The legendary Luther Vandross was snubbed by the Grammys multiple times before finally earning his first award.
Last week, CNN released a documentary, Luther: Never Too Much, on the late singer that highlighted his extraordinary talent and chronicled his musical journey. One notable fact we learned was that Vandross received nine Grammy nominations before finally winning his first in 1991.
From his debut with Never Too Much in 1981, Vandross was a force in the music industry. However, his path to Grammy recognition was anything but smooth.
Despite nominations starting in 1982 for Never Too Much and continuing for albums like Forever, For Always, For Love (1983) and The Night I Fell in Love (1986) and hits like Give Me the Reason (1987) and Any Love (1989), Vandross faced consistent disappointment.
These days, there’s a lot of discussion about the Grammys, with many artists stating that awards no longer hold the same importance and that they don’t need validation through accolades. However, in the past, winning a Grammy was a significant milestone for many artists, and Luther Vandross was one of those who deeply desired the coveted award.
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In the documentary, we learned that Vandross jokingly instructed his team to call him “Luther ‘Grammy winner’ Vandross” the entire day after he finally won.
In 1991, his ballad Here and Now earned him the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, breaking the streak of near-misses and cementing his status as a Grammy winner.
Throughout his career, Vandross won a total of eight Grammys out of 33 nominations. His Grammy wins included:
- 1991: Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “Here and Now”
- 2004: Best R&B Album for Dance with My Father
- 2004: Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for Dance with My Father
- 2004: Song of the Year for Dance with My Father (shared with Richard Marx)
CNN’s documentary provided an excellent inside look at the renowned singer’s past, achievements, and reflections on his iconic talent.
Luther: Never Too Much is available on demand to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com and also re-aires tonight at 9 p.m. on CNN.
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