The light at the end of this very long A2Z tunnel is shining. Can you see it, kittens and dawgs? Hallelujah, that sweet victory is almost mine (maybe yours, too)!

This month, I preëmpted my routine posts, for the most part, to share my daily submissions to the largest Blogosphere party ever. I promise things will resume to normal next month. Meanwhile, I hope you’ll stick around to enjoy this morning’s #AprilA2Z fun!

Allow me to present the beautiful R&B style of

Luther Vandross!

Vandross is new-to-me in name, but his voice is oh so familiar. You know how I am with placing an artist with his/her music. I really like his style and enjoyed listening to the below YouTube video while I composed this post. So, I invite you to minimize my blog in the background, click play, and listen to the soulful sound of today’s featured artist while you’re cruising the A2Z playing field this morning.

In R&B music, Luther Vandross ranked with Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson as one of the most successful singer/songwriters and producers of the ’80s. Amazingly, unlike those peers, for the most part he did not cross over to widespread pop appeal, a situation that finally began to change at the end of the ’80s.

Vandross had an elastic tenor that made him a natural for backup singing and commercial work in the early ’70s, when he became a top session vocalist. In the second half of the ’70s, he recorded under a variety of guises, cutting two albums for Cotillion under the name “Luther,” recording with the session groups Roundtree and Change, and singing on hits by Chic.

In 1981, Vandross signed with Epic and released his début album, Never Too Much, which topped the R&B charts and sold two million copies. The title track was also an R&B number one hit single and reached the pop Top 40.

Vandross went on to produce albums for Aretha Franklin and other female singers, while maintaining his own career through the ’80s. His albums Forever, for Always, for Love (’82), Busy Body (’83), The Night I Fell in Love (’85), Give Me the Reason (’86), and Any Love (’88) were all million-sellers that spawned major R&B hits, but Vandross’ pop success was spotty until 1989, when Epic released The Best of Luther Vandross…The Best of Love, a greatest-hits album containing the new track “Here and Now,” which became Vandross’ first Top Ten pop hit. That proved his breakthrough.

Vandross’ next album, Power of Love (’91), another million-seller, featured two pop hits, “Power of Love/Love Power” and “Don’t Want to Be a Fool.” He returned to the pop Top Ten in 1992 with “The Best Things in Life Are Free” from the movie Mo’ Money, a duet with Janet Jackson. His next album, Never Let Me Go (’93), marked a slight falloff in sales, but Songs (’94), an all-covers album, restored his commercial standing, featuring a gold-selling pop Top Ten remake of “Endless Love,” a duet with Mariah Carey. This Is Christmas (’96) and Your Secret Love (’97) were million-sellers. One Night With You: The Best of Love, Vol. 2 (’97) compiled Vandross’ hits from 1991-’96. He returned in ’98 with I Know. Smooth Love followed two years later and a self-titled release on J Records appeared in spring 2001.

^{**The above Vandross info borrowed from findthefun.com**}

If you want an in-depth account of Vandross’ life, then you can read about him on Wikipedia.  Have you heard of Vandross before now?

Follow me while I visit various bloggers taking part in this vicarious A2Z challenge! Leave a comment and I’ll see you soon!

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