Singers who discovered other singers?


My dad tells the story of one of his favourites, Luther vandross, being discovered by David Bowie and Bette midler singing in some down at heel New York nightclub.

Bowie took him and put him in charge of backing vocals on some of his young Americans lp and the rest as they say is history.

Listen to the track - Right.

Not strictly true. Vandross had already sang with with many people, including Roberta Flack and Stevie Wonder.

Bowie "did a Bowie", when he hired Vandross and "reworked" one of Luther's original compositions as his own, (though did give him secondary writing credit). It was basically a Vandross composition with a few changes to the lyrics.

Bowie certainly have him a leg up but didn't discover him.
 
I believe he also discovered Ava Cherry.
Sort of. She was already known to the industry and when she started an affair with Bowie, she introduced him to the soul music that she followed/played and that inspired the entire Young American era. He certainly managed her and pushed her career, though and Golden Years is about her.
 
Didn't Jack White off The White Stripes have a hand in The Von Bondies doing well before he decked their frontman?
 

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