My favorite Male R&B singer hands down.  May he rest in peace:

Singer, songwriter. Born April 20, 1951, in New York City. The youngest of four children, Vandross was raised by his mother after his father died. He became interested in R&B music during high school, and in 1972, his song “Everybody Rejoice” was picked up for the Broadway musical The Wiz. Soon after, he started recording commercial jingles and worked as a backup singer and arranger for such popular artists as David Bowie, Bette Midler and Barbara Streisand.

In 1981, Vandross signed with Epic and released his debut album, Never Too Much, which sold more than a million copies. He released several subsequent albums throughout the 1980s, often partnering with such luminary female artists as Aretha Franklin. Though Vandross was a major R&B phenomenon, it wasn’t until the early 1990s that he became a pop success. He won his first Grammy in 1991 for “Here and Now,” two in 1992 for co-writing and performing “Power of Love,” and a fourth in 1997 for “Your Secret Love.”

Oh how I long for that sort of talent now-a-days…

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