All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross Sees Oh 'So Amazing' Debut!

All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross Sees Oh 'So Amazing' Debut!

Breaks Record as the Highest Debuting Tribute Album in SoundScan History

Debuts at #4 on Top 200, #1 Current R&B Album, #2 Overall R&B Album, #10 Internet Album Charts

Album Sales Soar After Usher, Patti Performance on Oprah

NEW YORK, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- With 103,629 units scanned, the J Records' release of So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross bows in at #4 on this week's Top 200 Albums chart, making it the highest debut and the highest number of units sold in its first week for a tribute album in Nielson SoundScan history.

Previously the highest debut was from The Eagles' Common Thread, which was released in October 2003 and featured a variety of country artists including Travis Tritt, Clint Black, Alan Jackson and other. The title debuted at #10 with 64,000 units sold in its first week.

The high chart position is due in part to the remarkable marketing and TV campaign along with the star-studded line-up of performers on this tribute album. On the day of the album release, millions watched Oprah as she declared Luther Vandross "a musical great" with soul-stirring performances by Usher and Patti LaBelle on the "Queen of Daytime"'s 20th season premiere week. Other TV outlets that built anticipation for the release were the week-long tribute to Vandross on The Insider and Entertainment Tonight as well as a performance by LaBelle on CBS's Early Show on 9/22. The results of this exposure was a surge in sales, most notably on Amazon where immediately after Oprah aired, So Amazing shot up on their daily charts from #32 to #7.

In addition to the TV campaign, throngs of critics weighed in on the release. Atlanta Journal Constitution said "WOW," while Milwaukee Journal Sentinel stated So Amazing has a "dream team of soul stars ... " Billboard proclaimed the performances on the album "would make Vandross wave his hands in the air with pride."

This landmark debut would not have been possible if it wasn't for the bevy of superstars that contributed their vocal rendition of the songs that Luther Vandross made famous. Artists from Alicia Keys to Sir Elton John jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime tribute. One of Vandross' closest friends, Aretha Franklin, states: "It is an honor to sing 'A House Is Not A Home' for the Luther tribute album -- I don't think anyone will ever sing it again without thinking of Luther Vandross. The world and Luther had a love affair going on; he will be remembered for generations to come." Sir Elton John, who recorded "Anyone Who Had A Heart" to create the album's duet with Luther's original vocals, says Vandross "will always be one of the greatest true soul artists. To be able to do this magnificent song -- one of the all time classics -- with Luther was very bittersweet."

Artists and songs featured on So Amazing include: Mary J. Blige ("Never Too Much"), Aretha Franklin ("A House Is Not A Home"), Usher ("Superstar"), Beyonce & Stevie Wonder ("So Amazing"), Alicia Keys ("If This World Was Mine" -- duet with Jermaine Paul), Donna Summer ("Power of Love"), Celine Dion ("Dance With My Father"), Patti LaBelle ("Here and Now"), Jamie Foxx ("Creepin"), Elton John ("Anyone Who Had A Heart" -- duet with Luther's original vocals), Fantasia ("Til My Baby Comes Home"), John Legend ("Love Won't Let Me Wait"), Babyface ("If Only For One Night"), Angie Stone ("Since I Lost my baby") and Wyclef Jean ("Always and Forever").

Luther Vandross was undeniably one of the most significant balladeers of our time. Since the 1981 platinum-selling release of Never Too Much, Luther's recording career spanned over two decades and resulted in a lifetime of chart- topping hits. Through the 1980's, he recorded a string of platinum albums, including Forever, For Always, For Love, Busy Body and The Night I Fell In Love. He scored his first Grammy Award in 1989 with "Here And Now." His last studio album, 2003's Dance With My Father, received 4 Grammy Awards (including Song of the Year for the title song "Dance With My Father") and has generated worldwide sales exceeding 3 million copies. Collectively, Luther's body of work has sold in excess of 30 million records worldwide, winning eight Grammy Awards, numerous Soul Train, BET, NAACP Image Awards and American Music Awards. Vandross died on July 1, 2005 from complications from the stroke he suffered in 2003. He was 54.

Source: J Records

CONTACT: Theola Borden, +1-646-840-5673, or Theola.Borden@SonyBMG.com, for J Records

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