Slideshow: theGrio’s favorite songs of the summer

SLIDESHOW - theGrio presents a collection of songs released during the summers of yesteryear that celebrate various shades of the season...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Summer is associated with many rituals—trips to water and sand, outdoor festivals and concerts, uncovering skin, embracing (and moaning about) sweat. To help bring in the summer of 2010, theGrio presents a collection of songs released during the summers of yesteryear that celebrate various shades of the season. By no means does this list claim to be comprehensive, so we invite readers to jump in with their own favorite tracks that evoke heat, sun and sea.

We also ask you to think about who will be the top contenders for 2010 summer jams. (Usher’s “OMG,” currently a chart topper? Or still popular Spring hit “Nothin’ on You” by B.o.B? Janelle Monae’s “Tightrope” anyone?)

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