Luther Vandross was once asked about his musical inspirations. Having mentioned David Bowie ("he started me out in the business"), Laura Nyro, and Cyndi Lauper ("beneath that image is a really good voice"), he declared that such was his love of a certain pop diva that he "would buy a recording of her reciting the phone book or the alphabet."
The pop diva in question? Whitney Houston.
[Vandross also admired Dionne Warwick who he saw perform at the Brooklyn Fox Theater. "The next act was about to come on and the music started. Then all of a sudden you hear 'hmmm, hmmm, hmmm.' And this woman with a very exotic look and a red spaghetti-strap dress -- chiffon -- started singing, 'Anyone who ever loved, could look at me and all that I love'... She single-handedly is the reason why I wanted a career singing."]
Sources
Rolling Stone
