Many singers come and go. However, the late great Luther Vandross was more than just a singer. He was a crooner and a vocal stylist. He knew how to take and grab hold of a song and once that song was in his grasp, he owned it. When Vandross appeared on Soul Train for the first time in 1982, he literally owned the stage as well.
Vandross burst onto the music scene in 1981 with his album Never Too Much. Prior to that, he did commercial jingles and background session work for a variety of artists including Chaka Khan, Roberta Flack and David Bowie and, a year earlier, did lead vocals for a number of songs such as “The Glow of Love” with the group Change. For Vandross’ first appearance on Soul Train, he performed his timeless rendition of “A House is Not A Home,” which was taken from Never Too Much and which host Don Cornelius referred to as “one of the most devastating cuts from this album.” The dark stage setting complemented the tone and mood of the song as Vandross, dressed in a black suit with a glittery jacket, sang the passionate song live (Vandross, like some other artists that performed on the show, sang all of his songs live as opposed to lip-syncing). All of the Soul Train dancers were mesmerized as Vandross stood there demonstrating what true singing actually is. Every vocal, every note, every ad-lib and every “woo-woo” drew screams and applause from the dancers. He turned the entire song inside out. His vocal styling literally takes a person’s mind and soul to another world.
After his riveting performance, Vandross received a well-deserved long, thunderous ovation from the Soul Train dancers. This legendary performance is definitely in the top five of the greatest Soul Train performances of all time. The applause didn’t stop once Cornelius came on stage to interview Vandross, who jokingly asked the audience, “You guys don’t like Luther Vandross, don’t you? He’s boring, isn’t he?” Cornelius then simply complimented Vandross by saying, “You’re bad brother!” Later in the show, Cheryl Lynn, who scored several R&B hits in the late seventies and eighties, most notably the 1978 smash “Got To Be Real,” joined Vandross to perform their rendition of the Marvin Gaye-Tammi Terrell classic “If This World Were Mine,” which went number four in the fall of 1982. Before they performed, Cornelius asked Lynn what it was like working with Vandross as opposed to other producers to which she replied, “He (Vandross) knows what he wants from the time he comes in from the time he leaves. He cracks the whip and makes you stay in there and do it. Then he amazes me because he makes do things that I thought I couldn’t do.” Cornelius jokingly wondered aloud if there was any fighting in the studio to which both Vandross and Lynn denied. As Vandross and Lynn performed “If This World Were Mine,” both of their live vocals blended together perfectly, making another top-notch performance. They definitely did justice to Marvin and Tammi’s original.
Vandross closed the show with his latest single “Bad Boy/Having A Party,” which reached number three for four weeks on Billboard’s R&B charts in the fall of 1982. This funky little dance number, which has been a staple at several cookouts, was taken from his then-current album Forever, For Always, For Love, which Vandross told Cornelius was an extension of what he does.
Vandross returned to Soul Train four years later in 1986 for a special tribute given to him.
By the time Vandross came back to Soul Train, he had made his mark on the music industry, having many charted hits and five albums to his credit. Throughout this episode, various songs by Vandross were played for the Soul Train dancers such as his first smash “Never Too Much” and his 1985 hit “It’s Over Now.” After Don Cornelius introduced Vandross to the audience, he asked Vandross what was behind his “what seems to be an affinity you have for doing songs that other great artists recorded and made famous without fear on your part?” Vandross answered, “Ever since I was small there have always been a bunch of songs I wanted to sing if I got a chance to. It’s partly a tribute to the original artist and a challenge to see if I can come up with a ‘Lutherized’ version of what the song is.”
Vandross then sang his number three R&B hit from the summer of 1986 “Give Me The Reason,” which was from the motion picture Ruthless People.
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Later in the show, Vandross took several questions from the Soul Train dancers. One dancer asked him what did he like most about the music field and why to which Vandross replied, “I think what I love most about the music field is that it’s something I wanted to do since I was very young. There’s a certain feeling you get when you do what you want to do. It’s a very rewarding thing.” Another dancer asked Vandross who his favorite musical artist was, to which Vandross answered mostly female singers such as Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Valerie Simpson, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Holiday and Anita Baker. Vandross then performed his current hit “Stop to Love” which became a number one R&B hit for two weeks in January 1987 and his first top 20 hit on the pop charts, reaching number 15.
Vandross closed the show with “Wait For Love,” an engaging ballad that went to number 11 in the fall of 1985. Again, Vandross captivated the audience, with his live vocals and stage presence, eliciting a thunderous ovation when he finished singing. 80s Soul Train dancer Derek Fleming was present for both of Vandross’ appearances on Soul Train. “I could not wait to see and hear Luther in person,” said Fleming. “I knew the voice from Folgers Coffee and his singing in the group Change.”
Fleming continued, “Vandross had the presence of a person that was familiar. He didn’t seem to act like a star; just jovial cool. He acknowledged the Soul Train Gang. He was a total professional. When it was time for him to sing over the track, he sang loudly as if in a concert and I remember listening to his diction and phrases, how he attacked each line so precisely and how he used facial expressions to tell the story in the song.”
In March of 1987, Vandross, along with Dionne Warwick, hosted the first annual Soul Train Music Awards. He would go on to host the third annual event in 1989 with Warwick. Vandross continued having numerous hits throughout the nineties, scoring his last big hit in 2003 with the touching and heartfelt ballad “Dance With My Father.”
Sadly, Vandross died in 2005 from complications of a stroke he suffered in 2003. Although Vandross is gone, his body of work is a permanent staple in the music industry. His two legendary appearances on Soul Train are a testament to that fact. Luther Vandross’ music will forever and always be a lasting legacy of love and raw talent.
–Stephen McMillian
In addition to being a journalist, Stephen McMillian is also working on creative projects within the entertainment industry.
