Luther Vandross was many things. An expressive, technically gifted vocalist, he won eight Grammy awards, including song of the year, and once scored a remarkable 11 consecutive RIAA-certified platinum albums. He was named one of music’s greatest singers by Rolling Stone. He was an early star on Sesame Street.
But was he a rock ‘n’ roller? It’s a question asked by some critics after his 2026 nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Early collaborator David Bowie certainly thought so: “What a breath of fresh air,” he said in the documentary Luther: Never Too Much. “He had such a fantastic voice.”
Vandross also worked with Todd Rundgren, Ringo Starr and Paul Simon. When the American Music Awards were putting together a tribute to a Beatles legend, they called Luther Vandross.
Why Was Luther Vandross Nominated for the Rock Hall?
Sure, Vandross is best known as an R&B singer – but that doesn’t disqualify him from the Rock Hall either. In fact, inductees were never limited to guitar-slinging rock guys. The very first class included Sam Cooke.
The second featured Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, B.B. King, the Coasters and Aretha Franklin – the latter of whom also had an important career intersection with Vandross. The Rock Hall welcomed the Supremes and the Drifters as part of its third class. Later inductees have included scores of R&B acts, with hip-hop and country more recently added to the mix.
From the very beginning, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame held fast to a larger idea: Rock was informed by and in turn passed along its core values to music that could look and sound like something else entirely. Luther Vandross personifies that.
Listen to Luther Vandross on David Bowie’s ‘Young Americans’
Vandross began working with Bowie in the mid-’70s. He arranged the backing vocals for the hit title track from Young Americans, then led the funky singalong. Vandross estate manager David Gottlieb told Billboard that it’s “very easy to make Luther’s connection to rock and roll. ‘Young Americans’ doesn’t happen without Luther in the room. The song is the [second] Top 40 hit that Bowie had, and Luther’s voice is all over that song and its structure.”
READ MORE: The Best Song From Every David Bowie Album
When Vandross arrived at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia, Bowie was still struggling to complete the track. “‘Young Americans’ had a strong, lengthy dialogue but no hook,” Bowie producer Tony Visconti told Mojo. “Then one time, as Luther led the backing vocals, he snatched at the words ‘Young Americans’ and came up with the perfect musical hook: ‘Young American, young American, she wants the young American.'”
How David Bowie Helped Launch Luther Vandross’ Career
It was a remarkable entry into the world of rock for someone whose only industry claim to fame was background vocals on 1972’s Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway. “David Bowie was already David Bowie then,” Vandross later recalled. “A lot of guys who are already stars don’t listen to suggestions but David’s mind has always been open. No wonder he has had such an amazing career. He’s not afraid of anything.”
Bowie also gave Vandross an important piece of advice: Time to go solo. “You’re getting a chance to sharpen your tools,” Vandross remembered Bowie telling him. “You’re getting the experience of a lifetime in advance of what I know is going to be your career.”
There was still a winding road ahead, but Vandross eventually made good on a legendary rock star’s prediction. Here are five reasons why Luther Vandross should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:
No. 1. Luther Vandross Worked His Way to the Top
Vandross seemed to arrive fully formed, soaring to No. 1 in 1981 with both his debut album and single. But like so many great Hall of Fame stories, Never Too Much and its title tune followed years of paid dues. In fact, Vandross held the distinctly unglamorous job of singing commercial jingles in the late-’70s for the likes of the U.S. Armed Forces, Juicy Fruit and Gino’s Pizza, among others.
His song “Everybody Rejoice/A Brand New Day” was also memorably used in Kodak TV spots. “I don’t think I could remember them all if I tried,” Vandross said in Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross. He also recalled working with “Kentucky Fried Chicken, Miller Beer [and] that AT&T ‘Reach Out and Touch Someone’ commercial.”
Vandross saved money from these typically faceless gigs to pay for studio time to complete his first album. On a shoe-string budget, Vandross produced the sessions himself.
Paul Hawthorne, Getty Images
No. 2. Luther Vandross Had Many Rock Connections
Work with David Bowie went beyond the title track from Young Americans. Vandross’ song “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)” served as a foundation for “Fascination,” found elsewhere on the same 1975 album. Bowie added new lyrics, but basically kept the rest. “He said, ‘Do you mind?'” Vandross later explained. “And I said, ‘You’re David Bowie, I live at home with my mother. You can do what you like.'”
Vandross also toured with Bowie before reuniting to complete the background chorus on “Underground” for the 1986 movie Labyrinth. He toured with Todd Rundgren’s Utopia in 1975, as well, appearing on their Another Live album. This era was later commemorated on Todd Rundgren’s Utopia: Live at Hammersmith Odeon ’75, released in 2012. He sang background vocals throughout Ringo Starr’s Ringo the 4th in 1977, then appeared on “New York Times” from Cat Stevens‘ 1978 LP Back to Earth.
READ MORE: Who’s Been Inducted Into the Rock Hall More Than Once?
He continued making new rock connections even after his own career took off. Vandross sang “Something” and “My Sweet Lord” in tribute to George Harrison at the 2002 American Music Awards ceremony. Elton John sang Burt Bacharach’s “Anyone Who Had a Heart” with Vandross on 2005’s So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross, and 2015’s The Essential Luther Vandross compilation included a live performance Simon and Garfunkel‘s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” with Paul Simon.
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
No. 3. Recognition Came Slowly for Luther Vandross
Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame would add to the wider recognition Luther Vandross always deserved. Instead, his career was only belatedly celebrated. He’d already put out six albums – all of which went platinum or multiplatinum – before finally winning a Grammy in 1991 for “Here and Now.” He notched an impressive five Top 10 hits on the Hot 100 – but the first didn’t arrive until 10 years into Vandross’ career.
In all, Vandross has been nominated for a whopping 33 Grammy awards, but only won eight – capped by 2004’s song of the year recognition for “Dance With My Father.” He died after suffering a heart attack just over a year later. Vandross left still feeling as if he’d been pigeonholed as a black R&B singer, blaming industry figures for his struggles to crossover.
“I just wanted more success,” he told the Associated Press. “This is the same voice that sang Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola, NBC ‘proud as a peacock’ – America, the world, has heard the voice, so there’s no reason that that music shouldn’t have gone the complete distance. I mean, to No. 1.” His best finish on the Hot 100 was a No. 2 remake of “Endless Love” with Mariah Carey. Meanwhile, “Never Too Much” somehow only reached No. 33.
No. 4. Rock Hall of Famers Loved to Work With Him
Say this for Luther Vandross: He was a first-call collaborator for an impressive number of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees.
Stevie Wonder‘s 1985 multi-chart No. 1 single “Part-Time Lover” included background vocals from Vandross. Wonder later added harmonica to the title track from Vandross’ gold-selling R&B Top 10 album I Know, from 1998. A group of friends including Wonder then helped Vandross complete a video for “Dancing With My Father” while he recovered from a devastating stroke. Wonder was inducted into the Rock Hall in 1989.
READ MORE: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Most Awkward Moments
Vandross jumpstarted Aretha Franklin’s career in the early-’80s, serving as principal producer and songwriter on 1982’s Jump to It. The LP topped the Billboard R&B chart, while the Vandross co-written title track became Franklin’s first Top 40 hit since 1976. (“Jump to It” was also her first R&B No. 1 since 1977.) Vandross then produced her 1983 follow-up Get It Right, featuring another Vandross co-written R&B chart-topping title track. Franklin joined the Hall of Fame in 1987.
Dionne Warwick’s How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye was produced by Vandross, and included an early-’80s crossover duet on the title song. They also collaborated on the title track for her 1984 follow-up LP, Finder of Lost Loves. Franklin, Warwick and Wonder attended Vandross’ star-studded funeral, then Franklin and Wonder both won Grammys for songs they contributed to 2005’s So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross. Warwick earned belated Rock Hall honors in 2024.
Stevie Wonder performs at the funeral for Luther Vandross. (Paul Hawthorne, Getty Images)
No. 5. Luther Vandross Helped Shape TV History
Vandross played an important role in a string of memorable television moments, beginning with performances on the pilot episodes of Sesame Street. He also made a splash on network TV – and in sports.
Muppets mastermind Jim Henson invited a vocal group featuring Vandross called Listen My Brother to appear on Sesame Street after hearing them at the Apollo Theater. Vandross sang their original song “You Gotta Learn” on the second-ever episode of the groundbreaking children’s program. Listen My Brother went on to make several other appearances throughout 1969-70.
READ MORE: More Than 30 Rock Intersections With the Muppets
Fast forward a decade. In the late-’70s and early-’80s, every NBC viewer became familiar with the network’s new stylized logo and “Proud as a Peacock” catchphrase. That’s became they endlessly played the catchy jingle, written by Joey Levine of jibberish-fueled “Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)” fame. Vandross’ voice brought the NBC campaign to life.
Later, his version of “One Shining Moment” began playing during 2003’s televised NCAA men’s basketball championship and became an instant sensation. Likely unknown to most college hoops fans, Vandross was dealing with serious health issues. “One Shining Moment” is often called the final song he ever recorded.
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Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff
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