He was part of the initial studio incarnation of CHIC, but he also appeared on a plethora of disco albums: he sang lead on a cover of The Supremes’ ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’ by Soiree, ‘Hot Butterfly’ on Gregg Diamond’s Bionic Boogie album (as well as backing vocals), and ‘See You in LA’ and ‘Jet Plane Ride’ for Mascara. Luther was also making a name for himself as a vocalist on the disco scene.
Hard to describe, but impressive to hear, this rumble would become his trademark vocal move on record and in concert, becoming a staple in his epic live performances of ‘A House is Not a Home’. Asked for something special by the producer, Luther let out what his biographer Craig Seymour has called his “extended bass rumble”, extending the word “sizzling” to si-i-i-i-i-zzling”. For instance, in one session, for a pizza commerical no less, Luther developed one of his signature vocal moves. While singing about fried chicken or fizzy pop might not be the exciting break most singers dream of, it undoubtedly provided Luther the space to develop his trademark vocal flourishes and gain confidence in his own abilities. And he also made a decent living singing radio jingles, becoming the voice of ditties for the likes of 7UP, KFC, and Juicy Fruit gum. He developed his songwriting skills, and was commissioned to write a song for the Broadway musical The Wiz. He began working as a backing singer and arranger, and would go on to work with the likes of David Bowie, Bette Midler, CHIC and Roberta Flack. One of his first gigs was as a singer on the children’s television show Sesame Street. In fact, Luther had spent the previous decade honing his musical chops. Never Too Much had been a long time coming. Never Too Muchcombined uptempo feelgood tracks such as the bass-heavy ‘She’s A Super Lady’ (one of the few Luther tracks to feature horns) and the title track, as well as romantic ballads such as ‘Don’t You Know That’, and of course, his classic rendition of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David classic ‘A House Is Not A Home’. The album gave Luther a chance to showcase the incredible depth and beauty of his voice, alongside his abilities as a writer, arranger and producer. More importantly, the album helped put Luther on the path to stardom. The album reached number one on the US Billboard Black Albums chart, and managed a respectful number 19 on Billboard’s Pop Albums chart. Released to critical and commercial success in 1981, Luther Vandross’s first solo album Never Too Muchremains one of the best albums he ever released. Tweet On his birthday, we’re revisiting a classic from the Luther Vandross arsenal of love songs: his rendition of ‘A House Is Not A Home’.