Vandross, Luther

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Luther Vandross

Singer, songwriter

Rhythm and blues singer Luther Vandross is best known for his soulful renditions of emotionally charged love ballads. Vandross’ wide singing range runs from lush tenor to robust baritone and represents only one of his various talents. He has won numerous Grammy awards, while maintaining complete artistic control of his work. His musical compositions and arrangements have been recorded by many of the greatest American pop singers. Vandross, in addition to his fame as a solo artist, gained notoriety as one of the most talented backup singers in modern music. He released an astonishing 13 platinum albums in succession, beginning with his first major release.

Vandross was born in New York on Manhattan’s Lower East Side on April 20, 1951. The youngest of four siblings, he was the son of an upholsterer who died from diabetes when Vandross was just eight. As a result, Vandross developed a close relationship with his mother, Mary Ida Vandross. The Vandross children were musically inclined, a trait that they inherited from their parents. His mother recognized Vandross’ particular musical bent and saw to his musical education when he was still very young, beginning his piano lessons at age three.

One of Vandross’ older sisters sang with the Crests as a teen-ager, and although she left home while Vandross was still a child, he cultivated a particular love and respect for the female singing styles. He was drawn in particular to the late 1960’s moods of Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, and Aretha Franklin. Vandross saw the unrestrained emotion of female singers was a magnificent faculty rarely found in the work of male pop vocalists. When Vandross was 13 he moved with his mother to the South Bronx in New York where he attended Taft High School. His interest in music became overpowering by his senior year, and although he enrolled at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, he abandoned his formal education after by the end of his second semester, opting instead to embark on a musical career.

From that point Vandross achieved prominence through a delicate combination of talent and luck. One of his compositions, “Everybody Rejoice,” was incorporated into the score of the Broadway musical The Wizln 1972. Two years later he attended some taping sessions for rock star David Bowie in the company of a friend who worked as part of the Bowie entourage. As Vandross observed the taping sessions he expressed personal observations about Bowie’s musical arrangements. Vandross used his own voice to illustrate his ideas, and his comments were taken seriously by Bowie, who encouraged Vandross to join the company as a backup artist on Bowie’s album Young Americans.

Eventually Vandross was invited to tour with Bowie, as a warm up for Bowie’s act. Vandross accepted the offer, but soon complained that the experience was exhausting, and expressed apprehension. The stress of performance caused him to be nervous and overwrought. He felt anxious at the thought of facing an audience of strangers. Bowie, convinced of Vandross’ potential, influenced Vandross to persevere, emphasizing to Vandross that the experiences of live performance would be critical to his future success as an entertainer.

In time Bowie referred Vandross to Bette Midler who arranged to hire Vandross as a backup singer. Vandross embarked on a career as a backup singer for many popular artists including Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, and the Average White Band. He also made a lucrative living singing jingles fortelevision commercials. During this time Vandross sang with the disco band Change and created a group called Bionic Boogie, a studio production of sound mixes, all performed by Vandross—a virtual one-man band.

Vandross formed his own R&B group, Luther, in 1975. With the influence of Arif Mardin the group Luther signed to record with Cotillion Records. Luther was a short-lived enterprise, their records falling well short of expectations.

For the Record…

Born April 20, 1951, in New York; father, an upholsterer; mother, Mary Ida Vandross; youngest of four siblings. Education: Attended Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI.

Career: wrote “Everybody Rejoice” for The Wiz, 1972; backup singer on David Bowie’s Young Americans; toured with David Bowie, 1974; Atlantic Records, backup vocalist for Bette Midler, Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, Roberta Flack, and others, 1974-81; singer/songwriter of commercial jingles, started group, Bionic Boogie and sang with Change, 1974; signed group, Luther, with Cotillion records, 1975; signed with Sony’s Epic Records, released 13 consecutive platinum selling albums, 1981-1997; performed “In the Spotlight” from Royal Albert Hall for Public Broadcasting System, 1994; first release with Virgin Records in 1998.

Awards: National Academy of Recording Arts & Science Most Valuable Player—Best Male Vocalist, 1979; Grammy awards: Best R&B Song, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance, 1990; Best R&B Male Vocal Performance, 1998.

Addresses: Record company —Virgin Records, 338 North Foothill Road, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

Vandross, meanwhile, aspired to a recording contract that would allow him complete creative control over his recordings. Vandross signed with Epic Records in 1981 and his popularity, both as a singer and a songwriter, flourished steadily from that point forward.

Over the years Vandross wrote songs for Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, while his own singing career blossomed steadily. By 1991 his double album, The Best of Luther Vandross, The Best of Love, became a double platinum seller, and Vandross’ success was assured. In 1991-92 Vandross embarked on a U.S. tour that culled a total attendance of 650,000 spectators nationwide and earned $15 million in box office receipts. In 1994 he performed a television special for the Public Broadcasting System called In the Spotlight, from Royal Albert Hall in London. He released a Christmas album in 1995, featuring seven new co-written songs, along with a variety of classic carols. In 1996 Vandross performed at the Essence Music Festival. Vandross received the honor of singing the national anthem at the 1997 NFL Super Bowl, and that same year went on a five-city U.S. tour beginning in Las Vegas and culminating in Washington D.C.

Vandross parted ways with Epic in 1998, after a 16-year partnership during which Vandross released 12 hit albums and sent22 of singles into the top tenof the R&B charts. The separation from Sony—attributed to a dispute over artistic freedom—led to a new contract for Vandross with Virgin Records. His firstalbum for Virgin, 1998s/Know, featured a bevy of stars including Stevie Wonder, “Precise,” Cassandra Wilson, and Bob James. The album received generally excellent reviews. Despite achieving super-stardom as a solo artist, Vandross continued to sing as a back up from time to time for a number of notable singers.

Vandross received five Grammy awards from 1990-98, including two for “Power of Love.” He received three Grammys for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance, and also one for Best R&B song. All together he received three Grammy nominations in 1994, four nominations in 1995; three nominations in 1996, and three in 1997. Vandross made an acting debut in 1993 in the Robert Townsend film The Meteor Man and co-hosted the Soul Train Music Awards.