IN LOVING MEMORY
Luther Vandross
April 20, 1951 - July 1, 2005
On Friday July 1st, 2005, Luther Vandross passed away at New Jersey's J.F. Kennedy Medical Center, at 1:47 P.M., E.S.T. Luther Vandross was 54, no cause of death was given. Luther had suffered a major stroke on April 16th, 2003 & never truly recovered from it. A post stroke appearance on Oprah Winfrey in April 2004, clearly demonstrated the damaging effects of the stroke, as well as the arduous road ahead for Luther.
To the casual music fan, Luther Vandross was an overnight sensation. In fact, Luther was anything but that. Luther's voice was so smooth & comforting, that it seemed as though we already knew him. In fact, we knew his voice long before we knew Luther the singer. We had heard his smooth tenor in commercials for Kentucky Fried Chicken, The U.S. Army, NBC, Coke, 7-Up, Pepsi & Burger King, among others.
His musical origins have been well chronicled, beginning with his stint in the Harlem group, "Listen My Brother", as well as singing background for David Bowie & Roberta Flack. For many of us, it was with Chic that Luther gained prominence, with his voice being heard loud & clear on the Disco hit, "Dance, Dance, Dance".
Luther was featured on Gregg Diamond's 1978, "Hot Butterfly". He sang the lead on the original version of "Hot Butterfly" aka. "Papillion", that Chaka Khan made famous a few years later. His voice was also featured prominently on the Disco smash, "Cream Always Rises To The Top", on which he sang that line & was as smooth as butter.
If that put Luther on the musical map in his own right, It was his lead vocals on Change's "The Glow Of Love" & "Searching" that pushed him into the stratosphere. His lead vocals on "Searching" were off the chain & "The Glow Of Love" was absolutely phenomenal. "The Glow Of Love" has proven to have staying power, having been sampled by Janet Jackson for her hit, "All For You", over 20 years later.
I was a DJ when Luther dropped "Never Too Much" & everyone was talking about this "NEW" artist named Luther Vandross. Most people were unaware that Luther had recorded two albums previously as "Luther", which was a group consisting of Anthony Hinton, G. Diane Sumler, Christine Wiltshire, Theresa Reed & Luther. In 1975, they were the first act signed to Atlantic Records Cotillion Records.
His first LP was released in June 1976 The eponymously titled LP, "Luther" featured his first R&B chartings, "It's Good For The Soul (#28), "Funky Music"/"The Second Time Around" (#34). In fact, David Bowie originally heard Luther working on "Funky Music" a few years prior & with Luther, restructured it into "Fascination". For their live shows, they were backed by a group that included Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers, who later became the architects of Chic. The LP flopped & so did their relationship with Cotillion. Internal stresses found Christine & Theresa leaving the fold.
His second LP under the "Luther" moniker, was 1977's, "This Close To You", from which the title track stalled at #93 R&B. It featured a nice ballad named "This Is For Real", but to me, the best moment on the LP was the ballad, "Come Back To Love", which was a duet between Anthony Hinton & G. Diane Sumler. The LP suffered a worse fate than Luther's debut LP & the group was dropped by Cotillion.
From there, Luther sang with Chic & was credited as a "Special Guest Artist" on 1978's "Ces't Chic" LP. After that, he was credited as lead vocalist with Change on "The Glow Of Love" & "Searching". Luther wouldn't record another LP under his own name until 1981's, "Never Too Much".
I could go on & on with superlatives about Luther. I won't do that, as his accomplishments & status as a legend, is etched in stone. I'd rather reflect on what I appreciated about Luther.
Luther indeed possessed one of the most original voices in Soul music history. Hell, in MUSIC history. The pureness of his tonality, the timbre of his voice & his enunciation, was & is, second to none. His voice was a combination of satin & silk, with a touch of filet mignon added for spice. Luther's voice was smooth like that.
Luther's music served as the liaison to many a romantic interlude. If a brother couldn't connect romantically with Luther supplying the mood....Well, either he was totally inept & beyond any earthly help, the lady didn't like him very much, or, he simply wasn't trying. If you had a cozy atmosphere, a little wine & Luther singing sweetly in the background, how could a guy go wrong?
What I appreciated most about Luther though, is that he was a throwback to the days of classy lyrics & the power of subtlety. Luther made songs that were so sexy & romantic, without being blatantly sexual in nature. Luther didn't sing about sex, he sang about LOVE...love lost, love found & the quest to find it. Luther managed to convey an aura of romance, that while lending itself to sex, never dwelt or fixated on it.
In this day & age where almost anything goes lyrically, that is no small feat. Luther never resorted to crassness. Luther's music had class, a certain sophistication, if you will. Luther treated his songs & by extension, us, his fans with the utmost respect.
Luther didn't make false promises. He didn't promise the object of his affection the moon & the stars, of a bunch of expensive trinkets. The former is simply an exercise in verbiage, impossible to do & the latter might be beyond the means of some. What Luther wrote & sang of is something that is within the ability of almost every human being & that is......TO LOVE!
One can live quite comfortably without diamonds, pearls & things as such. However, I've yet to meet the person who can truly live & thrive without love. Regardless of one's station in life, no matter how materially successful, living without loving & being loved, is an empty existence.
To me, that is the essence of Luther & his music. Luther was a departure to the days when women weren't so many "B****hes" & "Hoes". In Luther's world of music, that type of disrespect just didn't exist. His music was a journey back to the days when men had respect for their women & love seemed to be so much more attainable than it does in these crazy times.
With Luther's passing, the music world will be just a little less romantic, the songs just a little less sweeter & we'll all be the worse for it. Fortunately, Luther WILL continue to live on in our hearts & minds, thanks to the wonderful body of work that he has left behind. For certain, wherever there are lovers & wherever there's a sweet love song being sung, Luther's spirit will reside there as well.
I'd like to extend my sincere condolences to all of Luther's family & friends, especially his mother Mary Ida. May God bless & comfort you Miss Mary Ida. Your strength & grace during your trial was inspirational & you are an exceptional woman & one to be admired. I thank you for giving the world a very special gift, in Luther. He will always remain special to us, as will you.
God bless you!
Luther Ronzoni Vandross, we will miss you always! No one sang a song quite like you did & I doubt that anyone ever will!
Rest In Peace, yours was a job well done!
Luther's Hello Luther's Goodbye
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