He was also besieged by a wealth of other personal and health problems. 1 R&B singles would include "Stop to Love", "There's Nothing Better than Love" and "Any Love".Ī minimalist stylist whose eloquent, velvety renditions were accentuated by spot-on phrasing and effortless vocal control, his image quickly led to such unwelcome sobriquets as "master of bedroom music" and the restrictive label of being a "ladies only" act. 6), which finally placed him securely on the love song pedestal. He continued steadily with such albums as "Forever, for Always, for Love" (1982) and "Give Me the Reasons" (1986), but it wasn't until 1989 that he had his first "Top 10" single with "Here and Now" (No. 1 R&B and "Top 20" pop chartmaker, "Never Too Much". Insisting on creative control, Luther had a difficult time finding the right contract for himself in record-making.Īt age 30, he finally recorded his first solo album with the No. After performing with a short-lived singing group called "Luther", which was formed to include the talented musicians Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, who later formed the group, Chic, Luther returned to the background and took part in various projects for Quincy Jones and others. In the 1970s, while still working his way up, Luther voiced commercial jingles (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and provided backup vocals on tour and in session work for such notables as David Bowie, Chaka Khan, Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, Bette Midler and Donna Summer. He also sang in the film's choir selections.
His first big songwriting break came with "Everybody Rejoice (Can You Feel a Brand New Day)", which was used for the Broadway stage and film productions of "The Wiz".
In high school, Luther formed his own musical group and first started to write and compose. Luther was influenced by his older sister Patricia, who became a member of a doo-wop group called The Crests, and scored with the 1958 single "Sixteen Candles". Despite this sadness, his mother, a practical nurse, made sure that music was prevalent in the Vandross household, particularly gospel, soul and doo-wop. His father, also named Luther, was an upholsterer who died of diabetes when the singer was just eight years old. was born in Manhattan, New York on April 20, 1951, the baby of four children. The soul balladeer's strong commitment to the art of music continued on its Grammy-winning course, even after an acute stroke in 2003 left him severely incapacitated and unable to continue public appearances. Designated the "heartbeat" of R&B during the 1980s and 1990s, Luther Vandross led a productive singing and songwriting life before to this preeminence.
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