By Gregory Crofton
A packed house at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville lit up “Luther: Never Too Much” bringing emotion and joy to a screening on a recent Sunday evening of the new documentary directed by Dawn Porter.
Audience members at times sang along to hit songs as they learned about the life of the king of modern R&B, Luther Vandross. The large turnout no doubt played a part in the theatre booking the film for an additional week.
Documentaries have been struggling theatrically, but since its release on Nov. 1, “Luther: Never Too Much” has already grossed $202,796, according to Box Office Mojo. It’s not clear how many screens are showing the film across the country, and ticket sale potential may drop after CNN broadcasts the doc on Jan. 1.
Vandross was born in New York City in 1951. He knew he wanted to be a singer from a young age, hooked by watching The Supremes perform on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. But it took him years to become a successful solo artist, one who helped Rhythm and Blues expand beyond Black audiences.
Vandross began his career as a backup singer who on the side arranged and sang commercial jingles and even appeared on Sesame Street. During a recording session for the 1975 album “Young Americans,” David Bowie decided to incorporate a vocal arrangement by Vandross and later invited him to be the opening act on an upcoming tour. It was the break Vandross needed to begin a solo career.
Director Dawn Porter (Spies of Mississippi, Gideon’s Army) is a prolific filmmaker who started her professional life as a corporate attorney. She tells the story of Vandross’ career, the core of which took place in the 80s and 90s, using concert footage, archival video and interviews with some of his music collaborators.
Porter skillfully conveys and celebrates the talent and work that went into Vandross’ singing voice, including the low “woo” he’s known for and how his work fits into the spectrum of sound that is R&B. His biggest influence was Dionne Warwick.
Porter also provides appropriate coverage of issues surrounding Vandross’ obsession with food and his wildly fluctuating weight, which likely led to the stroke that killed him at 54. She also contends with how private he was about his sexuality and lack of publicly known romantic partners.
Members of his musical inner circle, which include Richard Marx and Mariah Carey, testify that Vandross’ first love and true passion in life was music. His hard-driving ways and exacting standards helped him become one of the first Black performance artists to “cross over” and achieve mainstream success in America.
Watch the trailer below.