Vandross added backing vocals to Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway in 1972, and worked on Delores Hall's Hall-Mark album (1973). 1970s: Back-up vocalist and first groups Directly afterward, he appeared with the group in the pilot episode and other episodes of the first season of Sesame Street during 1969–1970. The group performed in front of tens of thousands at the Harlem Cultural Festival in late August 1969. While he was a member of a theater workshop, Listen My Brother, he was involved in the singles 'Only Love Can Make a Better World' and 'Listen My Brother'. During his early years in show business, he appeared several times at the Apollo's famous amateur night. He also performed in a group, Shades of Jade, that once played at the Apollo Theater. While in high school, Vandross founded the first Patti LaBelle fan club, of which he was president. Vandross graduated from William Howard Taft High School in the Bronx in 1969, and attended Western Michigan University for a year before dropping out to continue pursuing a career in music. Patricia sang with the vocal group The Crests and was featured on the songs 'My Juanita' and 'Sweetest One'. His sisters, Patricia 'Pat' and Ann, began taking Vandross to the Apollo Theater and to a theater in Brooklyn to see Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin. His family moved to the Bronx when he was nine. In 2003, Vandross wrote the song ' Dance with My Father' and dedicated it to him the title was based on his childhood memories and his mother's recollections of the family singing and dancing in the house.

Vandross' father died of diabetes when Vandross was eight years old. At the age of three, having his own phonograph, Vandross taught himself to play the piano by ear. Vandross was raised in Manhattan's Lower East Side in the NYCHA Alfred E. His father was an upholsterer and singer, and his mother was a nurse. He was the fourth child and second son of Mary Ida Vandross and Luther Vandross, Sr. was born on April 20, 1951, at Bellevue Hospital, in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. 2.2 1980s: Change and solo breakthrough.2.1 1970s: Back-up vocalist and first groups.He won a total of four Grammy Awards in 2004 including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for a song recorded not long before his death, ' Dance with My Father'. Duets such as ' The Closer I Get to You' with Beyoncé, ' Endless Love' with Mariah Carey and ' The Best Things in Life Are Free' with Janet Jackson were all hit songs in his career.ĭuring his career, Vandross sold over 40 million records worldwide, having eleven consecutive Platinum albums a record achieved by a R&B artist at the time and received eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four different times. Many of his songs were covers of original music by other artists such as ' If This World Were Mine' (duet with Cheryl Lynn), ' Since I Lost My Baby', ' Superstar', ' I (Who Have Nothing)' and ' Always and Forever'. His hit songs include ' Never Too Much', ' Here and Now', ' Any Love', ' Power of Love/Love Power', ' I Can Make It Better' and ' For You to Love'. After Vandross left the group, he was signed to Epic Records as a solo artist and released his debut solo album, Never Too Much, in 1981. He later became a lead singer of the group Change, which released its Gold-certified debut album, The Glow of Love, in 1980 on Warner/RFC Records. In addition to his popular work as a solo recording artist, Vandross was also an in-demand background vocalist throughout his career for several artists, including Todd Rundgren, Judy Collins, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Ben E. He is noted for his sweet and soulful vocals. (Ap– July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.

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