Luther Vandross - Every Year, Every Christmas

What this video is

Released October–December 1995, 'Every Year, Every Christmas' emerged at the apex of the adult-contemporary R&B era, when Epic Records invested in high-production holiday specials and prestige music videos to support major-label R&B superstars. Luther Vandross, a dominant figure in the Quiet Storm format, released This Is Christmas as his tenth studio album — his first holiday record — at a moment when the holiday…

Why it matters

Represents the mid-1990s holiday R&B prestige video format: a major-label investment in cinematic black-and-white production for an adult-contemporary ballad, co-written with rock songwriter Richard Marx, signaling cross-genre commercial strategy. The video anchors a model of intimate,…

The director

German-born director, born May 26, 1963 in Frankfurt. Received a Fulbright Scholarship at age 20 and attended Brooklyn College and NY Institute of Technology. Made his directing debut with C&C Music Factory music videos. Built an extensive music video career…