Before “Never Too Much”, before the solo albums and the duets, Luther Vandross fronted a vocal group simply called Luther. Their 1976 debut was out of print for almost fifty years, which is why most people only know it by reputation. I found this copy second-hand, the 2024 reissue that finally brought it back, and its opening track, “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)”, is one I play when I DJ.
Who were Luther?
Luther was a five-piece vocal group: Luther Vandross with Anthony Hinton, G. Diane Sumler, Theresa V. Reed and Christine Wiltshire. Vandross wrote every song and produced the album himself, with arrangements by Paul Riser, the Motown arranger who is the only arranger credited on the sleeve. The record came out on Cotillion, part of the Atlantic group, in 1976.
By then Vandross was already busy behind the scenes. He had sung and arranged backing vocals on David Bowie’s Young Americans, and “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)” is the song he and Bowie reworked into “Fascination” on that album. Hearing the original after the Bowie version is one of the pleasures of this record.
The songs
Side one opens with “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)”, followed by “The 2nd Time Around”, “I’ll Get Along Fine” and “Everybody Rejoice”, the song from the Broadway musical The Wiz. Side two runs “Emotion Eyes”, “This Strange Feeling” and the two-part “It’s Good for the Soul”.
Two singles reached the R&B chart: “It’s Good for the Soul” peaked at number 28 and “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)” at number 34, with “The 2nd Time Around” on its B-side. The album itself did not chart, and Cotillion dropped the group after their second album, This Close to You, in 1977.
Where it was made
The credits on the back are worth reading. Side one was recorded and remixed at Atlantic Recording Studios in New York, with Lew Hahn engineering. Side two was cut at Sigma Sound Studios with engineer Carl Paruolo, at The Hit Factory and at A&R Recording. Sigma Sound is the studio at the heart of our Philly soul guide, and the mix of New York and Sigma rooms says a lot about where mid-seventies soul was heading: lusher, more polished and already leaning towards the dance floor.
Why it disappeared, and why it came back
After Cotillion dropped the group, Vandross bought back the rights to both Luther albums, and he kept them off the market. For decades the only way to hear them was an original Cotillion pressing or a second-hand copy of the singles; the second album’s “This Close to You” became a sought-after record on the rare soul scene.
That changed in 2024, when Legacy Recordings and Primary Wave reissued Luther on CD, vinyl and streaming, followed by This Close to You. My copy is that reissue, made in the EU and distributed by Sony Music; it is the easiest way to own the album now. Original Cotillion pressings (catalogue SD 9907 in the US) still turn up, and our guide to soul and funk reissue labels covers how to weigh an original against a modern reissue.
Is it worth hearing?
Do not expect Never Too Much. This is a young singer-writer-producer working out his sound with a group, and some of it is more pleasant than essential. But “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)” is the real thing: a joyous, mid-tempo groove with stacked group vocals that shows exactly where Vandross was going. It is the track I play out, and on its own it justifies the record.
Luther (1976) FAQ
Is Luther a Luther Vandross solo album?
No. Luther was a vocal group led by Luther Vandross, with Anthony Hinton, Diane Sumler, Theresa Reed and Christine Wiltshire. Vandross wrote and produced every song.
Why was the Luther album out of print for so long?
Vandross bought back the rights after Cotillion dropped the group and did not reissue it. It returned in 2024 through Legacy Recordings and Primary Wave.
Which Bowie song is based on “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)”?
“Fascination”, on David Bowie’s Young Americans, which Vandross and Bowie reworked from the song.