song Fascination for Bowie’s album called Young Americans.

During the same time, he would write the song for the Broadway musical called The Wiz and he would also make an appearance in the movie. Around the same time, he was singing back up vocals for industry greats such as Diana Ross and Chaka Khan as well as Barbra Streisand and David Bowie. However, he had yet to get his own personal solo career going and this would not come until the 1980’s.

Going Solo

Luther Vandross would get his career going by singing with a group called Change. The single A Lover’s Holiday would become a hit in the early 1980’s. This would eventually score him a record contract with Epic Records when he would record his first solo album called Never Too Much. The album contained the hit called Never Too Much would go on to number one on the R&B charts. This would mark the start of his successful career in the 1980’s where he would go on to record numerous albums that would propel his solo career in the R&B music genre and gain him much acclaim for hit singles that would not stop coming during this time.

He would have two singles that would reach the number one position on Billboard R&B charts, which were called There’s Nothing Better Than Love and Stop To Love. In 1985, Vandross would bring in the voice of Salvmini and began some production of his own with this young up and coming singer. Unfortunately, while driving one day, Vandross, Salvemmini, and his brother Larry Salvemini would be in a tragic car wreck that would cost the life of Larry Salvemini. Luther Vandross was then involved in a law suit with the Savlemini family that would be eventually settled out of court.

The album The Best of Luther Vandross…The Best of Love would come out in 1989 and this would afford him his first Grammy Award in the category of Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 1991.

Further Success

Luther Vandross would usher in the 1990’s with even more hits and more Grammy Awards. He would go on to collaborate with other industry greats such as Janet Jackson in which the two performed a duet for the movie Mo’ Money. In 1994, Vandross and Mariah Carey would perform a cover version of the song Endless Love that would go on to win more awards for the singer and songwriter. He would go on to become one of the most successful R&B recording artists of the day. His many fans can visit his official website where they may find some of his music available as free music downloads.

Did You Know

• Salvemini was only fifteen years old when he was signed to a contract with Vandross.

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