Luther Vandross was an iconic R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, he sold over 25 million records worldwide and received eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times. He is often referred to as “The Velvet Voice” and often times “The Best Male Voice of a Generation.”
“A House Is Not a Home” was a Dionne Warwick cover and successful hit single on Vandross’ 1981 debut album Never Too Much. The track became one of Vandross’s signature songs. His performance of the song at the 1988 NAACP Awards telecast brought Warwick to tears. Vandross’ version was sampled on the 2004 hit single “Slow Jamz” by Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx & Twista. Vandross was known for his perfect tenor and amazing vocal range.
His vocal talent often led to him being compared to his female counterparts like Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Patti LaBelle and mostly Whitney Houston. Mariah Carey stated that even she was “intimidated” by Vandross’ vocal prowess when standing beside him to record “Endless Love”. Check out the video of his 1988 NAACP Awards performance of “A House Is Not a Home” above!
