Luther : Never too much

Luther : Never too much

(December 19, 2024) Luther Vandross really needs no introduction. Selling over 40 million albums worldwide and with eleven of them going platinum, Billboard hailed him as one of the greatest R&B artists of all time. Rolling Stone called him a “scholar of singing,” ranking him #31 on their 2023 list of 200 Best Singers of All Time. And SoulTracks.com readers ranked him #2 on their Greatest Male Soul Singers of All Time poll. They all were right.

It’s been almost twenty years since the sudden passing of eight-time Grammy-award winning Luther Vandross, and yet there had not been a single documentary about his life and legacy…until now.

Film director Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble) has taken on the incredible task of highlighting the highs and lows of the R&B giant inside the new documentary, Luther: Never Too Much. As the film’s director, she develops a love letter to diehard fans of the legendary R&B titan. After a successful run during the film festival circuit this year, ‘Luther: Never Too Much’ was picked up by CNN Films and will get a national television premiere on CNN on New Year’s Day (Jan 1).

After solidifying his career as a trusted background vocalist and arranger for the greats (David Bowie, Bette Midler, Roberta Flack, Quincy Jones) and for dozens of disco groups like Chic, Sister Sledge, even the faceless dance acts of Change, Charme and Bionic Boogie, the Harlem-born singer powered his way into the music industry with his 1981 solo album, Never Too Much. And what a riveting debut it was. Thanks to incredible performances like the seven-minute ballad “A House Is Not a Home,” “Don’t You Know That” and the timeless title cut, the LP earned him two Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist and Best R&B Male Vocal Performance. The hard work, buoyed with collaborative support from fellow friends Nat Adderley, Jr. and Marcus Miller, netted Vandross a successful run throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, including production work on albums for Aretha Franklin, Cheryl Lynn and Dionne Warwick. Only a handful of R&B superstars reigned towards the end of the 20th century in the music biz. Vandross was indeed one of them.

To best describe the highlights of his catalog, just think big ethereal ballads, anthems about love and supple arrangements that combined the gravitas of Burt Bacharach and Isaac Hayes with a sweet vocal balance that sat somewhere between Marvin Gaye and Teddy Pendergrass. Vandross, for so many adoring R&B fans, became the quintessential Quiet Storm balladeer, pushing the genre to epic heights with a string of platinum-selling albums and radio hits.