William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonist David Sanborn, among others. He was the main songwriter and producer on three of Davis' albums: Tutu (1986), Music from Siesta (1987), and Amandla (1989). His collaboration with Vandross was especially close; he co-produced and served as the arranger for most of Vandross' albums, and he and Vandross co-wrote many of Vandross' songs, including the hits "I Really Didn't Mean It", "Any Love", "Power of Love/Love Power" and "Don't Want to Be a Fool". He also co-wrote the 1988 single "Da Butt" for Experience Unlimited.
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. In addition, NPR 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 not long before his death, "Dance with My Father". In 2021, he was posthumously inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.
Ruben Studdard is an American singer and actor. He rose to fame as the winner of the second season of American Idol and received a Grammy Award nomination in 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his recording of "Superstar". In the years following Idol, Studdard has released seven studio albums, including his platinum-selling debut, Soulful, and the top-selling gospel follow-up, I Need an Angel. He is most well known for his recording career, which has produced hits including "Flying Without Wings", "Sorry 2004", and "Change Me", but he has also segued into television and stage work. Most notably, he starred as Fats Waller in a national tour revival of Ain't Misbehavin', which spawned a Grammy-nominated soundtrack.
"If This World Were Mine" is a 1967 song by soul music duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell from their album United. Written solely by Gaye, it was one of the few songs they recorded without Ashford & Simpson writing or producing. When it was released as a single in November 1967 as the B-side to the duo's "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You", it hit the Billboard pop singles chart, peaking at number sixty-eight, and peaked at number twenty-seven on the Billboard R&B singles chart. Gaye would later put the song into his set list during his last tours in the early-1980s as he performed a medley of his hits with Terrell. The song was covered a year later by Joe Bataan on the 1968 Fania Allstars LP Live at the Red Garter, Vol. 2, and in 1969 by Ambrose Slade (pre-Slade) on their album Beginnings.
Troop is an American R&B group from Pasadena, California, United States. The group has had three number-one singles and ten top-ten singles on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. They have also completed five albums, which include three certified gold and one certified platinum album. TROOP is an acronym for "Total Respect of Other People". The group is most notable for a series of number-one R&B hits, including popular cover versions of the songs "All I Do Is Think of You" and "Sweet November", originally performed by musical group The Deele. They also had a number-one hit with the original song "Spread My Wings".
The 35th NAACP Image Awards ceremony, presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), honored the best in film, television, music of 2003 and took place on March 6, 2004 at the Universal Amphitheatre.
Give Me the Reason is the fifth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on September 26, 1986, by Epic Records. The album earned Vandross an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and a nomination for "Favorite Soul/R&B Album" in 1988, while the title track was nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male at the 29th Grammy Awards.
Any Love is the sixth studio album by American singer Luther Vandross. It was released by Epic Records on September 20, 1988, in the United States. Produced by Vandross and Marcus Miller, the album features a cover of Major Harris' hit single "Love Won't Let Me Wait" as well as "The Second Time Around," a re-recording of a song featured on Vandross's band Luther's 1976 album of the same name.
The Essential Luther Vandross is a greatest hits album by American singer Luther Vandross, released on March 5, 2002 in the UK and June 10, 2003 in the US, by Sony Music and Legacy Recordings as part of The Essential Series. The two-disc compilation features thirty-five tracks from Vandross's recording catalog. The collection contains R&B and pop hit songs spanning from Vandross earlier albums to the later—Dance with My Father, a Grammy win for Best R&B Album.
"Going in Circles" is a song written by Jerry Peters and Anita Poree, and originally performed by The Friends of Distinction on their 1969 album Grazin', reaching number 15 on the U.S. Hot 100, and number three on the R&B chart. The song has since been covered numerous times by other artists, including Isaac Hayes and Luther Vandross. In addition, the song's co-composer, Jerry Peters released his own version of the tune on his 1972 solo album Blueprint for Discovery. The Friends of Distinction's original version is an R.I.A.A. Certified Million-Seller.
The Greatest Love World Tour was the debut worldwide concert tour by American singer Whitney Houston, in support of her debut studio album Whitney Houston. The four-month tour began in North America on July 26, 1986 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion with an itinerary that included visits in Europe, Japan and Australia.
Parachute is an American pop rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. Formed in 2006, they released their major-label debut album, Losing Sleep, in 2009, followed by their second album, The Way It Was, in 2011 and their third album, Overnight, in 2013. Vanguard Records released the band's fourth album, Wide Awake, on March 11, 2016. The band independently released their fifth album, Parachute, in May 2019.
The Breakthrough Experience was the fifth concert tour by American recording artist Mary J. Blige in 2006, the tour supports her multi-platinum seventh studio album, The Breakthrough (2005). Blige performed four initial dates which kicked off on June 24, in Chicago, Illinois at the Bridgeview Stadium. The official tour began in July 2006 and continued through September 2006, visiting over 30 cities across North America.
The Soul Divas Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Dionne Warwick, Natalie Cole and Whitney Houston. The tour was a one-month trek that started on July 7, in Hamburg, Germany. The tour was created and initiated by Felix Scheuerpflug and the team of the Welldone Agency. The exclusive promoter was Tchibo. Tickets were available on Tchibo.de only. Houston, who was featured as the main headliner, also toured Thailand, Hong Kong, and China without Cole and Warwick, adding a few more dates through late July.
The Now Tour is a concert tour by American R&B singer Maxwell, in support of his multi-platinum selling album Now. The tour started in North America on August 13, 2001, in New York City at the Irving Plaza with additional dates through October. The itinerary included multiple dates in Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Chicago.
BLACKsummers'night Tour is a tour by American R&B singer Maxwell. The tour was in support of his platinum hit album BLACKsummers'night. The trek kicked off on June 17, 2009, in Grand Rapids, Michigan throughout North America. The tour continued during the fall with a second U.S. run in September, and additional dates added throughout Europe, his first tour there in 11 years.
The Heat is a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Anita Baker and Luther Vandross. The tour primarily played over 50 shows in the United States during the fall and winter of 1988. Shows in New York City, Los Angeles and Rosemont were instant sellouts.
An Evening with Anita Baker was a 2007–09 concert tour by American R&B singer Anita Baker. The outing started in the summer of 2007, visiting Europe and North America.
Ivan Hampden Jr. is an American jazz and R&B drummer, composer, and record producer. He was Luther Vandross’ tour and session drummer from 1987 to 2003.
Alfonso "Fonzi" Thornton is an American vocalist, songwriter, producer and vocal contractor. In a career spanning 40 years, Thornton has sung backing vocals for top artists across many genres of music. His vocal credits can be found on the recordings of Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, Mick Jagger, Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music, Chic, Diana Ross, Garth Brooks, Ray Charles, Mariah Carey, Steely Dan, David Bowie, Robert Palmer, Patti LaBelle, Al Jarreau, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Phoebe Snow, Scritti Politti, Bette Midler, Lady Gaga and many others. In 2008, Thornton joined the musical entourage of Aretha Franklin as backing vocalist and vocal contractor and continued to accompany her in concert, on recordings and TV until her death in 2018.
