It is truly hard to believe that five years have gone by already since R&B music’s talented tenor, Luther Vandross, passed away. But today, we chose to remember the star for his musical contributions and also celebrate his birthday. Vandross would have turned 59 on today April 20th.
Throughout most of the 80s and 90s, Luther’s unmatched talent blasted through the music world and left the shining star atop the charts. To this date, Luther Vandross has earned record sales of over 25 million albums, eight Grammy Awards and his amazing voice still manages to wrestle emotion from the coldest heart. He gave us love with his voice and every time he opened his mouth, he showed us more and more what it felt like.
He had such a pure tone and vocal quality, excellent songwriting and impeccable stage presence. There still is no one like our Luther, don’t you agree?
Here’s one of our favorite R&B jams by the late singer/songwriter – “Superstar” live in concert. Can we hear you R&B lovers sing it along with us now?
Arguably one of, if not the best balladeer ever, Luther Vandross’ signature sound has left an indelible impact on what most of us consider to be authentic R&B music. There would be no Raheem DeVaughn, no Usher, no Ginuwine, no SisQo, no Jaheim and no Trey Songz had it not been for Luther Vandross. This is real music and quite frankly, could be the last of its kind if we’re not careful.
Today, on his birthday we salute Luther Vandross and thank him for the years of beautiful music, his gift, his smile and the memory of his life. Happy Birthday Luther Vandross. We sure do miss you!
