Zisele ziyafakaza ezikaLuther Vandross weRnB
IMBALWA imizi, ikakhulukazi emalokishini nasemadolobheni ongeke wathi uma uphequlula ethala lomculo wayo ungayitholi noma eyodwa ingoma yomculi uLuther “Ronzoni” Vandross wase-United States of America. Iminyaka adume ngayo emculweni kube ngeye-1970 kuya kweye-1980. Imisakazo enjengeMetro FM eyaveza abasakazi bomculo opholile abafana noWilson B. Nkosi no-Eddie Makhosini Zondi (ongasekho) ne-P4 isuke ingawenzanga umsebenzi uma ingadlalanga ngisho neyodwa ingoma kaLuther ikakhulukazi ezinhlelweni zangosuku lwangeSonto.
Izwi lakhe elipholile ayekwazi ukuliguquguqula lenza uLuther Vandross wanikezwa isicoco sokuba yinkosi yomculo wezithandani. Wayelandela ezithendeni abaculi abafana noTeddy Pendergrass noBarry White nabo ababeyizintandokazi kubantu abathandanayo ngekhono lokukhetha kwabo amagama ashaya emhloleni uma kuza kwezithinta abasebudlelwaneni. Bonke laba baculi kuhlanganene naye uLuther sebadlula emhlabeni kodwa umculo wabo usele ngemuva ufakazela ikhono lomculo elingandile ababenalo.
Ngokubhalwe phansi kuthiwa uLuther wazalelwa eNew York e-United States of America ngowe-1951 engomncane kubantwana abane okungabafana abathathu nentombazane eyodwa uPatricia owayeyilungu leqembu iThe Crests naye owaziwa ngengoma eyaduma ngowe-1958 i-“16 Candles”. Ukubhala nokuziqambela izingoma uLuther wakuqala eseHigh School kanti ingoma aduma ngayo i-“Everbody Rejoice (Can You Feel A Brand New Day)” yasetshenziselwa ingqayi nomdlalo weshashalazi i “The Wiz” eBroadway. Wabuye wakhethelwa ukucula nekhwaya ezingomeni ezazikhethelwe umdlalo.
Ukukhombisa ukunyuka kwezinga likaLuther emculweni kwabonakala ngokuhlangana kwakhe acule nosaziwayo abafana noBarbara Streisand, uChaka Khan uDonna Summer noQuincy Jones phakathi kwabaningi. Waba nenkinga enkulu ukuthi asayine isivumelwano nezinkampani ezinkulu zomculo ngoba wayefuna ukuvela njengomnikazi wezingoma ezaziqanjwe nguye. Eseneminyaka engama-30 wakwazi ukukwenza lokhu ngengoma eyashisa izikhotha esihloko sithi, “Never Too Much.”
Emva kwalokhu akabange esabheka emuva waqhamuka ne-albhamu i“Forever, For Always” ngowe-1982 nethi, “Give Me the Reasons” ngowe-1986. Ingoma ayidedela ngowe-1989 esihloko sithi, “Here and Now” iyona eyambeka eqhulwini kubaculi bezingoma zothando. Ezinye yi“Stop to Love”, i“There’s Nothing Better than Love” ne-“Any Love”. Indlela ayecula ngayo yamenza waziwa njengomculi owayekitaza kakhulu imizwa yabesifazane wagcina eselandelwa yizinsolo zobutabane. Ngenxa yokunganakekeli indlela ayedla ngayo waba nenkinga yokuhlushwa yisisindo somzimba.
Unyaka we-1990 wamenyusa kakhulu uLuther emculweni ikakhulukazi ingoma ayicula ngokuhlanganyela noMariah Carey ngowe-1994 i“My Endless Love”. Wayekade ngokokuqala ngqa ebonakale noRobert Townsend efilimini i“The Meteor Man”. Waqhubeka wabhalela abaculi abafana noWhitney Houston, uDionne Warwick, uTeddy Pendergrass no-Aretha Franklin izingoma.
Ngonyaka wezi-2003 uLuther washaywa yisifo sohlangothi okwakungacatshangwa ukuthi angasinda kuso. Wamangaza abaningi uma eseqhamuka nengoma eyamthatha yambeka esicongweni somculo esihloko sithi “Dance With My Father” ayeyiqophe ngaphambi kokugula kwakhe. Sekukhishwa imiklomelo yena elele phansi wahlabana ngamaGrammy Awards amane kuhlangene nomklomelo womculi owayehambe phambili ngowezi-2003. Leyo albhamu yakhe yaba sesicongweni kumaPop Charts waklonyeliswa nangamaNAACP Image Awards amane. ULuther Vandross owayebuye aziwe ngelika “Ronny” washonela eJFK Medical Center, e-Edision, eNew Jersey ngowezi-2005 eneminyaka engama-54.
Washiya ngemuva unina uMary Ida Vandross owenza umsebenzi omkhulu ukuchumisa i-albhamu eyanikeza uLuther umklomelo weGrammy othathwa njengowuvuthondaba lwanoma yimuphi umsebenzi womculi onohlonze emhlabeni njengoLuther Vandross. Ulele yena kodwa imisebenzi yakhe isele njengobufakazi bokuthi wayeyinkosi yomculo weRythm and Blues. Ngowezi-2014 uLuther uklonyeliswe nge“Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame” ngokuqopha e-1717 N. Vine Street eHolywood.