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With just three days left until Christmas, ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) today reported that Luther Vandross’ recording of “Every Year, Every Christmas” was one of 2010’s most-played holiday songs on Urban radio! The song ranked at #5 on ASCAP’s list, based on airplay tracked from October 1st through December 19th this year. The song, released on Luther’s album “This Is Christmas,” was played 3,294 times. Read more at ASCAP.com.

Luther Vandross recorded with many famous friends during his career, and one of them was Darlene Love, with whom he sang “I Listen To The Bells” on the album “This Is Christmas.” You can get into the holiday spirit by listening to the song below!

LutherVandross.com also congratulates the incomparable Ms. Love on her upcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! She also will be appearing on the “Late Show With David Letterman” for her annual Christmas performance this Thursday, December 23rd. Happy holidays to you and yours!

NPR’s “All Things Considered” has featured Luther Vandross in its series of “50 Great Voices,” noting that Luther’s “vocal instrument was supremely fine-tuned, controlled and yet effortless.” Their report also includes comments about Luther from friends and collaborators like Dionne Warwick and Marcus Miller. Dionne said, “When I heard Luther’s voice, I heard peace. It made me feel good.” You can listen to the broadcast below and read the accompanying article at NPR.org.

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.

The Legacy team has been doing their daily posts of songs from various artists. Today, Luther Vandross gets the nod for “Never Too Much” and added a little copy to accompany the track. Feel free to visit LegacyRecordings.com to listen to the track, but we are going to post the video here, on Luther’s site.

Enjoy!

The voting continues at MSG.com to determine The Greatest Madison Square Garden Show with the 1990’s. Over the last two weeks, you’ve had your chance to cast your votes for the favorite shows of the 70’s and 80’s, well now we want to hear what you thought about shows that took place in the 1990’s

The R&B powerhouse, Luther Vandross, sang his heart-tugging hits for four nights at Madison Square Garden, October 2, 3, 5 and 6, 1991. Vandross played five more shows at MSG before his 2005 death. To vote for Luther Vandross, or any of the artists in this feature, go to MSG.com

The final poll, shows of the 2000’s open Monday, November 23

In the name of true Valentine’s Day happiness, we decided to have a little fun with Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross’, “ Endless Love“, from Mariah’s The Ballads CD. Fill in the blanks and get as creative as you can! Play with a friend or by yourself, and see what funny new song lyrics you can come up with. Then, share your creations in the comments section.

Try it out at iVilage

Welcome to the new LutherVandross.com. We’ve launched a new site to help you – the fans – connect with one another. Please visit the Luther Vandross forum and create a new profile. Also, please use the forum to tell us what you’d like to see on the site.

Luther Vandross
The Ultimate Luther Vandross – Special Edition (CONTAINS BONUS CD)
The Ultimate Luther Vandross is a career-spanning collection of 18 songs from Luther’s J Records and Epic records releases. The record includes all of Luther’s infamous hits, as well as the previously unreleased tracks, “Got You Home,” and “Shine” (produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis).
Only $16.98 (23% off) BUY NOW
MORE INFO >

The Ultimate Luther Vandross hits stores August 22nd!
The Ultimate Luther Vandross is the first complete career spanning collection, containing 18 songs from Luther’s J Records and Epic Records releases. The CD also includes two previously unreleasedcuts: “Shine” (produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis) and “Got You Home.”

The Ultimate Luther Vandross features all of Luther’s chart topping singles including “Dance With My Father,” “Here And Now” and “Endless Love,” Luther’s 1994 million-selling duet with Mariah Carey. The album also reprises such Vandross classics as “A House Is Not A Home,” “Wait For Love” and “Superstar/Until You Come Back To Me” alongside key album cuts such as Luther’s 2003 duet with Beyonce, the cover of the Roberta Flack/Donny Hathaway classic “The Closer I Get To You,” “Buy Me A Rose” and “Think About You,” all taken from Luther’s last studio album.

A suave crossover balladeer and meticulous pop craftsman whose impeccable phrasing, delicate articulation and romantic delivery were underscored by his extra–ordinary hitmaking talents as a songwriter, producer and arranger, Luther Vandross (1951-2005) was by every account THE most beloved R&B male vocalist of his generation. With a cumulative 20 gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications in the U.S. alone (singles, albums, videos) and worldwide sales of more than 30 million albums, Luther’s impact on popular tastes has been second to none.

The multi-platinum, 8-time Grammy Award-winning career of this singer’s singer and musician’s musician is commemorated on LOVE, LUTHER – the first box set in his name. The 56-track, deluxe display-book package of four CDs, boasting the lion’s share of his 27 years of R&B/pop crossover chart titles – plus album tracks, live versions from long-form videos, rarities (including background session vocals and contributions with Aretha Franklin, Gregg Diamond, and Change), duets with Frank Sinatra, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Dionne Warwick, Cheryl Lynn, and Gregory Hines, and six previously unreleased tracks.

Love, Luther also features:

* 56 stunning songs on 4 CDs — over 4 hours of music!
* Breathtaking ballads, funky favorites, demos and all the #1 hits
* Intimate moments with Luther at rehearsal
* Deluxe 60-page book includes rare photos and memories from the Vandross family album
* A powerful essay plus a beautiful poem from Luther’s mother

Pre-order now @ Sony Music Store!

Check out more Luther at http://www.legacyrecordings.com/Luther-Vandross.aspx