Telling A Complex Story

We all think we know Luther Vandross but most of us really just know his music. To honor all that he was, the documentary “Luther: Never Too Much” breaks down who Luther Vandross was on the stage and off the stage.

Directed by Dawn Porter, the documentary goes through Vandross’ life from background singer to building his riches off of jingles to becoming a solo artist who had endless hit records back to back.

Luther: Never Too Much premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2024.

“This is not just a story about Luther Vandross. This is a story about Black music. This is a story about American culture, so we’ve brought all of that into this movie,” said Porter.

Through this documentary, it shows how influential Vandross truly was. Vandross can be heard in the background on some of David Bowie’s tracks; he even toured with Bowie. In a past interview, Vandross said he credits Bowie for starting his career.

“This was a film where there was too much to capture, so we had to make really hard choices on what to leave out,” she said.

Themes and Discovering Luther

Luther: Never Too Much touched on multiple themes including his weight. The documentary team was able to show that no matter how successful Vandross was, most people only cared about whether he was skinny or if he had gained weight. They were able to show how many Black American artists and talents were ostracized but yet were still able to make a name for themselves.

“He earned his spot. He wasn’t given anything…and although I don’t feel like he got all that he deserved, he got what he did get and he worked for it,” said Executive Producer and Vandross’ niece Seveda Williams. “…he was a wonderful thoughtful human being and all of that’s there, and hopefully everybody gets it and has a good time watching.”

While working on the documentary, many of the staff said they learned new things about Vandross, such as how much control he had over his sound and look. Vandross was known as the commercial king and he used those funds to ensure his music and shows were exactly how he pictured them in his head.

Producer Datari Turner grew on Vandross and says he’s the GOAT, and this documentary is a way to teach younger generations some history.

“That’s what films do. They put people back in the forefront. Let young people discover them, and so yeah we hope the movie touches the culture,” said Turner.

The documentary has not been picked up yet so there’s no public release date. But once you do see the documentary, just know you will be crying happy and sad tears throughout.

Check out our video interviews from Sundance Film Festival 2024 here.