3 Icons Who Sang Backup in the 1970s Before Making It Big

When we think about the biggest musical stars in the world, we often wish we could be like them. They’re talent, their voices, their positions in society—it’s all so enviable. But what we don’t often consider is all the hard work it took for someone to get where they are.

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That’s just what we wanted to dive into below. We wanted to look at the careers of three giant names in music and see where they got their start. Indeed, these are three icons who sang backup before making it big in the 1970s.

Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston, who later became known as “The Voice”, got her career started by singing backup for her mother, performer Cissy Houston, in New York City cabaret clubs. Soon, she was discovered and given work singing backup as a session studio artist for performers like Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls. She was also on the disco song “Life’s A Party” by Zager. But it was in 1985, when Houston released her debut studio LP and became famous.

Phil Collins

In the summer of 1970, British rock band Genesis put an ad in the paper for a new drummer. Phil Collins saw the ad and answered it. At the time, the group’s lead singer was Peter Gabriel. Hired from 1970-75, Collins played drums in the budding group and sang backup vocals. But in the summer of 75, Gabriel left the band. Genesis placed another ad for a lead singer, and Collins sang backup with the applicants. But soon it was clear, it was Collins who was the best fit to fill the hole Gabriel made. So, he became Genesis frontman, and the first album the band cut with Collins singing was their first American hit LP, A Trick Of The Tail.

Luther Vandross

In high school, Luther Vandross founded the first Patti LaBelle fan club. Not long after, by the mid-70s he was singing backup for some of the greats, including Roberta Flack, David Bowie (see the song above), Ringo Starr, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, and a host of others. But it was in 1981 when Vandross released his debut solo album and became a household name.

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