The Power of Music, The Power of Luther

This is totally out of character of my blogs but I thought it was neccessary to cement in time, my feelings after the loss of Luther Vandross. Every now and then an artist plays the chords of your heart and becomes that soundtrack of your life and Lutha, as he was known in my house, was that for me.

I remember on Fridays always hearing,"Bad Boy/Having A Party" and I knew the weekend was coming. I remember singing "Never Too Much" on the way to school in the morning enroute to the Rutgers Chen Preschool. "Stop to Love" resonated through our house during joyous times and through trials and tribulations, songs like "A House is Not A Home" and "The Power of Love" got me through. I remember when I first fell in love, "So Amazing" was on repeat in my CD player for weeks and "Don't Want To Be a Fool " played as I soon (or not so soon) fell out of love. I also recall, "There's Nothing Better Than Love" inducing me to sleep on lonely nights. I feel sadness about the relationship I was never able to have with my father when I hear "Dance with My Father" and I still cry unexplicably every time I hear "Superstar/ Until You Come Back To Me."

I've always known I was a Luther fanatic and can sing every lyric of just about every song. What I didn't know is that I would immediately burst into tear at 6:13 p.m. at the news of his passing. I'm always amazed at the ability of music to unearth a taste, a smell, a thought, a prestine memory burried by daily bustle.

I was just telling a friend jokingly, Luther picked a great time to make his transition - Friday, after work hours, before a long weekend... I can only imagine how many African-Americans would've called in sick, at the risk of unemployment, to listen to albums, tapes and CDs to mourn and reminisce. Can you imagine what Luther's passing during the work week would've done to the national unemployment percentages?

In all the sadness, this one fact holds true and it is the same with any great artist from DaVinci to Tupac; Jane Austen to now Luther - the products of genius will far supercede their physical being. And through his music, Luther Vandross' legacy will live, perhaps until forever.