I remember being a teenager sitting in the pit orchestra for a rehearsal for my school’s production of “The Wiz” when we turned the page to read through this piece and in the upper right hand corner I spied the composer’s name: Luther Vandross. The same Luther? Yes, the same Luther. I can remember that discovery like it was yesterday that was in 1985 and the affect that it would have on not only my image of Luther as a vocalist and a writer was profound.
I had been familiar with this song from the movie, not having had the opportunity to see the musical on stage, but had no idea until that day that it was written by Luther Vandross. This is from Luther’s solo debut on Cotillion Records from 1976. Enjoy!
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
