by C. J. Carpenter

Created on: May 24, 2008

Although the R & B record albums from the 80's are stored away, or replaced by the artist's cd's, some R& B singers from the 80's are certainly unforgettable.

The 70's disco era was over and some 80's R & B vocalists slowed the pace down, and sang warm and tender, romantic ballads. Several R & B singers released debut albums that made them unforgettable. Other's were known before the 80's but recorded songs during the 80's that secured their place in our "unforgettable artist" memory bank..

Whitney Houston released her self titled, debut album, which sold a whopping 27 million copies in 1985! Whitney captivated her audiences, singing, "You give good love" and "Greatest Love of all". She had a voice more mature than her age, with clarity and range that made her sound like she had lungs the size of the unforgettable Aretha Franklin.

Anita Baker's music quickly advanced on the R & B charts in the 80's with her unique
R & B/ jazz sound. Her rich, raspy voice sang tender words like "Sweet love" and "You bring me joy" on her debut album, "Rapture", released in 1986. Her sound is still unforgettable and can often be heard on late night radio programs.

Stevie Wonder is one of the most unforgettable R & B musician's not only during the 80's but from the 60's until now. He's one of the best R & B singers of all times. He's a versatile musician, who sings and plays the piano,harmonica and other instruments. In the 80's this musical genius wrote and sang soulful, stirring songs on his self-produced album "Square Circle" which went Platinum. In the 80's, Stevie started to add the synthesizer, adding even more depth and color to his music.

Luther Vandross was one of the most popular R & B singers in the 80's. Luther had a distinctive musical style and wrote much of his own music. His voice pitch was perfect and he sang the music scales equal to an experienced saxophone player. He's an unforgettable artist and we can't get his music out of our heads. We still can hear him singing, "Hear and Now", "Never too much", "A house is not a home", and "Wait for love". Luther is truly missed, but his music remains.

The 80's were turbulent times for Marvin Gaye, with the stress of a divorce, and accusations of drug addiction. Even still, Marvin Gaye is an unforgettable singer from the early 80's with the release of his Columbia recorded, "Sexual Healing". This album was released in 1982. His smooth, soulful, rhythmic sounds make Marvin and unforgettable R & B singer, even today, since his untimely death in 1984.

Technology may have changed over the years, but it doesn't affect who we consider as unforgettable singers. Instead of playing their tunes on record players or cassette decks, now we listen to those same songs on our ipods or cd's, and they're sung at special occasions, like our unforgettable weddings.

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