Hospitalized Vandross’ Album Debuts at No. 1
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – R&B veteran Luther Vandross’ new album debuted at No. 1 on the weekly pop charts on Wednesday, while the singer remained hospitalized due to a stroke suffered two months ago.
The new album, “Dance With My Father,” sold about 442,000 units in its first week of release ended June 15, according to industry retail monitor Nielsen SoundScan.
The 52-year-old singer, best known for his romantic ballads, suffered a serious stroke on April 16 and has since then been in the care of Weill Cornell Medical Center of New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Last week, the Grammy Award winner was finally moved out of intensive care and his manager, Carmen Romano, reported that Vandross was growing more responsive each day.
“The album literally flew off the shelves thanks to fans that have shown incredible adulation for this beloved artist,” his label, J Records, headed by music impresario Clive Davis, said in a statement.
Ranking No. 2 behind the Vandross album was Metallica’s “St. Anger,” which slipped from the top slot the previous week, selling about 363,000 units in its second week of release.
English rock band Radiohead’s “Hail to the Thief” debuted at No. 3, selling about 300,000 units.
J Records also scored big this week with the debut of Annie Lennox’ “Bare,” the artist’s first solo album in eight years, ranking fourth on the sales charts, selling 153,000 units.
Last November, Bertelsmann, which had previously forced Davis out from the top of Arista Records, brought the music executive back on board by buying the half of J Records it did not own and putting him at the helm of a newly combined group called RCA Music Group, including J Records and RCA Records.
On Wednesday, RCA Music Group boasted not only the No. 1 and No. 4 top selling albums, but also the top three selling singles in America, all riding the wave of the American Idol phenomenon.
With record-breaking sales of 393,000 units, American Idol runner up Clay Aiken’s song “This is the Night/ Bridge Over Troubled Water,” released on RCA, debuted at No. 1, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
American Idol winner Ruben Studdard exploded at No. 2 with single sales of 286,000 for “Flying Without Wings/ Superstar,” released on J Records. And the No. 3 single was held by American Idol finalists’ “God Bless the USA,” released on RCA Records, and which previously held the No. 1 spot for four weeks, according to the music group.
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