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album, The Night I Fell in Love, and reached the pop chart. Van- between his fifth and sixth albums
released in March 1985. Overall dross’ fifth album, also titled Give doing shows and working on that
producer credit again went to him, Me the Reason, followed in Sep- sixth album, Any Love, which ap-
with three of the eight tracks co- tember. His fifth consecutive R&B peared in October 1988 and was
produced by Miller. Six of the songs chart-topper, it included additional supported by a three-month U.S.
were written by Vandross alone singles “Stop to Love” (number tour. By now, Marcus Miller had
or co-written with Miller or Nat one R&B and his first Top 20 pop been promoted to full co-producer,
Adderley, Jr., the exceptions being hit); the duet with Gregory Hines and other co-writers had joined
covers of Brenda Russell’s “If Only “There’s Nothing Better Than the team, but the approach was
for One Night” and Stevie Wonder’s Love,” co-written with John “Skip” still the same. And so was the suc-
“Creepin’.” The album spawned Anderson, a synthesizer player in cess. Any Love topped the R&B
four R&B single hits: “’Til My Baby Vandross’ band (also number one charts and gave Vandross his first
Comes Home” (Top Ten and a Top R&B and a pop chart entry); “I Re- Top Ten pop album, with the usual
40 pop hit); “It’s Over Now” (Top ally Didn’t Mean It” (Top Ten R&B); simultaneous gold and platinum
Five); “Wait for Love” (Top 20); and and “So Amazing” (an R&B chart certifications two months after
“If Only for One Night.” The album entry of a Vandross song previous- release. The title song topped the
spent seven weeks atop Billboard’s ly recorded by Dionne Warwick, R&B list and penetrated the pop
R&B LP list, going gold and plati- whose Burt Bacharach/Hal David chart; second single “She Won’t
num simultaneously as soon as hit “Anyone Who Had a Heart” was Talk to Me” went Top Five R&B and
it was eligible for certification in revived on the LP). Simultaneous made the pop Top 40; and “For You
May and double platinum in 1990. gold and platinum certifications to Love” was another Top Five R&B
It also reached number 14 in the in December were followed by a hit.
pop charts, Vandross’ best showing double-platinum award in 1990.
yet. With his own album out of the Vandross had by now become
way, he made some selected ap- In 1987, Vandross contributed a an international success, and a
pearances on other albums during song, “It’s Hard for Me to Say,” record-breaking ten-night stand
1985, contributing a song, “She’s So which he co-wrote with John at London’s Wembley Arena in
Good to Me,” to the soundtrack of “Skip” Anderson and co-produced, March 1989 was commemorated
the film The Goonies and singing to Diana Ross’ album Red Hot with a home video, Live at Wemb-
on albums by Carly Simon (Spoiled Rhythm & Blues, and worked as a ley. At the close of an enormously
Girl), Patti Austin (Gettin’ Away background singer and arranger successful decade, Vandross and
with Murder), and Wonder (In on Ava Cherry’s Picture Me and Epic determined to sum things
Square Circle). He also sang back- Cheryl Lynn’s Start Over. He also up, and in October 1989 issued the
ground vocals on the Temptations’ appeared on Irene Cara’s Caras- two-LP greatest-hits compilation
“Do You Really Love Your Baby,” a matic, Nick Kamen’s self-titled The Best of Luther Vandross: The
song he co-wrote with Miller that album, and Doc Powell’s Love Is Best of Love, which included two
peaked in the R&B Top 20 in early Where It’s At. Meanwhile, Gerald new tracks, “Here and Now” and
1986. Albright covered “So Amazing” “Treat You Right.” With those ad-
and took it into the R&B Top 20. In ditions, the collection didn’t just
Vandross spent much of 1986 work- 1988, Vandross sang background summarize Vandross’ career, it
ing on his own material, only paus- vocals on Patti Austin’s The Real finally gave him his long-sought
ing to contribute background vo- Me and Barbra Streisand’s Till I major crossover hit, as “Here and
cals on David Bowie’s soundtrack Loved You, and he wrote “The Girl Now,” a song co-written by Dionne
to the film Labyrinth. The results of Wants to Dance with You,” which Warwick’s son David L. Elliott with
his efforts were first heard in June became a Top Ten R&B hit for Terry Steele, not only topped the
when “Give Me the Reason” was Gregory Hines. The song appeared R&B chart but also hit the pop Top
included on the soundtrack to the on Hines’ self-titled album, which Ten, going gold in the process. It
film Ruthless People and released Vandross produced. Otherwise, also won Vandross his first Gram-
as a single that went Top Five R&B he spent the two-year interval my Award, for Best R&B Vocal Per-

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