Alfa Anderson On Luther Vandross

Chic’s Alfa Anderson recalls meeting Luther Vandross in a studio. “A few days later, I got a phone call, saying that he wanted to talk to me. … We just started talking — I would call him, go up to his house. We would cook and eat. He would sit at the keyboard and would write songs. We never wrote together, but we would sing together all the time.

“That was the beginning of my being involved in the ‘Luther Vandross University of vocalizing,’” notes Anderson. “He was so meticulous about vocals. We would listen to background vocals. We would talk about how wonderful they were and he would break everything down.

“That was the beginning of a friendship that would last actually until he died. I owe a debt of gratitude,” says Anderson on “When Luther Sings,” the first single from her debut solo album, From My Heart that will be released this summer. It pays homage to her good friend and musical mentor.

“When I heard him sing, he opened his mouth and I was smitten,” remembers Anderson fondly. “I haven’t heard anybody sing like that in my entire life. I haven’t heard anybody sing who has a gift that he had…warm and inviting — I still haven’t found it.”

Read more at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.