Traveling
Exhibits

In the 1970s, Vandross was New York’s most in-demand background singer, working with Bette Midler, Roberta Flack, Chic, Quincy Jones, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, among others. These artists didn’t just want Vandross’s smooth tenor voice on their tracks—they also counted on his uncompromising musicianship: he solved problems, enhanced arrangements, and strove for perfection in every session.

After building a lucrative career writing commercial jingles, Vandross wrote the vast majority of his songs, in addition to penning lyrics for other artists. He is best known for his songs about the highs and lows of romantic love.

Starting with his first solo album, Luther Vandross had a clear idea of how he wanted his music to sound, and self-produced or co-produced almost all of his records. This opened the door to opportunities to write and produce music for his idols and contemporaries, including Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and Whitney Houston.

Vandross’s stage shows featured expert musicians, elaborate stage sets that expanded on the themes of his songs, and eye-catching costumes that he helped design. All these details heightened the concert experience, and Vandross encouraged his fans to get out of their seats to sing and dance along.

• Two full sets of custom-designed, hand-beaded stage wear worn by Vandross and his backup singer/dancers
• Original cassette tapes, DAT tapes, and Polaroid photos of recording studios
• Awards and nominations, including one of Vandross’ GRAMMYs
• Handwritten lyrics and studio notes
• Original sheet music and scores
• Original drawings of stage wear

• Interview clips featuring Vandross’ backup singer/dancers reflecting on their time onstage and backstage, and their experiences wearing the stage wear on display.
• A never-before-heard recording of Vandross working on the bridge of “I Can Make It Better” 

• A reel of performance footage featuring some of Vandross’ greatest hits, and highlighting the stage wear on display

• Large-scale photos of Vandross, infographic, text panels, and artifact captions