I couldn’t tell you whether it was the first time I saw the video of Never Too Much or that copy of The Night I Fell in Love that mother used to play in the cassette player of her car when I was a kid, but Luther’s music has been a part of my life for a long time. In my early teen years, it served as a beacon of hope. I wanted a man to feel that way about me. It later came to represent a few rendez vous that I wish I hadn’t had. Luther Vandross songs had that way of impairing one’s judgement.
Not many people could sing a song like Luther Vandross. He could take a song and totally transform it and make it his and make you see things you had never seen in his interpretation of a lyric. Have you guys ever heard Superstar by the Carpenters? The difference is amazing. My absolute favorite would have to be Love Won’t Let Me Wait. I know I dreamed many an adolescent night of a man with whom I could share my dreams and love and ultimately explo -o – ode in ecstasy. How many little boys born in the 80’s and 90’s were named Luther? How many Lutherinas are running around here? A lot of little kids and teens (and a few young adults) should be very thankful to that man.
Luther was also a perfectionist when it came to his stage show. His tiffs with other tourmates was infamous. Remember En Vogue? I had thought that he was doing well after his appearance at the Grammy Awards. It’s almost eerie that Dance With My Father was his last album. It is sad to think that an era in R&B is over, but it was good while it lasted. Thank you, Mr. Vandross.
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