Luther Vandross

diabetes

...Luther's father died of diabetes when the singer was just eight years old. In 2003, he wrote the song 'Dance with My Father' as a tribute to him, base...

Dance with My Father

...the singer was just eight years old. In 2003, he wrote the song ' Dance with My Father ' as a tribute to him, based on his childhood memories and his mo...

three

...d dancing in the house. How did he get his start in music? At the age of three , with his own phonograph, Luther taught himself to play the piano by ea...

Shades of Jade

...lub, of which he was president. He also performed in a group called Shades of Jade . As well as performing at amateur nights, he also in several episod...

early 1970s

...reet in 19691970. He began providing backing vocals to artists in the early 1970s , including Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, and started writing son...

David Bowie

...ted writing songs for other artists. Luther cowrote 'Fascination' for David Bowie and went on tour with him as a backing singer, and wrote the song 'E...

Never Too Much

...to Epic Records as a solo artist and released his debut solo album, Never Too Much , in 1981. Many of his songs were covers of original music by other ...

1981

...s as a solo artist and released his debut solo album, Never Too Much, in 1981 . Many of his songs were covers of original music by other artists such a...

over 40 million

... were all hit songs in his career. During his career, Vandross sold over 40 million records worldwide, having eleven consecutive Platinum albums a rec...

eleven

...ing his career, Vandross sold over 40 million records worldwide, having eleven consecutive Platinum albums a record achieved by a R&B artist at the ti...

The Closer I Get to You

...tar, I (Who Have Nothing) and Always and Forever. Duets such as The Closer I Get to You with Beyoncé, Endless Love with Mariah Carey and The Best Thin...

Beyoncé

...ing) and Always and Forever. Duets such as The Closer I Get to You with Beyoncé , Endless Love with Mariah Carey and The Best Things in Life Are Free w...

four

... Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four different times. He won a total of four Grammy Awards in 2004 including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year fo...

April 20, 1951

...My Father. Early life edit Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr. was born on April 20, 1951 , at Bellevue Hospital, in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, N...

Kips Bay

...rly life edit Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr. was born on April 20, 1951, at Bellevue Hospital, in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City....

1980s

...In the 1980s as R&B music turned from vocals to the slick styling of studio production that was rampant in the 1990s and the beginning of the 21st cen...

He made you fall in love with his voice

...oner for his vocals and lyrics. That was Luther's gift: He made you fall in love with his voice . His father, Luther, and his mother, Mary Ida, raised ...

His father, Luther, and his mother, Mary Ida

...her's gift: He made you fall in love with his voice. His father, Luther, and his mother, Mary Ida , raised him and his older siblings in a house filled...

the Crests

.... When Vandross was older, one of his sisters was a part of the group the Crests , who released the popular song 16 Candles. In high school, Vandross' ...

The Wiz

...nds, including Carlos Alomar. It was used in the Broadway production of The Wiz , and for the movie version of the musical. His friend, Alomar, had bec...

6' 2½

...Nickname Ronnie Height 6' 2½ (1.89 m) Mini Bio (1) Designated the heartbeat of R&B during the 1980s and 1990s, Luther Vandross led a productive singin...

2003

...sic continued on its Grammywinning course, even after an acute stroke in 2003 left him severely incapacitated and unable to continue public appearance...

Luther Ronzoni

...m severely incapacitated and unable to continue public appearances. Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr. was born in Manhattan, New York on April 20, 1951, th...

upholsterer

...951, the baby of four children. His father, also named Luther, was an upholsterer who died of diabetes when the singer was just eight years old. Despi...

eight years old

...r, was an upholsterer who died of diabetes when the singer was just eight years old . Despite this sadness, his mother, a practical nurse, made sure th...

The Crests

...s older sister Patricia, who became a member of a doowop group called The Crests , and scored with the 1958 single Sixteen Candles. In high school, Lut...

Everybody Rejoice (Can You Feel a Brand New Day),

...compose. 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 pr...

writing or cowriting

...ound the world, but he also took charge of his music creatively, writing or cowriting most of his songs and arranging and producing his records. He al...

nurse

... parents, Luther Vandross, Sr., an upholsterer, and Mary Ida Vandross, a nurse , sang, and they encouraged their children to pursue music as a career. ...

1959

...r children to pursue music as a career. After the death of his father in 1959 when he was eight years old, he was raised by his mother, who moved the ...

Carlos Alomar, Robin Clark, Anthony Hinton, Diane Sumler, and Fonzi Thornton

... group, Shades of Jade, with friends Carlos Alomar, Robin Clark, Anthony Hinton, Diane Sumler, and Fonzi Thornton . After graduating from high school t...

Western Michigan University

...fter graduating from high school that year, Vandross attended Western Michigan University , but dropped out after a year and returned home. He spent th...

Delores Hall

...In This Lovely Hour and Who's Gonna Make It Easier for Me, recorded by Delores Hall on her album HallMark, singing the latter song with her as a duet....

Listen My Brother

...ed in a number of bands and became a member of a theater workshop, Listen My Brother . In 1970, he dropped out of Western Michigan University to pursue...

1970

...f bands and became a member of a theater workshop, Listen My Brother. In 1970 , he dropped out of Western Michigan University to pursue a fulltime care...

1960s

...le pop singers. With a sound that echoed the smooth soul stylings of the 1960s , Vandross was a fixture on the rhythm and blues charts from his solo re...

Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick

... modeled after great female vocalists such as his friends Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick . Came from Musical Family Born in New York City in 1951, ...

New York City

...Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick. Came from Musical Family Born in New York City in 1951, Vandross was the youngest of four children. His father, an...

Sixteen Candles

...er Pat was a member of a doowop group called the Crests, whose song Sixteen Candles was a fairly big hit when it came out. By the time he was 13, Vand...

13

...the Crests, whose song Sixteen Candles was a fairly big hit when it came out. By the time he was 13 , Vandross was the only child still living at home....