Luther Vandross was an American singer-songwriter who started his artistic career playing backing vocals for artists such as Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Barbra Streisand and other Donna Summer.
We find him in a quintet called "Luther" at the end of the 70s, quintet which will release two albums and which will know some pretty successes of esteem with titles like "It's good for the soul", "Funky music (Is a part of me)” and “The second time around".
In 1978, then in 1979, we find him in groups such as "Greg Diamond's bionic boogie", "Soirée", "Mascara" and other "Charme".
His career took off at the very start of the 1980s when he joined Jacques Fred Petrus's concept project "Change". In particular thanks to 2 major titles of which he will be the singer and which are "The glow of love" and "Searching". Project that he quickly quit amid disagreement with Pétrus over the amount of his remuneration (which he considers too low).
He released his first solo album "Never too much" in 1981, an album which was certified Double Platinum and which mainly produced the Single of the same name. Single which will perform well in the Charts, especially in the R&B ranking.
A year later in 1982 the album "Forever, For always, for love" was released. New success.
Followed in 1983 by the album "Busy body". Album that will produce one of his biggest hits, "How many times can we say goodbye" which he performs in duet with Dionne Warwick.
The next album "The night I fell in love" which came out in 1985 is even stronger than the previous one. Album from which the top hit “Til my baby comes home” will be extracted.
This is without counting on the album "Give me the reason" which was released the following year in 1986 and which was to be certified Double Platinum across the Channel and in the USA, just that. And which contains what will remain as one of his flagship Singles namely "Stop to love".
The year 1988 saw the release of the album "Any love" which allowed the singer to record two new big hits with the titles "Any love" and "She won’t talk to me". Success that followed at an impressive speed, the proof in 1989 with the release of the Single "Here and now". Single which will remain as one of the highest ranked of all his discography.
The turn of the decade is not a sign of its success given the impressive sales scores recorded by the albums "Power of love", "Never let me go", "Songs" and "Your secret love". Released respectively in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1996. All certified Platinum at least in the USA !
From which will be extracted the mega hits "The best things in life are free" in 1992 which he performs in duet notably with Janet Jackson. And "Endless love" which he performs this time in a duet with Maria Carey.
Luther Vandross will stay as one of the most gifted and prolific singers of his generation. And his discography will remain as one of the most brilliant both in terms of quality and duration. Because it ran from 1981 to 2006 with an impressive number of hits !! Few singers can claim to have done so much.
Singer who left us definitively and above all prematurely on July 1, 2005 at the age of 54 following complications linked to a stroke.
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
80s Decade :
The glow of love (Change) 1980
Never too much 1981
Don't you know that 1981
Sugar and spice (I found me a girl) 1982
If this world were mine 1982
Bad boy/Having a party 1982
Since I lost my baby 1983
You're the swetest one 1983
Promise me 1983
How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye 1983
I'll let you slide 1983
Superstar/Until you come back to me (That's what I'm gonna do) 1984
Make me a believer 1984
I wanted your love 1984
Til my baby commes home 1985
It's over now 1985
Wait for love 1985
If only for one night 1986
Give me the reason 1986
Stop to love 1986
There's nothing better than love 1987
I really didn’t mean it 1987
So amazing 1987
See mee 1987
I gave it up (When I fell in love) 1988
Any love 1988
She won’t talk to me 1988
Here and now 1989
90s Decade :
Treat you right 1990
Power of love 1991
Don’t want to be a fool 1991
The rush 1991
Sometimes it's only love 1992
The best things in life are free 1992
Little miracles (Happen every day) 1993
Heaven knows 1993
Never let me go 1993
Love is on the way 1993
Endless love 1994
Always and forever 1994
Love the one you're with 1995
Going in circles 1995
Ain't no stoppin' us now 1995
Every year, every Christmas 1995
Your secret love 1996
I can make it better 1996
I won't let you do that to me 1997
When you call on me/ Baby that's when I come runnin' 1998
I know 1998
Nights in Harlem 1998
I'm only human 1999
Are you using me ? 1999
2000s Decade :
Take you out 2001
Can heaven wait 2001
If I was the one 2001
I'd rather 2002
Dance with my father 2003
Think about you 2003
Buy me a rose 2004
The closer I get to you 2004
Shine 2006
Got your home 2006
Tracks :
1980 ... the beginnings. The beginning of a career which, for the moment, combines with several. But it's not going to last ...
1981 ... the first Single of the solo career. And for a first try, it's a real masterstroke. Probably one of the best Funk sounds of the start of the decade. Result : first global mega hit !
1981 ... he will prove to be as good in Dance as in the Intimist register. The mark of the Great !
1982...even if the level of success will weaken somewhat thereafter, this does not in any way change the excellent start made up until then...
1982 ... alone or with 2, he ensures, to say the least. A solo career that starts off with a bang where we can already see the artist's full potential...
1982...the 3 titles released that year will be ranked, admittedly only in the United States but they will at least have been ranked...
1983...he decides to go back here in the field of 'Get out the handkerchiefs'. And by Jove, in this very particular register, he shows more than obvious skills...
1983...despite all his efforts he could not repeat the feat achieved in 1981 and yet it was not for lack of trying. Patience, patience...
1983...given the quality of what he continues to produce there is no reason why he will not manage to reach the stars again at some point...
1983 ... he sets the table for 2. And not with just anyone. Given the level of the partner, we can imagine that the result could only be up to par !
1983 ... back to Dance. The real. The success is limited to Anglo-Saxon countries but whatever, the quality is there !
1984...the beautiful adventure continues in style with a year 1984 which sees him maintain himself in the leading pack without too much difficulty...
1984...certainly at the back of the pack but it's still better than nothing as they say. We can't believe for a single second that it will be like this until the end...
1984... he's sure to make it back to the top of the mountain at some point. That's all we can hope for anyway...
1985 ... a change of vintage that rhymes with business recovery. Success is back and on a planetary level. A new dynamic is slowly but surely taking place ...
1985 ... there are the Intimist years and the Dance years. 1985 will be part of the 2nd category, that's obvious. ..
1985...the very 'small' hit of the year. Coming after the 2 previous huge titles is not easy and the result in the Charts is somewhat affected...
1986...a year 1986 that starts quietly but risks ending very differently. We hope in the most positive way possible...
1986 ... an indefinable title, halfway between Intimist and Dance. Anyway, a successful title, that's clear !
1986 ... yet another track where the rhythms overlap. We can tell that muddling the waters has become a game that amuses him. And it works. Here he signs the second biggest success of his career !
1987 ... new duo but this time 100 % male. And it works perfectly again. MA-GIC !
1987 ... back to pure dance. A discography that grows year after year and which is on the way to becoming one of the busiest of the decade !
1987 ... an Intimist register once again in the spotlight with this particularly inspired title. It's becoming a habit with him !
1987...a BIG year with no less than 4 titles produced that year. Four titles released and four titles ranked, good work !
1988...a year that still starts quietly but it could be that the rest will be much more in favor of the artist...
1988 ... a very BIG year 1988 with 2 mega hits starting with this one. The singer now perfectly masters the elements and everything becomes disconcertingly easy for him ...
1988 ... and here is the 2nd. The least we can say is that it grooves serious. A constant with him when he is in the dance field, it is undeniable !
1989 ... the years go by but are not necessarily alike. After one of the most brilliant years of 1988, 1989 seems somewhat palate in terms of quantity. On the other hand, on the quality side, it's something else. Only one hit on the clock, but what a hit. He signs here one of his Masterpieces, just that !
1990...here he is, starting this new decade with the firm intention of not giving up and continuing to reach for the stars...
1991 ... a change of decade perfectly mastered despite a year 1990 almost empty. We find the artist in dazzling form in this year 1991 and here he signs a new global mega hit which shows that we will have to count on him in this new decade !
1991 ... another BIG year which sees him align mega hit with mega hit. A successful career that has been maintained for nearly 10 years in the highest spheres of success. A real feat !
1991 ... the pass of 3 ! Admittedly, this title will not reach heights as high as the 2 previous titles but will approach more or less...
1992...a 'little' hit which reminds us that nothing is ever a given and that he must not give up if he wants to stay at the front of the race...
1992 ... when 2 huge names of the moment unite to give the best of themselves, the result is necessarily up to the task. New top hit !
1993...and it continues even more beautifully ! A dynamic of success that does not weaken and which proves de facto that this man really has talent. But we already knew that !
1993 ... for the year 1993, the mega hit, it will be this one. A less 'glorious' year than the previous one but which saw the artist maintain himself at an impressive qualitative level !
1993...especially since the production of titles does not weaken which can only reassure about the continuation of events. An adventure which is therefore far from being finished...
1993...a year 1993 that ends in freewheeling with ranked titles but with limited success to say the least. After all, as long as they are ranked...
1994 ... he will have sung with the greatest. But the converse is true for all its partners. He signs here a masterful cover of the sumptuous title of Lionel Richie dating from 1981. The copy is almost worth the original !
1994 ... a year definitely placed under the sign of romanticism and glamor. A succession of titles that literally float in the air. MA-GIC !
1995 ... not necessarily the best track of his career but a track that holds up, once again !
1995...this title will not really know the same level of success as its predecessor but it doesn't matter, everything is under control...
1995 ... he signs here a nice luxury cover of the magical title of the duo McFadden and Whitehead dating from 1979. It grooves serious !
1995...a nice Christmas title with finesse that stands out from the usual standards of the time. It won't bring him much more than that but still...
1996 ... the last notorious hit, 15 years after its debut. An exceptional career which will have seen him align mega hits with mega hits. La Classe, la grande !
1996 ... come on, the adventure is not quite over. Even if the artist is no longer at all in the standards of the time, that does not prevent him from continuing on his little path ...
1997...a year 1997 single-title and moreover without success, there are years like that. But once again, no need to worry...
1998...this new title will not do better than its predecessor but we are really surprised that these 2 titles have passed 'through' as they say...
1998... an end of decade that sees him struggling somewhat and yet quality is still there. Sometimes you shouldn't try to understand...
1998...when we see what he still manages to produce we are not too worried about the continuation of events concerning him even if the level of success decreases from year to year...
1999...and yet destiny begins to hover around the artist. A destiny that will strike him unexpectedly and far too early...
1999...even if the level of success has nothing to do with what it was, he still manages to classify most of the titles he produces. That's already something...
2001...and yes, an adventure that is not quite over, the proof. Unfortunately, it will experience a rather tragic epilogue...
2001... because the artist doesn't know it yet but he only has 4 years left to live. How can he imagine at this stage that destiny is hovering around him in this way...
2001...while success is still there at the start of this new decade, who could imagine for a single second that the artist would be struck in this way...
2002...in the prime of life, a career that continues to unroll quietly, in short all the signals are green. At least that's what we imagine...
2003...he will even achieve a final global top hit here and show de facto that he still has his whole future ahead of him...
2003...but when fate gets involved, it's hard to fight. He won't be the only one to have left far too soon unfortunately...
2004...the fifties are always a delicate passage for artists and many of the most gifted will not have passed it...
2004...it's difficult to know the precise reasons for this crucial milestone, but for many artists it was the moment of real disengagement, whether in terms of their career or their health for a certain number...
2006...all the titles that follow will therefore be posthumous titles. In the end, it will still remain a career that is remarkable in every way...
2006...an adventure that would have deserved to be continued as long as possible but destiny decided otherwise. Impossible to fight in these conditions...
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Greatest Hits :
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