Luther Vandross
April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005
Luther Vandross was one of America’s most successful R&B singers during the ’80s and ’90s, selling over 25 million albums and scoring eight Grammy wins. In the early part of his career, Vandross sang back up for the likes of Robert Flack, David Bowie, Diana Ross, Bette Midler, and Barbra Streisand. By 1981, Vandross was on his way to becoming a superstar in his own right. The new decade saw him release hit after hit with songs like “Never Too Much,” “A House Is Not A Home,” and “Stop The Love.” But perhaps his biggest legacy is his 1989 recording of Terry Steele’s “Here And Now,” one of the most popular wedding songs out there. In 1985, tragedy struck in the form of a fatal car accident. While at the wheel, Vandross crossed a center divider and crashed into two oncoming vehicles, killing one of his passengers. Vandross pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter and later reached an out-of-court financial settlement with the victim’s family. Vandross continued to stay active through the ’90s and into the early 2000’s. Suffering from diabetes and hypertension, Vandross suffered a stroke in early 2003. He suffered a fatal heart attack on July 1, 2005.
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Bernard Edwards was a bass player and prolific producer. In the mid ’70s, Edwards formed Chic, a disco group that had a massive hits with “Le Freak” and “Good Times.” Edwards went on to produce hits for some of pop music’s biggest names throughout the ’80s and ’90s. That list includes Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Power Station, Robert Palmer, Debbie Harry, Johnny Mathis, and Duran Duran. While in Tokyo for a concert in 1996, Edwards became ill. He was found dead in his hotel room. Cause of death was determined to be pneumonia.
Miss Josephine Baker was born into poverty in 1906 but would grow up to be one of the most in-demand French cabaret performers of her time. Off stage she devoted her life to fighting prejudice. The slums of St. Louis could not hold this woman down as she left home at the age of 13 to pursue her dream of the stage. Her break came in 1921 when she began to get notice on the stages of New York City. She quickly became a star throughout Harlem and began to grace the stage of such jazz landmarks as the Cotton Club. Baker made the move to Paris in 1925 to perform for audiences more accustomed to her brazen sexuality and minimal costumes. By the ’30s, Baker was owning her own club, starring in films, and recording her own records. Back in America to perform alongside Bob Hope in Ziegfeld’s Follies, Baker began to meet resistance due to both her sexuality and skin color, as conservatives rallied against the show. She quickly fled back to Paris and became a naturalized citizen. About that time, the Nazis invaded so Baker found herself working for the resistance and going as far as to smuggle sensitive documents out of France. She even worked as a sub-lieutenant for the French Air Force’s Women’s Auxiliary, volunteered for the Red Cross, and performed for the troops. She was later awarded military medals for her brave work. By the ’50s, Baker was back in America where she used her fame in the fight for Civil Rights by demanding to perform in front of segregated audiences. After retiring from the stage, Baker spent her time raising her racially mixed brood of 12 adopted children and stayed active in the struggle for equal rights. Josephine Baker passed away of natural causes in her sleep in the early hours of April 12, 1975, following the opening night of a revue in honor of her fifty years in show business. In the crowd that night were the likes of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, 
Uriel Jones was the phenomenal drummer for the Funk Brothers, Motown’s house band, throughout the ’60s and early ’70s. There were of course, other drummers during this time period, but it was Jones’ funky beats that were heard on “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (