Greetings Brother,
Was wondering if you have any information or personal observations on William Kalema. I am working on something regarding this so called Debt Relief for Africa and part of what i'll looking at is the Commission on Africa, which includes a handful of Africans on it. Doing some scan on some of them predictably led to obvious conclusions but i still want to be as detailed as possible.
Forward to Liberation,
Djasi
Vukoni Lupa-Lasaga <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Vukoni Lupa-Lasaga <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [oaba-b] Luther Vandross dies at age 54
Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 21:00:56 -0700
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Luther Vandross dies at age 54
*Famed R&B crooner faced setback after stroke in 2003*
The Associated Press
Updated: 7:53 p.m. ET July 1, 2005
Grammy award winner Luther Vandross, whose deep, lush voice on such hits
as Here and Now and Any Love sold more than 25 million albums while
providing the romantic backdrop for millions of couples worldwide, died
Friday. He was 54.
Vandross died at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, N.J., said
hospital spokesman Rob Cavanaugh. He did not release the cause of death
but said in a statement that Vandross never really recovered from a
st roke two years ago.
Since the stroke in his Manhattan home on April 16, 2003, the R&B
crooner stopped making public appearances but amazingly managed to
continue his recording career. In 2004, he captured four Grammys as a
sentimental favorite, including best song for the bittersweet Dance
With My Father.
Vandross, who was still in a wheelchair at the time, delivered a
videotaped thank you.
Remember, when I say goodbye its never for long, said a weak-looking
Vandross. Because he broke into his familiar hit I believe in the
power of love.
Vandross also battled weight problems for years while suffering from
diabetes and hypertension.
He was arguably the most celebrated R&B balladeer of his generation. He
made women swoon with his silky yet forceful tenor, which he often
revved up like a motor engine before reaching his beautiful crescendos.
*A huge loss*
Jeff OConner, Vandross publicist, called his death a huge loss in the
R&B industry. He was a close friend of mine and right now its shocking.
OConner said he received condolence calls Friday from music luminaries
such as Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones.
Vandross was a four-time Grammy winner in the best male R&B performance
category, taking home the trophy in 1990 for the single Here and Now,
in 1991 for his album Power of Love, in 1996 for the track Your
Secret Love and a last time for Dance With My Father.
The album, with its single of the same name, debuted at No. 1 on the
Billboard charts while Vandross remained hospitalized from his stroke.
It was the first time a Vandross album had topped the charts in its
first week of release.
In 2005, he was nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for a duet with
Beyonce on The Closer I Get To You.
Vandross sound was so unusual few tried to copy it; even fewer could.
Im proud of that its one of the things that Im most proud of, he
told The Associated Press in a 2001 interview. I was never compared to
anyone in terms of sound.
Vandross style harkened back to a more genteel era of crooning. While
many of his contemporaries and successors belted out tunes that were
sexually charged and explicit, Vandross preferred soft pillow talk and
songs that spoke to heartfelt emotions.
Im more into poetry and metaphor, and I would much rather imply
something rather than to blatantly state it, he said. You blatantly
state stuff sometimes when you cant think of a a poetic way to say it.
A career in music seemed predestined for the New York native; both his
parents were singers, and his sister, Patricia, was part of a 1950s
group called the Crests.
But he happily toiled in the musical background for years before he
would have his first hit. He wrote songs for projects as varied as a
David Bowie album (Fascination) and the Broadway musical The Wiz
(Everybody Rejoice (Brand New Day)), sang backup for acts such as
Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand, and even became a leading commercial
jingle singer.
Vandross credited singer Roberta Flack for prodding him to move into the
spotlight after listening to one of his future hits, Never Too Much.
She started crying, he recalled. She said, No, youre getting too
comfortable (in the background). ... Im going to introduce you to some
people and get your career started.
Vandross first big hit came as the lead vocalist for the group Change,
with their 1980 hit, The Glow of Love. That led to a recording
contract with Epic Records, and in 1981, he made his solo recording
debut with the disc Never Too Much. The album, which contained his
aching rendition of A House is Not a Home, became an instant classic.
Over the years, Vandross would emerge as the leading romantic singer of
his generation, racking up one platinum album after another and charting
several R&B hits, such as Superstar, Give Me The Reason and Love
Wont Let Me Wait.
*America, the world, has heard the voice*
Yet, while Vandross was a household name in the black community, he was
frustrated by his failure to become a mainstream pop star. Indeed, it
took Vandross until 1990 to score his first top 10 hit the wedding
staple Here & Now.
I just wanted more success. I didnt want to suddenly start wearing
blond wigs to appeal to anyone, he told the AP.
This is the same voice that sang Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola, NBC proud as a
peacock, ... America, the world, has heard the voice, so theres no
reason that that music shouldnt have gone the complete distance, I
mean, to number one.
Another frustration for Vandross was his lifelong battle with obesity.
Health problems ran in his family, and Vandross struggled for years to
control his waistline. When he first became a star, he was a hefty size;
a few years later, he was almost skinny. His . weight fluctuated so much
that rumors swirled that he had more serious health problems than the
hypertension and diabetes caused by his large frame.
Vandross two sisters and a brother died before him. The lifelong
bachelor never had any children, but doted on his nieces and nephews.
The entertainer said his busy lifestyle made marriage difficult;
besides, it wasnt what he wanted.
//© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.//
© 2005 MSNBC.com
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8436258/page/2/
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