Vocal range
Luther Vandross
Tenor · R&B · Soul · Pop · USA · prominent since 1981
Cited range
B2 — A5
Octaves
2.8
Semitones
34
Voice type
Tenor
What is Luther Vandross’s vocal range?
Luther Vandross's vocal range is commonly cited as B2 to A5 — about 2.8 octaves, or 34 semitones, and is usually classified as tenor.
Round, cushioned tenor with precise runs and falsetto used as ornament, not escape. That cited span is wider than 58% of the 357 voices in this library.
- Signature song
- Never Too Much
Reading the numbers
- The bottom of this range is unusually high for a tenor: 91% of the 127 tenors here are cited lower than B2.
- The ceiling clears the conventional tenor top of C5 by 9 semitones.
- No separate full-voice ceiling is cited, so the figures describe a range worked largely in full voice across its 34 semitones.
- The closest range in the library belongs to Fiona Apple (C3–A5), within 1 semitone at both ends.
- Ranked by bottom note, it is the 212th lowest of the 357 voices here; by top note, the 160th highest.
Commonly cited figures, not lab measurements — extreme notes are one-off recorded moments, not the singer’s everyday range.
You vs Luther Vandross
Take the free 2-minute range test — your mic finds your lowest and highest notes, then this page shows exactly how your voice lines up with Luther Vandross’s.
Same notes, other voices
Also bottoming out on B2
12 other voices here are cited to the same floor.
Also topping out on A5
28 other voices here reach the same ceiling.