Luther Vandross – The One That Got Away

Luther Vandross – The One That Got Away

You know what? It would be very easy doing this job to take things for granted, free tickets, free gigs, free trips, meeting lots of famous and (mostly) talented people etc, and there’s no doubt about it, the perks are amazing. The hard thing is trying to keep your feet on the ground and your ego tamed as best you can. Which, for a DJ, trust me can be a pretty difficult thing to do. The secret, I think, is the utter respect that I have for the artists and the art that they produce. Anyone who follows me on Twitter or Facebook, or reads any of the blogs on mikevitti.com will see that I try to defend the artists’ integrity at all costs. And I think that’s helped me secure some of the biggest names in the business.I’ve been lucky enough to interview George Benson, Lionel Richie, George Duke, Anita Baker, Isaac Hayes, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Usher, Warren G, Al Jarreau, Phillip Bailey, Ramsey Lewis, Roy Ayers, Bobby Womack, the sadly departed Teena Marie and countless others. Although, ‘the one that got away’ was Luther Vandross. It just never seemed to happen… I am forever running into people who were lucky enough to chat to him though and the story is always the same: ‘What a perfect gent’. I was gutted and I continue to be so.With the anniversary of Luther passing looming on July 1^st, my quest to build the perfect Luther Vandross radio show continues (and I think it always will), without that elusive Luther interview (well with me) obviously. This Friday on Mi-Soul, I’m going to give you the chance to get about as close as you can to Luther, and as close as I ever have. Join me, and share the Luther experience.I thought if I can’t talk to him myself, I’d use all my powers of persuasion, use up lots of favours and pull as many strings as possible to lock down and talk to the three most influential and influenced men I could find, and I did. Nile Rodgers, Fonzi Thornton and Marcus Miller. It’s funny how when you open one door, sometimes things are just meant to be. Ace record-plugger Steve Ripley introduced me to Fonzi Thornton, who in turn introduced me to Nile Rodgers (you can hear how these guys are linked together when you listen to the show), and then I met up with Marcus Miller at the Cape Town Jazz Festival. So there you have it, serendipity, the three best friends and collaborators, right here, all in one place, all talking about their personal experiences with Luther Vandross. Not bad eh?A huge thank you also needs to go to my friend and fellow presenter Steve Quirk, who has allowed me to play a clip from an interview he did with him way-back in 1993. It’s 90 seconds of the most inspired radio you’ll hear anywhere.Plus, a massive thank you to record producer Steve Levine who sent me the two pictures you see here. They were taken in a recording studio in LA in the early 80s. Luther Vandross and Marcus Miller were in one studio and Boy George was in the other. So, the story goes both were too embarrassed to ask the other if they could sing on each other’s recordings. Now that would have been something for sure.If you love Luther, come spend two hours with me on Friday from 7pm for a fascinating insight.

Luther Vandross – The One That Got Away

Mike Vitti Special Programme

Friday 27th June

7pm-9pm

Only on www.mi-soul.com

Luther Vandross & Boy George

Marcus Miller