excerpts from the book, Luther: the Life and Longings of Luther Vandross, by Craig Seymour:

Luther got into David Bowie's band through chilhood friend, guitarist Carlos Alomar: "Bowie was looking for a new guitarist, and someone suggested Carlos, who was doing a lot of sessions in New York, and also playing in the house band at the Apollo theater. Carlos and Bowie hit it off, largely due to the British singer's fascination with all things hip, urban and soulful.

Carlos became Bowie's ambassador to a vibrant, new -largely black- world, even though Bowie's odd appearance made him initially uncomfortable. "You've got to understand," Carlos explained,"I'm a Puerto Rican man living in Harlem, playing black music. When you see a man so pasty white with red hair, you think that's strange."
However, Carlos soon warmed to the inquisitive foreigner and even invited him to dinner.
"What you need is to come to my house, and my wife can make you some nice chicken and rice and beans and put some meat on those bones," Carlos told him. Bowie took him up on his offer.
Later, in Philly, while they had been recording at Sigma sound, Carlos was enjoying the way the recordings were going, and called his wife, Robin, and told her to make the 90 minute trip down from New York so that she could hear things for herself. "Oh, and bring Luther Vandross", he added.

"I didn't know anything about Bowie except how to pronounce his name," Luther said. At the time, he was only familiar with one of Bowie's songs, the 1973 breakthrough single "Space Oddity"...
"That was the saddest thing, Luther remarked ofthe song, "...that whole isolated, cold feeling of loss..."

Bowie was nowhere in sight when Luther and Robin arrived at Sigma. Carlos greeted them in a nearly empty studio, with the recently recorded track, "Young Americans" playing. Luther liked what he heard. The tune had a nice swaying beat, and an interesting melody, but it lacked something. There was too much empty space where Bowie wasn't singing, and nothing else was going on . What it needed was something like the quality that Cissy Houston and the Sweet Inspirations brought to all those Aretha Franklin records. It neeeded some background vocals that would talk back to Bowie and push the song along. Luther said to Robin, "There's a big chunk missing. It needs a catchphrase". He thought for a moment, then said to her, "sing with me in unison".
While Bowie's recorded vocals played behind them , Luther and Robin shouted back at him like he was a Pentecostal preacher and they were his testifying flock.

They kept this going a few times , refining the harmonies with every pass, until a tall, pale, wispy figure came rushing in.

"I Love it", Bowie said. " Who are you?"

Unbenownst to Luther, Bowie had been sitting in the control booth, drawing. When he heard the harmonies, he knew it was exactly what he needed for his foray into soul-inspired music.

From that moment, Bowie charged Luther with helping him with background arrangements for all the new material he was recording at Sigma. Luther couldn't believe it. Here was this rock star who wanted his input on how to arrange records. It was the chance he had been pining for...

Working with Bowie provided him with his first peek at how superstars operate and all that comes with the rock and roll lifestyle. There were drugs...and of course groupies(who Bowie dubbed the "Sigma Kids").
Luther, however stayed focused on the music. When he wasn't thinking up new ideas for Bowie, he rehearsed the singers with some of his own numbers. Once, Bowie, overheard them singing "Funky Music Is A Part Of Me", a song that Luther had been working on for a long time. Bowie was impressed with the song's sinister hook.

"Would you let me record it?" Bowie asked.
"What do you mean , let you record it," answered a shocked, flattered Luther. " I'm living in the Bronx, in a building with an elevator that hardly works, and you're asking me if I'll let you record one of my songs?"
Bowie changed some of the lyrics around and added some, giving the party tune a darker, more ominous spin, and "Funky Music" became "Fascination" co-written by Luther Vandross."

Bowie was increasingly impressed by Luther's budding talents, and rarely missed a chance to tell him so. "It was the first time that someone of that stature was so encouraging to me," Luther recalled. He was constantly telling me: "You've got to stick with this. You're going to make it in this business. Trust me, You've got what it takes."...

...
[Edited 11/10/04 13:52pm]

I love "Fascination."

I love the soul period in Bowie's career.
In the movie Cracked actorU'll see young Luther
rehearsing with Bowie & the other singers.
The original version of the song "Funky music(is a part of me)"
can B heard on Luther's first album.
/peace Manki

...continued, from Luther, by Craig Seymour:

When Bowie brought Luther onboard for The " Young Americans" tour, it wasn't just to sing, but to work with the other singers to create the harmonies. "He'd sit at he piano and bang the tunes out , remembered Michael Garson, keyboardist and band director for the tour. " He was the leader,and they all blended unbelievably. He gave them all the right notes to sing. He was just so certain about what everyone should do. It's like a gift."

As the tour progressed, Bowie wanted increasingly more from Luther. He felt a responsibility to help develop the talents of the shy young singer, and he thought there was no better training ground than the stage. Bowie went to Luther and asked him to open the show with several of his own songs,including the Bowie favorite "Funky Music". Luther took the offering, and was almost too terrified to be flattered.

By this point, he felt comfortable doing what he did, standing in the background, working with the other singers. He had made peace with his position in the shadows. Onstage, he loved singing, but he avoided doing anything to draw eyes toward him.
" He seemed to be very self-consious" saxaphonist Dave Sanborn recalled. I think his weight had something to do with it. Whatever it was, he seemed not to want the spotlight on him. He would've preferred to be behind a curtain."

Nevertheless, Bowie persisted, and soon Luther made his solo stage debut in front of thousands of fans. It proved disastrous. For his whole set, the throng of expectant rock fans jeered the chubby, unknown singer. Luther was devastated. He could barely hear himself sing. His ears were filled with the incessant, raving chants of "Bowieeeee!!!"

When that first show finished, Luther found Bowie, and told him that he couldn't go out there and sing by himself anymore.
"Listen man, he said, "if you want to kill me, just use cyanide, but don't send me out there again."

"Hey", Bowie responded, trying to calm him. " I'm giving you a chance to develop what you know. If these people aren't right for you - so what? Their reaction isn't the point. What You Do is the point"....


...
[Edited 11/10/04 13:49pm]

oh wow..i never knew...COOL!!

manki said:

Cool! I have to see that...

Didn't Luther work with Bette Midler too?

uPtoWnNY said:

Yep. You can even see him with the other background vocalists on SNL when Midler was the music guest...either late '70s or early '80s.

Also, if you check out the "Best of Bowie" DVD, you can clearly see Luther singing back-up on the "Young Americans" clip.

Anxiety said:

ahh that's a classic clip of Bowie.I love it as much as the 1980 performances on SNL with Klaus Nomi.

PhilG said:

The SNL performances with Nomi and Joey Arias are SUBLIME.

PhilG said:

is that from the Dick Cavett show? hat Dick Cavett. love the song. hate that performance.

GrayKing said:

His voice did sound really strained on the 2nd leg of the Diamond Dogs tour and especially that performance. It's like he hadn't learned how to use his "soul" voice live yet. In the studio for the "Young Americans" album is where it all seemed to click.

GangstaFam said:

then there were other little problems - like the drugs, the chain smoking, and the strict diet of bell peppers.

Anxiety said:

Yes, and bottling urine, not sleeping and hiding from a coven of witches that wanted to bring forth the Antichrist using his sperm.

GangstaFam said:

And thinking that Jimmy Page was behind all of it.

Anxiety said:

I'm sure Angela wasn't too far behind. Everything awful in this world can be blamed on her.

GangstaFam said:

i love the story behind the song "blackout" on "heroes"...that it was inspired about a day when angela made a surprise visit to the studio, and bowie was so dismayed to see her that he literally passed out.

get me to the priest - give me some protection, indeed!!

Anxiety said:

That's why I love "Be My Wife' so much. It's hard to tell whether he's being completely sarcastic or whether it's a last gasp plea to save their marraige. The deadpan vocals, the sing-songy lyrics and disco undertone really throw me off. Cuz the subject matter and the guitars are so painful. The video makes it even harder to figure out. Some of the faces he makes are so mocking and others look completely miserable. Definitely some of his best acting going on in that one.

GangstaFam said:

he looked so utterly hideous in that video that it almost backfires to the extent that he's hot on a whole new level. he looks like he's literally a step away from kicking that bucket right over.

Anxiety said:

LMAO, I know! Especially during the first chorus when he's really close up and he can barely open his eyes. The faces he makes during the guitar solo are pretty scary too. It's gotta be just about my favorite video ever. It's so cheap but I feel like it's about as close as we get to the REAL Bowie during that time. The parts where it's further away and the camera iris is way open, he does actually look kinda hot. I love the Panama drug lord look too.

absolutely interesting.i love Bowie and luther is the best balladeer I've ever heard!!His voice is the first stroke when you've been burning for someone for a long time.

rockwilder said:

sorry... just dont use that metaphor around him anymore...

GangstaFam said:

uPtoWnNY said:

You can hear him singing backup vocals on her 1979 disco hit "Married Men".

Anxiety said:

That dance!
[Edited 11/11/04 1:12am]

[Edited 11/11/04 1:13am]

sosgemini said:

LOL!!