Luther Vandross At #7 On Billboard’s Top 50 R&B / Hip-Hop Artists Of The Past 25 Years

Billboard magazine has tallied the Top 50 R&B / Hip-Hop artists of the past 25 years, and Luther Vandross is at #7! The rankings were based on performance on the weekly Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts from Jan. 5, 1985 to Nov. 6, 2010. Billboard wrote:

The silky-voiced singer placed 36 hits on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, including 20 top 10s and six No. 1s, between 1985 and 2007. Sadly, his last two appearances followed his passing in 2005 at age 54. The key to Luther Vandross’ staying power was his ability to connect with younger audiences, courtesy of duets with Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey in the ’90s and Beyonce in 2004. Before he suffered a debilitating stroke in 2003, he recorded “Dance With My Father,” which he co-wrote with pop singer/songwriter Richard Marx. The touching ballad won the 2004 song of the year Grammy Award and Vandross’ album of the same name became his first to top the Billboard 200.

You can read the complete list at Billboard.com.