As It Must for All Men, Death Came Funkily for Luther Vandross

[collisionwork]

Luther Vandross died over two years ago (doesn't seem that long . . .)

Here he is doing The Carpenters' song "Superstar" - which I've always had a soft spot for, in either the original or the Sonic Youth version, and now this one:

Only now are Luther's worldly possessions being offered to the rest of the world in an estate sale. And what a sale it seems to be.

20% of the property is going up as yet, but the descriptions of what there is have led Idolator to dub Luther (with only slight exaggeration) the "Charles Foster Kane of '80s R&B." Besides his recording career, Luther had a much more lucrative life as a jingle writer - Kentucky Fried Chicken's "We Do Chicken Right;" NBC's "Proud as a Peacock;" the US Army's "Be All That You Can Be," among others - so he was able to fill his three homes with whatever he wanted, it appears.

(he was also the creator of the "Lutherburger," a bacon cheeseburger with donuts in place of a bun, which probably didn't help his health - he suffered from diabetes and hypertension and had a stroke at age 51 that seems somehow to have led to his death three years later)

Last time I talked to my dad, he mentioned reading with amazement about the upcoming estate sale, but there's now a report in the Washington Post - well worth reading - that goes into detail about the "fabulosity" to be found in the belongings of a man with a taste for Picasso charcoals, Cartier watches, and Gucci mink-and-alligator-trimmed belted three-quarter-length coats. Wow.

My favorite bit of the article:

Some of the things for sale would put Liberace to shame, some of it is classy beyond compare, some of it just makes you scratch your head. Here: Lalique sconces, a Flora Danica polychrome and parcel-gilt dinnerware set, Puiforcat display dishes. There: Purple Gucci snakeskin pants, Versace cheetah-print wool pants, a Tony Chase dyed fox rhinestone-decorated wrap.

[Max] Szadek, Vandross's assistant, is showing us around these and other highlights, and we ask politely if the red fur pony-skin cargo pants were stage apparel.

"Oh no, he would wear those anywhere. He was not for saving the fine china for a special occasion."

Oh, and here's Luther in one of his first major gigs, backing up David Bowie on "Footstompin'" on the Dick Cavett Show, 1974 - a song Luther co-wrote with Bowie (and which DB nicked just a bit for "Fame") - after the glam "Diamond Dogs" tour had morphed into the R&B "Philly Dogs" tour:

Comments

Re: If Bowie and Vandross wrote Footstompin'...

[spaceboy.myopenid.com (from livejournal.com)]

Teenage Wildlife (http://www.teenagewildlife.com/Albums/ROB/F.html) credits the song to "Collins/Piron/Rand.". Various lyrics sites credit the same lyrics (absent the medley with "Shimmy Shimmy") to The Flares or The Dovells. It was also recorded in 1964 by Minnesota's The Underbeats (http://www.calvinjames.com/FSC-FS.htm), there's a brief mp3 clip.

Its history is here (http://www.secondhandsongs.com/song/34968). Odd that it says The Flares were the first recording, but the first release was on The Dovell's "Bristol Stomp" album. They also are unaware of its appearance on RarestOneBowie.

I heard one of those original versions on FMU just last week sometime. I don't know which one or whose show it was.

Here's what I think happened. Bowie decides to be a one-blue-eyed Philadelphia soul boy, right? He comes up with a couple songs from his youth, gives 'em to Carlos Alomar and says, "Arrange me these, peon." At which point Alomar comes up with the riff too good for Bowie not to get a piece of the publishing for. Hence, "Fame."