Patti Labelle Reveals How Clive Davis FORCED Luther Vandross Into Gay Rituals

um if are you happy it depend it it also depends on when you ask no not particularly did he struggle with the idea of coming out publicly was that was that something that you talked about at all he did not want his mother to be although she might have known but he wasn't going to come out and say this to the world so as many of you know Luther vros was a true legend in the world of R andb he was born and raised in New York growing up in the Bronx he went on to become an iconic figure in music known for his smooth velvety Voice by the time the 21st century rolled around Luther had already made a significant Mark with over 40 million albums sold and a slew of hits that went multiplatinum his voice earned him a spot on Rolling Stones list of the 200 greatest singers of all time by 2023 and billboard also hailed him as one of the top R&B artists not to mention NPR recognized him as one of the 50 great voices I mean just check this out [Music] Luther's trophy cabinet was filled with Grammys American Music Awards and Soul Train Music Awards sadly his life was cut short when he passed away in 2005 at the age of 54 however despite all these incredible achievements did you know that Luther vandros faced some deeply personal and challenging issues away from the public eye particularly involving his former record label boss Clive Davis according to his close friend Patty label Clive Davis pushed Luther into participating in activities that were against his will which included some controversial gay rituals now Clive Davis himself underwent a significant personal transformation in 2013 long after he had been twice married and divorced he came out as bi this was a major Revelation especially considering he had believed he was hetero for the first five Decades of his life Clive openly discussed his journey of self-discovery where he explored his attraction to men marking it as a brave and honest disclosure you know going on it was just something that whether you could be attracted um to the to the person regardless of gender after coming out he entered into a committed relationship with a man a doctor in 1990 which lasted until 2004 but the thing was that the Public's perception of Luther vros as a sex symbol in the r andb World added another layer of complexity when rumors about his preference emerg the news that he might be gay was met with surprise and shock by many of his fans and the general public and The Whispers were that Clive Davis might have had a hand in it so Patty label nearly broke the internet in 2017 after she postumus outed R&B Superstar Luther vanross on live television during a recent interview on Bravo's Watch What Happens live with Andy Cohen lebel confirmed what had been long rumored for decades about the R&B kuner he was a gay man this wasn't just another celebrity gossip tidbit it was a profound moment that peeled back layers on vandross's personal struggles with his identity leel who was close friends with vanross shared that he had a tough time grappling with the idea of coming out publicly during his lifetime he did not want his mother to be upset although she might have known he wasn't going to come out and say this to the world she revealed and he had a lot of Lady fans he told me that he just didn't want to upset the world she added it was hard for him did he struggle with the idea of coming out publicly was that was that something that you talked about at all he did not want his mother to be although she might have known but he wasn't going to come out and say this to the world and he had a lot of Lady fans and he told me that he just didn't want to upset the world the reactions to lebel's disclosure were a mixed bag some fans felt that she was merely confirming what was for many the worst kept secret in the music industry others however thought it crossed a line they argued that it wasn't her story to share especially since vros himself had chosen to keep this aspect of his life private Luther's been gone for about 12 years now okay Luther never publicly came out of the closet despite the rumors Andy can ask but she should have said no comment it's not okay to talk about it when it's your best friend you know it's like a violation the whole issue of outing someone is pretty thorny in the lgbtq community historically revealing someone's preference or gender identity without their consent has been seen not just as a breach of trust but as potentially dangerous lgbtq individuals have often faced ridicule discrimination and even violence as a result of being outed and while Society has made significant progress in terms of civil rights and the social acceptance of lesbian gay by and transgender people coming out still carries substantial risks and requires Courage the stakes are even higher for individuals who belong to multiple marginalized groups being black and gay for instance adds an extra layer of complexity and challenge during the 1980s at the peak of his career Luther vros would have been acutely aware of these challenges the thought of coming out publicly as a gay black man in that era particularly within the hyper masculine and often judgmental world of R&B and Soul music must have been incredibly daunting you can imagine the kind of inner turmoil and anxiety vanross must have experienced on one hand there's the desire to be true to oneself and on the other the very real fear of losing everything he had worked so hard to achieve Luther vros wasn't just a brilliant singer he was a full-blown seex symbol in the R&B World a genre deeply intertwined with the African-American church and the broader black cultural experience if Luther had come out as gay it would have been a huge deal likely causing major ripples throughout his community there was just no precedent for someone in his position to feel safe or secure in being open about their preference given the prevailing homophobia and entrenched ideas about masculinity while the pop scene had icons like boy Geor and Elton John who had already broken through some of the barriers around sex identity Luther didn't have similar Role Models within R&B had he come out he would have been charting a tough lonely course as potentially the first openly gay R&B star which would have been incredibly challenging facing such a scenario involves not just dealing with homophobia but also confronting racism within and outside the community moreover male singers at that time often had to fulfill a certain role for their female fans who expected them to the Ultimate Fantasy Luther with his silky smooth voice that made countless fans Swoon was no exception publicly identifying as gay might have risked his appeal to these fans and by extension his Commercial Success it's a tough spot when your personal truths might undercut your career especially in an industry as image conscious as music in fact it doesn't appear vanross ever really cared that people thought he was gay he was simply unwilling to confirm or deny it in a 2001 interview with Vibe vanross joke ly responded to the yearslong chatter about his preference what do you want to know he asked Am I by Coastal yeah I have houses in Beverly Hills in New York I know that I'm paying a price for being so private and I do wonder if it's worth it he added not being candid about his preference brought an onslaught of rumors that he had contracted AIDS what's worse years later in 2000 there was an erroneous report that he had died from the disease who would have wanted to come out in such a nasty climate nothing about being out at that time seemed safe or worthwhile like any black gay man closeted or not vanross only desired what anyone wanted out of life love and happiness in the same Vibe interview vanross admitted that he had never been in love I'm still waiting he said the time that I've spent being in love has never been reciprocated those are just the circumstances his first experience of unrequited love occurred when he was just 16 the response was thank you but I'm not interested he recalled it was very painful unrequited and alienating very alienating I want to play house he added I want somebody who's not on payroll to care about where I am how ironic that a man made famous for singing love songs on world stages providing a soundtrack of love for Generations never truly knew love for himself it's not clear if vanross ever did find that fairy tale Love by the time he passed but even if he did it's a shame that he struggled to Simply Be who he was out front and center and speaking of controversies Luther's life wasn't just about battling personal demons and societal expectations he also had had some public spats notably a well-known Feud with another R and B great Anita Baker I mean you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing their smooth Tunes but here's the thing their relationship wasn't all sunshine and rainbows it was more like a roller coaster ride of Egos and clashes especially when they teamed up for a mega tour let's talk about Luther first this guy was all about perfection he didn't just sing he crafted masterpieces with every note Luther was like the king of attention to detail everything had to be just right right from the songs he picked to how the stage looked he set the bar high and anyone who worked with him had to reach it now Anita was his polar opposite she was all about heart and soul her voice could make you feel things you didn't even know you could feel Anita didn't sweat the small stuff like Luther did she just let her emotions guide her which sometimes rubbed Luther the wrong way so when they teamed up for this tour people thought it was going to be epic two legends on one stage but instead of Harmony there was drama they fought over everything what songs to sing how to sing them you name it and with fans and the media hyping them up the pressure was on but their Feud wasn't just about them it affected everyone around them the crew the schedule even the fans who came to see them backstage was like a battlefield and even on stage you could feel the tension but it wasn't all bad when Luther and Anita put their differences aside magic happened their performances were out of this world showing just how Pro they were now let's switch gears to another Feud Luther had this time with envo these ladies were all about modern R and B Vibes the complete opposite of Luther's old school style you could say they clashed like oil and water the tour with envogue was like mixing oil and water messy Luther had his way of doing things while envogue had theirs they fought over everything from the playlist to whenn to rehearse and it wasn't just about music it was about Generations colliding Luther was old school cool while un Vogue was the new kid on the Block their different perspectives led to even more clashes but amidst the chaos there there were moments of pure magic when Luther's smooth Melodies blended with envog energetic harmonies it was like music heaven now let's talk about Luther's personal life it wasn't all Glitz and Glam Luther struggled with some heavy stuff like feeling really lonely and dealing with depression see Luther had to keep a big secret his preference as mentioned earlier back then being wasn't as accepted as it is now especially in the spotlight Luther poured all those feelings into his music his songs were like Windows into his soul reflecting his pain and isolation fans felt that connection like Luther was singing straight to them but Luther's struggles didn't stop there he also battled with his weight and health issues like diabetes and high blood pressure his weight went up and down and the media wouldn't let him forget it they were always poking and prodding which only made things harder for him despite all his personal battles Luther kept singing his heart out even when he was feeling low he'd step on stage and give it his all that's what made him a true Pro never letting his troubles get in the way of his music all right let's dig deeper into the life of this Legend Luther vanross Jr was born in New York City in 1951 he grew up in Manhattan where his dad was a singer and his mom worked as a nurse Luther learned to play the piano by himself when he was just a little kid but when Luther was eight his dad passed away because of diabetes in 2003 Luther made a song called Dance With My Father as a tribute to his dad he wrote it because he remembered all the fun times they had together at home Luther and his family moved to the Bronx when he was nine his sisters Pat and Anne used to take him to concerts to see famous singers like Dion Warwick and artha Franklin he finished high school in the Bronx in 1969 after that he went to college for a little bit but decided to leave and focus on his music career while in High School vanross founded the first Patty Lael fan club of which he was President he also performed in a group shades of Jade that once played at the Apollo Theater during his early years in Show Business he appeared several times at Apollo's famous amateur night while he was a member of a Theater Workshop listen my brother he was involved in the singles Only Love Can Make a Better World and listen my brother the group performed in front of tens of thousands at the Harlem cultural Festival in late August 1969 directly afterward he appeared with the group in the pilot episode and other episodes of the first season of Sesame Street during 1969 to 1970 now vanross had a voice smoother than silk and he could sing like nobody's business but before he became a big shot on his own he was backing up some serious music legends in 1972 vros added his magic touch to Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway's Tunes that's where it all started then he worked his vocal mojo on Dolores Hall's album singing his heart out on songs like who's going to make it easier for me and in this Lonely Hour vanross teamed up with David Bowie the Superstar to turn his own funky jam into the hit Fascination for Bowie's album from there he hit the road with Bowie belting out Tunes as his backup singer and the list goes on vanross lent his smooth vocals to loads of other big shots like Chaka Khan Diana Ross and even Ringo Star but vanross wasn't just about singing for the big names he also rocked the world of commercials cuning catchy tunes for Brands like Mountain Dew and Burger King can you imagine hearing his voice selling you burgers and soda and it didn't stop there vanross kept on Shining lending his golden voice to disco hits and even jazzing up Quincy Jones Tunes he was everywhere spreading his musical magic far and wide vanross made his career breakthrough as a featured singer with the vaunted pop dance Act change a studio concept created by French Italian businessman jacqu Fred petris their 1980 hits the glow of Love by Romani malavasi and Garfield and searching by malavasi featured vanross as the lead singer in a 2001 interview with Vibe vanross said the glow of love was the most beautiful song I've ever sung in my life both songs were from change's debut album The Glow of love vanross was originally intended to perform on their second and highly successful album miracles in 1981 but declined the offer as Petrus didn't pay enough money vandross's decision led to a recording contract with Epic Records that same year but he also provided background vocals on Miracles and on the new petris created act the BB and Q band in 1981 during that hectic year vros jump started his second attempt at a solo career with his Debut Album never too much in addition to the hit title track it contained a version of the botrick and David song A House Is Not a Home Home the song Never Too Much written by him reached number one on the R&B charts this period also marked the beginning of songwriting collaboration with basist Marcus Miller who played on many of the tracks and would also produce or co-produce a number of tracks for vanross the Never Too Much album was arranged by Van Ross's High School classmate Nat aderly Jr a collaboration that would last through van Ross's career Luther vanross really hit his stride in the 1980s releasing one hit R&B album after another along alongside his solo work he kept busy with session work including adding guest vocals for groups like charm back in 1982 although his albums typically resonated more on the R&B charts than the pop charts they made a significant impact where it mattered most to him during this era Luther notched some serious wins with his singles too in 1986 his song stop to love soared to number one on the billboard R and B charts another chart topper was his heartwarming duet there's nothing better than love which he performed with Gregory Hines these tracks weren't just hits they were anthems that defined a significant part of the 80s R&B scene Luther wasn't just making waves with his own music he was also a sought-after producer he took the helm on Ara Franklin's comeback album jump to it which not only went gold but also won awards proving Luther had the mest touch he didn't stop there he also produced the follow-up album get it right in 1983 that same year Luther had the chance to collaborate with one of his biggest musical influences Dion Warwick he produced wrote songs and sang on her fourth album with Arista records how many times can we say goodbye the title track a duet between Luther and Dion climbed to number 27 on the Hot 100 chart hit number seven on the R&B chart and reached number four on the adult contemporary chart another song from the album got a date also enjoyed moderate success doing well on the R&B and club play charts another notable project was his work with Diana Ross on the song it's hard for me to say from her album Red Hot rhythm and blues this song was so meaningful that Diana Ross performed at a capella as a tribute to op Winfrey during the final season of the opr Winfrey Show she loved the song so much that she included it in her 2010 to 2012 more today than yesterday the greatest hits tour vanross also recorded a version of this song on his your secret love album in 1996 Luther's Talent scouting took a memorable turn when he watched 15-year-old Jimmy salvami on Star search impressed by the young talent's vocal prowess Luther reached out and decided to play a pivotal role in his budding career managed by his brother Larry Jimmy quickly found himself under Luther's Wing Luther negotiated a $250,000 contract with Electro records for Jimmy and took on the role of producer for his album pulling in some big names to collaborate the record titled roll it released in 1986 featured guest appearances from some of Luther's Stellar friends like Cheryl Lynn Alpha Anderson from Chic Phoebe Snow and Irene Cara making at a star studded Affair Luther's own Journey was marked by incredible highs by the time he passed away in 2005 at the age of 54 he had sold over 35 million records collected eight Grammy Awards and shared stages with music giants like David Bowie Ringo Star Beyonce and Mariah Carey he left behind a rich Legacy of 14 Studio albums all platinum or multi-platinum hits with Classics like never too much here and now and Power of Love That still resonate with fans all over the world through all the ups and downs Luther remained fiercely true to himself and his musical Vision that authenticity and dedication are what truly Define his legendary status now I want to hear from you what's your favorite Luther vros memory or track drop your thoughts in the comments below and we'll catch you in the next video

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Keywords: urbanpulse, black entertaintment, celebrity, Patti Labelle Reveals How Clive Davis FORCED Luther Vandross Into Gay Rituals, dangers of celebrity culture, Patti Labelle, Clive Davis, Luther Vandross, music industry revelations, music industry secrets, music industry dynamics, Clive Davis and Luther Vandross, Patti Labelle interview., patti labelle exposes clive davis' gay rituals, hollywood, clive davis exposed, black hollywood, entertainment, gossip, black celeb, industry secrets

Id: LK0grNlptPo

Length: 18min 48sec (1128 seconds)

Published: Tue May 07 2024