Luther Vandross, one of R&B’s great voices and balladeers, is the subject of the engrossing and revealing new documentary, Luther: Never Too Much. The film premiered at Sundance in January, and 360°Sound screened it as part of our continuing coverage of Toronto’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.
Vandross, who died in 2005 at age 54, sold over 40 million records in a career that spanned over three decades. As a casual fan who owns several of his classic ‘80s albums, I went into the film knowing a little bit about the “Velvet Voice” and came out highly entertained and much more knowledgeable.
Here are five interesting things I learned from Luther: Never Too Much.
Vandross was credited with vocal arrangements on David Bowie’s Young Americans.
I knew that Vandross sang backup on David Bowie’s 1974 Philly soul-inspired album, Young Americans, which spawned the hit title track, as well as the popular follow-up single “Fame.” But I didn’t realize the role he had in arranging the vocal parts.
The documentary contains amazing footage of a skinny, red-haired Bowie chain-smoking in the studio as he works out the vocal parts with Vandross. In fact, Vandross suggested the memorable “Young American, Younger America, she wants the young American” part in the title track.
“Fascination,” a standout deep cut from the album, originated from Vandross’s “Funky Music,” a song he had written and later recorded with his group Luther on their 1976 debut LP.
“What a breath of fresh air,” Bowie said of Vandross in an interview in the ‘90s. “He had just a fantastic voice.” Bowie encouraged Vandross to go solo. “You’re getting a chance to sharpen your tools,” Vandross said Bowie told him. “You’re getting the experience of a lifetime in advance of what I know is going to be your career.”
Vandross would go on to sing backup for Bette Midler and Chic. He also had a lucrative career singing commercial jingles for Juicy Fruit, Mountain Dew, Gino’s, and others. The money he earned from commercial work went into funding studio time for his stellar self-produced solo debut, 1981’s Never Too Much.
Vandross struggled with his weight throughout his career.
In his comedy standup special Delirious, Eddie Murphy called Vandross a “big Kentucky Fried Chicken eatin’ motherfucker.” Vandross responded by bringing a giant KFC bucket onstage at one of his concerts. “There’s been a lot of talk going on about me lately,” he told the crowd. “And I didn’t want to let Eddie Murphy down.” He then burst into his KFC jingle: “America’s favorite bite after bite, tender and juicy, we do it right for you.”
Bassist and frequent Vandross collaborator Marcus Miller said that whenever Vandross was ridiculed about his weight, “his humor got him through.”
“I was an emotional eater,” Vandross told Oprah Winfrey. “If the music wasn’t sounding right, I ate to cope.”
In the mid-1980s, he lost 120 pounds, getting below 200. A mere three years later, his weight was back up to over 300. Vandross said he thought about food from the moment he woke up until he went to bed. This food addiction became a media focus, and it irritated Vandross that journalists kept bringing it up.
He wrote and produced hits for Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick.
Growing up in the Bronx, a young Vandross was a “Motown kid,” closely watching The Supremes on The Ed Sullivan Show. He’d call his friend and longtime collaborator Fonzi Thornton and say, “Did you see Florence [Ballard] miss that step?”
Vandross studied every singer he loved, especially female singers. He loved their tone, range, and versatility. So, it was a dream come true for him when he got to collaborate with Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick.
“The biggest thrill of my life was meeting and working with Aretha and Dionne,” Vandross told Dick Clark on American Bandstand.
Vandross co-produced Franklin’s 1982 album, Jump To It, and wrote half of its songs, including the title track, a No. 1 R&B hit. “How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye,” a duet with Warwick from her Vandross-produced 1983 album of the same name, peaked at No. 4 on the adult contemporary charts.
“Any Love” was his favorite of his compositions.
Bassist Marcus Miller, who co-wrote and co-produced “Any Love,” said when people ask him to tell them about Vandross, he tells them to listen to the lyrics of “Any Love.”
I speak to myself sometimes, and I say, “Oh myIn a lot of ways, you’re a lucky guyAnd, oh, now all you need is a chance to try any love”
“Any Love” topped the R&B charts in 1988, the fourth of seven career chart-toppers.
Some in the film interpreted the song to have a sadness to it because they don’t believe Vandross in his personal love life ever found his person. As with his weight, Vandross’s sexuality was a focus of the media. He was a closeted gay man throughout his life. One of Vandross’s friends said he couldn’t bear the thought of coming out at a time when society was less accepting. “He’d rather be alone than have that stigma attached,” she said.
He won his first Grammy in 1991.
Pigeon-holed as a Black R&B singer, Vandross craved crossover success. After being nominated for a Grammy nine times and having an impressive decade-long run of R&B hit singles, he finally won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “Power of Love” in 1991.
Vandross would go on to win eight total Grammys and was nominated 31 times. Although Vandross never topped the pop charts as he so desired, he finished his career with five Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits, the biggest being “Endless Love,” his 1994 duet with Mariah Carey.
The 101-minute film has been an audience favorite on the festival circuit, but according to a recent Variety interview with director Dawn Porter, it has not yet found a distributor. Hopefully, it gets the opportunity for a theatrical run or finds a streaming platform soon. Check back here for updates on where you can view this outstanding film.
Learn more interesting facts about the R&B legend on luthervandross.com
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