Luther Vandross: Google doodle a video to honor ‘Velvet Voice’ on 70th birthday

Happy Birthday, Luther Vandross!

Today Google presents a video doodle to celebrate the 70th birthday of multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer Luther Vandross—the “Velvet Voice” whose silky-smooth tenor ballads romanced generations with inimitable style and grace.

The video doodle is created by Atlanta-based guest artist Sam Bass. Luther Vandross  (Birth name Luther Ronzoni Vandross) was born on this day in 1951 in New York City. He grew up inspired by soul music giants such as Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, and Dionne Warwick.

While he was five, he showed an interest in singing, often using the coin-operated recording booths found in stores sprinkled throughout New York City at the time. He truly knew music was his destiny after a Warwick performance blew him away at 13—so starts writing songs. After completing his high school, Luther Vandross showcased his tunes at Amateur Night at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. Although he never won first place, he joined the theater’s performing arts group “Listen My Brother Revue,” who sang on the 1969 pilot episode of the children’s show “Sesame Street” and gave Luther Vandross his first taste of widespread exposure.  

Luther Vandross got the next chance when his original composition “Everybody Rejoice” was featured in “The Wiz,” a 1974 Broadway musical later adapted into an Academy Award-winning film. From there, Luther Vandross launched himself into dozens of collaborative projects with artists like David Bowie, Ringo Starr, Whitney Houston, and Ben E. King. His knack for infectious hooks also landed him gigs singing commercial jingles for Juicy Fruit and several other major brands.

In 1981, Luther Vandross launched his solo career and took full creative control to compose, write, and produce his debut studio album “Never Too Much”—the soundtrack of today’s Doodle and the first of 14 studio albums that went either platinum or multi-platinum!

A fine-tuned maestro of performance, Luther Vandross took his passionate songs on worldwide tours, where he poured his style into all aspects of live production, from the design of background singers sparkling gowns to the mood-setting stage lights. In 1989, Vandross’s devotion to the live experience set an international milestone when he became the first male artist to sell out 10 consecutive shows at London’s Wembley Arena.

During his career, Luther Vandross sold over 35 million records worldwide and received eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four different times. He won 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." Vandross suffered from diabetes and hypertension. Vandross died on July 1, 2005, at the JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey, at the age of 54 of a heart attack.

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