Luther Vandross Biography
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. was born on April 20th in 1951. During his long career as a rhythm and blues singer/song writer, Luther won eight Grammy awards and sold over twenty five million albums. He died in 2005 at age fifty four. He left a legacy of music that has continued to give joy to millions of fans around the world.
Raised in the Lower east Side of New York City’s Manhattan, Luther began playing the piano at the tender age of three. His musical talent was quite apparent even then. His mother raised him and three other children alone after the death of Luther’s father when he was just eight years old. His mother made sure that music was a big part of the household from the start. Ten years after playing the piano would see an even that changed his life forever. Watching Dionne Warwick perform her song “Anyone Who Had a Heart” he decided then and there to become a performer. He set about his quest with a passion.
Performing in his local high school group called “Listen My Brother”, he and his band mates even played at the Apollo Theater located in Harlem. This early success spurred Luther on and in the late 1960’s he was a producer on the album, “Soul Christmas”. This was his first musical credit. Some time later he appeared on Sesame Street and even sang as a back up vocalist for Quincy Adams. The back up work did not stop there as during the 1970’s Luther worked with such notables as David Bowie, Donna Summer, Carly Simon and Bette Midler among others. David Bowie actually discovered young Luther when he heard him sing one of Bowie’s own songs, “Young Americans”. Luther talent was so obvious even then that David Bowie put Luther on the recording of the song.
Through Bowie he was introduced to Bette Midler and was hired to arrange the vocals for one of her hit Broadway shows. It was after this that Luther started doing more back-up vocals and started meeting the right people. It was not only the serendipitous chance of meeting Bowie and others but Luther’s strong devotion to music and his talent that enabled him to shine and make the kind of records he wanted to.
For a time, Luther went to college in Western Michigan but soon dropped out. He knew without doubt that a career in the music industry was what he was destined for. Not only did he have the natural gift, he also had the desire and the opportunity to fulfill his dream of becoming a successful solo artist. After leaving college, Luther devoted his full-time energies into music. The resultant career has been one of most respected and successful in R&B history.
Once Luther hit it big in the 1980’s, he became one of the most beloved and recognizable R&B acts of that decade. He continued to have success in the 90’s thanks to hits like “Always and Forever” and singing a duet with Mariah Carey on “My Endless Love.” His first solo album however came at age thirty and was called “Never Too Much”. On the R&B charts it went all the way to number one. On the pop charts it climbed to the top twenty. The next year saw continued success with another album, “Forever, For Always, For Love”. This was no early fluke of success as the rest of the decade saw him record more hit albums and finally snag a top ten single with “Here and Now”. This occurrence placed him firmly in the position of love song hero.
In his early career Luther had to fight hard for creative control. He wanted to not only perform his songs but be the writer and creator for all of his work. So not only was he a wonderful singer and song writer, he also produced his own albums. He performed this function for many of his contemporaries. So thankfully, many other artists were able to benefit from his skills as a producer and this in turn launched career that may have been stymied otherwise.
Luther’s love for music was obvious. Because of his appreciation of the music of his youth, he set about reinterpreting classic pop and R&B songs. He had a strong desire to give credit where credit was due and keep the music that inspired him and many others alive and well in today’s hits. And although he was inspired by old school acts like Warwick, Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson, he also knew a thing or two about jazz and disco. When he made his own albums, Luther incorporated these elements into his writing. This was a great strength for him: the ability to blend old with new and create a new kind of style that both older and younger generations could enjoy.
It became a true dream to live when Luther began producing for some of the artists he idolized when he grew up. He worked with such legendary artists like Aretha Franklin, producing her 1982 album “Jump to It”. This album topped the R&B charts and was her first gold album in six years. Luther also continued to work as a back up singer and did many duets with some of his idols. He sang on Diana Ross’s 1982 LP “Silk Electric”. It was during this time that Luther worked on his solo act and broke through to the big time.
In April of 2003, Luther suffered a stroke that would ultimately be the cause of his death in 2005. Luther later developed pneumonia and fell into a coma. In June of the same year, he woke up from the coma and underwent massive therapy for the resultant damage. Five days later his latest album, “Dance With My Father” was released. The CD opened at number one on the Top 200 list and sold over four hundred thousand copies.
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