And Dionne Warwick, who originally made the song famous, is beaming as Luther sings what she calls the definitive version. A young Janet Jackson has a huge smile on her face. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME")īLAIR: You can see just how much women adored Luther Vandross in a video of the NAACP Image Awards in 1988, when he sang "A House Is Not a Home" to an ecstatic audience. You know, he could get us in the mood to be with this other guy. WILLIAMS: It wasn't a sex-symbol thing with Luther, even though his music was extremely sexy. She says it's a funny thing with Luther Vandross - even though he could make just about anybody think about things to do in the bedroom, Williams says he was not the object of desire. How about that?īLAIR: Stephanie Williams is music director for the nationally syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show." So she picks songs that will appeal to the radio show's older audience. WILLIAMS: I'll just say baby-making mood. STEPHANIE WILLIAMS: Oh, see I had to censor myself right then when you asked me that question. It made me feel good.īLAIR: And what sort of mood could Vandross put you in? When I heard Luther's voice, I heard peace. It was smooth to the touch, easy to feel, wonderful to look at. Your love is all I need.īLAIR: Before long some of the singers who Luther Vandross idolized growing up became fans of his, like Dionne Warwick.ĭIONNE WARWICK: I've always described his voice as a piece of velvet. VANDROSS: (Singing) Here and now, I promise to love faithfully. And I became a fan of singing, and I became a fan of Luther.īLAIR: And Marcus Miller worked with him for decades and became one of his closest collaborators when Luther Vandross went solo. This is, you know, this is pretty incredible here. You know what I mean? He would hit me like that, and I was like: Whoa, this is like playing an instrument. She's going to add it right now, for drama. Most singers can't do that because, you know, although they're very talented, they're not really kind of technically knowledgeable about what they're doing. He'd play me the great, great singers and explain to me exactly what they were doing. MILLER: Because we're on the road, you know, and, you know, during the downtime when we weren't performing, Luther would, you know, he would educate me. They were just somebody in the front of the band to entertain the audience while we were doing the real work in the back, you know.īLAIR: But Marcus Miller says Luther Vandross changed his mind. And I was a hard- core musician, mostly jazz, so I didn't really respect singers that much. MILLER: I was probably 17, 18 years old when I met him. So he and Luther Vandross were almost always bumping into each other. He was a connoisseur of background singers.īLAIR: Marcus Miller was one of the most in-demand session musicians at the time. You're at the top of my list 'cause I'm always thinking about you.īLAIR: He first met bass player Marcus Miller when they were both in Roberta Flack's band. VANDROSS: (Singing) And not a minute or a day or night that I don't love you. First: the voice.īLAIR: Supremely fine-tuned, controlled and yet effortless. NPR's Elizabeth Blair says he was the go-to singer for anyone looking to get in the mood.ĮLIZABETH BLAIR: We'll get to the bedroom in a moment. SIEGEL: The late Luther Vandross wasn't just known for romantic music. Not even one sad day or minute have I had since you've come my way. LUTHER VANDROSS: (Singing) Love has truly been good to me. Our series 50 Great Voices continues now with a singer whose voice is often described as flawless and smooth as silk. This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.
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