'80s R&B in general is underrated outside of the obvious pop crossovers (Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, which we still miss today), and many of these acts perform at "jazz" festivals, further giving this music its rather "stogy" label. Sandwiched between the great '50s-'70s "classic" period and the '90s-now "contemporary" period, it Sadly, in terms of "80s black music", most people focus on early hip-hop and those few crossovers that I've mentioned, and of course the MTV pop/rock still popular for people generally of a certain age. It was already seen as "bygone" as early as the late '90s, with its "quiet storm" dominated feel with early synths and drum machines that led to its rather dated feel, no matter how many traditional instruments were used, and a lot of soap opera cues and love themes of the '80s/'90s incorporated this style of music. We've still got Mr. McDonald, Jeffrey Osbourne, Peabo Bryson, George Benson, and many more from that era with us.
RIP Mr. Ingram (no relation to Luther who passed on in 2007).