Luther Vandross was one of the great R&B and
soul singer-songwriters. During his career, Luther sold over twenty-five
million albums and won eight Grammy Awards. He first came on the music
scene in 1975 singing back-up for David Bowie which later led to
doing back-up vocals for
Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer,
Bette Midler, and Barbra Streisand.. He released his own album, "Never Too Much," in 1981, and it
exploded to the top of the R&B charts. Each of his next five albums
sold more than a million copies.On
November 29, 2010, Elizabeth
Blair reminded listeners of NPR's All Things Considered that
"The voice of Luther Vandross has been called "flawless" and "as smooth as
silk." It's been known to create an atmosphere of pure romance: For many
years, Vandross was the go-to singer for when you wanted to get in the
mood."
In April, 2003, Luther suffered a stroke that left him in a coma for
nearly two months. In June, he came out of the coma, and a week later his
final album, Dance With My Father, was released, debuting at number
one on the pop charts. The album won four Grammys, including Song of the
Year for the title song. Although Luther never came out of the closet, after
his death, an article in Out magazine had several of Vandross'
friends, claiming that Luther was indeed a closeted gay man. The best and unhealthiest
way to celebrate Luther's birthday is with the classic Luther Burger
(or
donut burger)
which is a cardiologist's nightmare. It contains more than
1000 calories and typically
has over 45 grams of fat per
portion.. It was allegedly invented at
Mulligan’s bar in Decatur, Georgia and named after Vandross
because he always ordered it whenever he ate there. The owner of
Mulligan’s bar, Chandler Goff, sold the rights to the Luther Burger to
the Atlanta Braves baseball team.
The "Krispy Kreme Doughnut Burger" is another variation of the original
Luther Burger was served at the 2010 Mississippi State Fair was
garnished with "lettuce, tomato and a generous slice of raw onion", and
was estimated to have 1,500 calories. Other increasing unhealthy
variations are now sold at many other state fairs. You may also enjoy him
perform "Never" in Barbershop 2: Back
in Business (2004).
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