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Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s ‘Luther’ Is a Grammy Natural, but Luther Vandross Waited Years to Win His First Grammy

Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s “Luther" sounds like a natural to receive Grammy nods. But its namesake, Luther Vandross, had a long wait for Grammy glory.

Vandross was nominated for best new artist at the 1982 ceremony, but lost to Scottish pop singer Sheena Easton(who got off to a faster start, with a No. Gaye, who both wrote and recorded the original version of “If This World Were Mine,” had to wait even longer (15 years from the time of his first nomination) to win his first Grammys in 1983. Vandross and Gaye have nothing on Lionel Richie, whose Grammy track record was a dismal 0-18 before he finally won best pop vocal performance, male, for “Truly,” also in 1983.

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