Director Dawn Porter received a standing ovation in front of a Sundance crowd during the premiere of her latest film Luther: Never Too Much, which sheds light on the prolific R&B singer who has made an indelible mark on music history. And the praise was well-deserved. Not only does this film get Luther’s story right, but it adds context behind a man whose narrative has been compromised throughout the years by the media. Produced by Jamie Foxx, Datari Turner, Trish D Chetty, Ged Doherty, and Leah Smith the documentary explores aspects of Luther’s career that may surprise you, may refresh your memory, and may also remind you of how much this man gave of himself to the world and his fanbase.
Starting from the early years, Luther got his start recording music with a singing group. While this sounds like the typical origin story of most musicians, what is unique about Luther’s path is a guy by the name of Jim Henson one day was looking for some singers to come on a little known program to sing songs to. That program would be known today as Sesame Street, which is where Luther Vandross along with his fellow R&B collaborators got their first TV opportunity.
Speaking of collaborators, one of the most notable ones in his early years was David Bowie, who help launch his career in his early years. Bowie, a fan of the R&B genre and certainly inspired by many Black artists and infuser of their sounds into his own music, worked with Luther Vandross in the early years. Bette Midler was another artist who also worked with Vandross. While working with these heavyweights was the launching pad to help propel his career to the next level, he deserves the credit for seizing autonomy over his own success.
One of the things that Dawn Porter’s documentary highlights in Luther: Never Too Much is how skilled Luther was as a businessman. In his early years he earned a good living off of commercial jingles. Several TV commercials from the early ’80s from various fast food and clothing brands had Luther’s voice in the background. He would take those earnings and bankroll them into writing, recording and producing his own songs.
From that process came a song called Never Too Much, which became a platinum hit in 1981. Porter’s doc is ambitious about giving us the hits that resonate so much with us as Luther fans. The film features concert footage, awards show performances, and sound booth recordings of Luther singing all the classics that we have come to know and love. It’s a film that will definitely have you singing his songs (if you’re like me probably out of key) out loud and reminiscing on the days and times when those songs were released.
Close friends, family, and colleagues of Luther Vandross are also featured in the documentary including producer Jamie Foxx, Mariah Carey, and Dionne Warwick. One of the most touching moments was featuring 19th NAACP Image Awards Performance of “A House Is Not a Home,” originally sung by Dionne Warwick. Luther Vandross eloquently sings it in front of her among a crowd of music professionals and celebrities, and she’s nearly in tears enamored by his performance. There is something about Luther where he can take the performance of a creator and make it into his own but still be graceful and respectful to the owner of the source material.
The film doesn’t shy away from the controversy surrounding Luther’s sexuality that has always been an enigma with fans. It also addresses his ongoing struggle with his weight as throughout his career he would lose and gain and used food as a conduit to fill a void in his life.
There was sadly a void in Luther’s life. As the documentary dives deeper into that within expressions in music and notably even in song lyrics, one thing that sticks with the viewer is that Vandross sacrificed many things in his personal life for the sake of his art. His put his music and his career before his health and before finding personal love in his life. There’s some sadness in knowing that in moments throughout his career that journalists and the media only focused aspects of his life that in the grand scheme of things were meaningless.
This documentary is compelling, provides beautiful commentary, and gives the kind of grace Luther deserves. He would be proud if he were still here.
The music of Luther Vandross is and always will be about love. And that love is unconditional. His love is a legacy that carries on long after he has departed this earthly realm. We are all part of the Luther legacy as we listen to his music play at a wedding, stream on a Spotify playlist or when a DJ spins at a party. There will never be another Luther, and Dawn Porter’s film has illuminated the man in a way that reminds us how much of a gift it was to have this man be a part of our lives when he was here.
Luther: Never Too Much made its premiere at Sundance 2024.
