How Luther Vandross documentary director Dawn Porter let the late singer speak for himself

 

While Luther Vandross died in 2005 at the age of 54, his music remains timeless.

A new documentary about his life and career,Luther: Never Too Much, tells the story of the man many consider to be one of the greatest R&B artists of all time. (“Luther: Never Too Much is co-distributed by CNN Films.)

The title of the doc references the name of Vandross’ debut 1981 hit album, which is now a classic. The film traces his career as not only a gifted musician and artist in his own right, but also as a producer of icons like Aretha Franklin as well as a popular singer of jingles for major companies like Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Director Dawn Porter told CNN that as beloved as Vandross was, she wanted the film to be more than just an overt love letter to him.

“One thing I should say is I did not want to stuff it with people saying how great he was, she said.I always envisioned that this would not only reach Luther’s fans, but people who never heard of him as well.

Not that Porter had any lack of people to sing his praises, as even superstars like Mariah Carey and Jamie Foxx appear in the film.

But for Porter, an award-winning filmmaker, the one person she wanted to make sure she gave an opportunity to speak was Vandross himself. She was fortunate, she said, because thearchive was so grand.