Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Throughout his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA-certified platinum albums and sold over 40 million records worldwide. Known as the "Velvet Voice", Vandross has been recognized as one of the 200 greatest singers of all time (2023) by Rolling Stone, as well as one of the greatest R&B artists by Billboard. NPR additionally named him one of the 50 Great Voices. He was the recipient of eight Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year in 2004 for a track recorded shortly before his death, "Dance with My Father". In 2021, he was posthumously inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) in the context of contemporary African-American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974, at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore, and moved to Broadway's Majestic Theatre with a new cast on January 5, 1975.
"Reflections" is a 1967 song recorded by American soul music group The Supremes for the Motown label. The single release was the first Supremes record credited to "Diana Ross and the Supremes", and the song was one of the last Motown hits to be written and produced by Holland–Dozier–Holland before they left the label.
Julius "Nipsey" Russell was an American entertainer best known for his appearances as a panelist on game shows from the 1960s through the 1990s, including Match Game, Password, Hollywood Squares, To Tell the Truth, and Pyramid. His appearances were often distinguished by short, humorous poems he recited during the broadcast, which led to his nickname "the poet laureate of television". He had one of the leading roles in the film version of The Wiz as the Tin Man. He was a frequent guest on the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast series and often appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien during the program's early years.
"The Best Things in Life Are Free" is a duet between American singers Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson, recorded for the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced soundtrack to the 1992 American film Mo' Money, starring Damon Wayans. The song was composed by Jam, Lewis, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch. The song was released as the soundtrack's lead single on May 12, 1992, by Perspective Records and A&M Records. Additionally, the song was remixed by David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, and CJ Mackintosh. The duet became a major hit in several countries, peaking at number two in Australia and the United Kingdom, number six in Ireland and New Zealand, number eight in Canada and Germany, and number 10 in the United States. Its music video was directed by Paris Barclay, but didn't feature Vandross and Jackson. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
"Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" is a song recorded by the Jacksons for their 1978 album Destiny, and released as a single in early 1979. It peaked at No. 7 in the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1979.
"Upside Down" is a song written and produced by Chic members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. It was recorded by American singer Diana Ross and issued on June 18, 1980, from Motown as the lead single from her eleventh studio album, Diana (1980). The song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on September 6, 1980, and stayed there for four weeks. It also hit number one on the Billboard Disco and Soul charts. The single was released a full four weeks after the album was released.
"One Day in Your Life" is a song recorded by American singer Michael Jackson for his 1975 album, Forever, Michael. Music written by Sam Brown III and lyrics by Renée Armand, it was later released on March 20, 1981 as a single from the compilation album One Day in Your Life due to the commercial interest that generated from the sales of Jackson's hit 1979 album Off the Wall, despite the fact that Jackson had released that album on Epic Records instead of Motown.
"Dirty Diana" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It is the ninth track on Jackson's seventh studio album, Bad (1987). The song was released by Epic Records on April 18, 1988, as the fifth single from the album. It presents a harder rock sound similar to "Beat It" from Thriller (1982) and a guitar solo played by Steve Stevens. "Dirty Diana" was written and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones. The song's lyrics pertain to groupies. "Dirty Diana" has a moderate tempo and is played in the key of G minor.
"Endless Love" is a song written by Lionel Richie and originally recorded as a duet between Richie and singer/actress Diana Ross. In this ballad, the singers declare their "endless love" for one another. It was covered by Luther Vandross with R&B-pop singer Mariah Carey, and also by country music singer Shania Twain. Billboard has named the original version as the greatest song duet of all time.
"Ease on Down the Road" is a song from the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz, an R&B re-interpretation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The Charlie Smalls–composed tune is the show's version of both "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" and "We're Off to See the Wizard" from the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz. In the song, performed three times during the show, Dorothy and her friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion dance their way down the Yellow Brick Road and give each other words of encouragement.
Theodore Ross Roberts was an American actor best known for his role as the Lion in The Wiz, an all-African American reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz. He won a Tony Award for the original 1975 Broadway production and recreated the role in the 1978 film version which also starred Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, Nipsey Russell, and Lena Horne. Ross appeared in many films including the role of Bitterman in Arthur and on the television sitcoms Benson, The Jeffersons, What's Happening Now!!, The Cosby Show and its spin-off A Different World. His final role was in the 1991 movie The Fisher King.
"Give In to Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, released as the seventh single from his eighth studio album, Dangerous (1991). Released in February 1993 by Epic Records, the song peaked at number one in New Zealand for four consecutive weeks and at number two on the UK Singles Chart. The track was written and produced by Jackson and Bill Bottrell, and features Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash. Several critics wrote that the song has an aggressive sexual flavor. It was released in Europe, Australia and New Zealand only. The single release's B-sides include the album versions of "Dirty Diana" and "Beat It".
Silk Electric is the thirteenth studio album by American R&B singer Diana Ross, released on September 10, 1982, by RCA Records. It was Ross' second of six albums released by the label during the decade. It reached No. 27 on the US Billboard 200, No. 33 in the UK Albums Chart and the Top 20 in Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands. The album cover was designed by Andy Warhol.
"My Old Piano" is a song by American R&B singer Diana Ross. It was written and produced by Chic members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards for her self-titled eleventh studio album (1980). In it, Ross sings about the joy of playing a piano, describing it as if it were a person. The song was released on September 19, 1980 as the album's third and final single by Motown Records in the United States, and the second single elsewhere. In an accompanying music video, Ross appears performing the song in an apartment with an old piano.
The Wiz is a 1978 American musical fantasy adventure film directed by Sidney Lumet. Adapted from the 1974 Broadway musical, the film reimagines the classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum with an African American cast. Dorothy, a 24-year-old teacher from Harlem, is magically transported to the urban-fantasy Land of Oz. On her travels seeking help from the mysterious Wiz, Dorothy befriends a Scarecrow, a robot called Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion.
"Eaten Alive" is a 1985 song released by American entertainer Diana Ross on the RCA label in North America and Capitol label globally. The song was released as the first single on September 1, 1985, taken from her album of the same name, which was ultimately a critical and commercial failure in the US. However, it did reach top 10 and top 20 rankings in several European countries like Norway and the Netherlands.
"Blame It on the Boogie" is a song released in 1978 by English singer-songwriter Mick Jackson. It has been covered by the Jacksons, Clock and Luis Miguel.
The Wiz is the original motion picture soundtrack album for the 1978 film adaptation of the Broadway musical The Wiz. Although the film was produced for Universal Pictures by Motown Records' film division, the soundtrack album was issued on MCA Records as a two-LP collection. Chiefly produced by Quincy Jones, The Wiz soundtrack features non-sync cast performances by the stars of the film, including Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Thelma Carpenter, and Lena Horne.
Diana Ross Sings Songs from The Wiz is an album by Diana Ross, released by Motown Records/Universal on November 27, 2015. The album features Ross' versions of songs from the film version of the musical The Wiz, in which she starred along with Michael Jackson. The songs were originally recorded in 1978, produced by Ross, Suzanne de Passe and Grammy Award winner Lee Holdridge. Motown originally planned to release the album in 1979 but it was cancelled following low box office returns and highly negative critical response to the film.
