Luther Vandross' Cover of The Beatles' 'Michelle' Released
Luther Vandross’ Cover of The Beatles’ “Michelle” Released: “Another Classic Song Has Been Lutherized!”
The release coincides with the documentary 'Luther: Never Too Much,' which opens in select cities on Nov. 1. The 'Never Too Much: Greatest Hits' album is out on Dec. 13.
Luther Vandross passed away in 2005, but unreleased music from the R&B icon was made available Friday — a cover of The Beatles’ ‘60s hit “Michelle.”
Vandross’ close friend and vocal collaborator, Fonzi Thornton, discovered the tape following the singer’s death when he visited his family to look through his music archives, unseen videos, cassette tapes, personal effects, stage costumes and more. He then moved the archives to a room in his apartment for safekeeping.
“I found two cassettes labeled ‘Michelle’ in his handwriting — [I had] no idea what it was [and then I] played it! I realized it was a beautiful rendition of the Beatles classic that had been vocally and musically Lutherized,” Thornton tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I played Luther’s version for Jeff James, A&R at Sony and Dave Gottlieb, manager of the Vandross Estate, and we agreed it was such a find. We decided to save it until the right time — which is now.
Source: Mesfin Fekadu/hollywoodreporter.com
