Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) invites you to a special Bay Area screening of Luther: Never Too Much, followed by a conversation with the director, Dawn Porter.

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MoAD Members contact programs@moadsf.org for discount code. ‍All proceeds from admission will be donated to support the Media Arts Program at Oakland School for the Arts.

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Get ready to groove to the soulful tunes and experience the magic of Luther's legendary performance on the big screen. Don't miss out on this unforgettable event celebrating one of the greatest voices in R&B history. And be sure to stick around for a conversation with director, Dawn Porter. Grab your tickets now!

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Luther Vandross always thought he would be a star.  The film “Luther: Never Too Much” explores the formative years of Luther’s musical career, back to the epicenter of black culture, Harlem’s very own Apollo Theater.  Luther was inspired by female iconic vocalists such as Dionne Warwick. Of her concert at the Brooklyn Fox Theater, he said “She came on stage and just killed me; the music was more serious, the song value was more serious.” His big break comes during a studio session with David Bowie, where he would go on to sing background vocals and arrange Bowie’s iconic Young Americans album.  Love is joyous for Luther as in Never Too Much; it is pure, as in the duet with Mariah Carey in Endless Love and Dionne Warwick. For Luther love is harmony, and perhaps most exquisitely and painfully (for what is the dark side of love but pain?) If only for one night – who hasn’t made this Faustian bargain? Willing to live a life of loneliness for one perfect night with one true love.  

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We explore his process of creation, an exacting style that culminated in the most exquisite compositions. A portrait of a master emerges. He would control what he could as best he could. His weight, his craft, his love of family and close friends. If romantic love eluded Luther, he made up for it in other ways. Luther is a man of passion, a man who delighted in beauty and luxury.  

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The film explores the incredible investment the artist put into his musical presentation, only to be met with frustration from being pigeonholed as an “R&B” artist, struggles to crossover, and battles with the record industry. Vandross suffered a sudden stroke and passed away at the age of 51. The final chapters of Luther’s life are celebrated by the memories of his cherished friends, family, collaborators.

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