EXCLUSIVE Many people on the east coast saw the Luther Vandross documentary on CNN Wednesday night. (In the west it was pre-empted by coverage of the New Orleans tragedy.)
The doc, called “Never Too Much,” is accompanied by a greatest hits collection that features a never before heard track — Luther singing the Beatles’ “Michelle.” The track is a surprise gift from two of the greatest musicians of all time: Vandross and the late Richard Perry.
But where did it come from? There’s been a lot of speculation about the track since it first appeared last month. The given story was that Luther’s long time pal, Fonzi Thornton, found a forgotten cassette in a box of the singer’s belongings.
But now we know the real story. “Michelle” was produced by the late great Richard Perry, according to Perry’s associate producer Steve Lindsey. It was supposed to be part of a collection of songs commissioned by Michael Jackson after he bought the Beatles catalog in the mid 1980s. Michael wanted to make an animated Beatles film. But Paul McCartney nixed the project. He was furious that Jackson had bought his songs out from underneath him.
Lindsey — who’s also been instrumental in the career of Bruno Mars — says that among the people who worked on the track, “Michelle” became infamous because it was so good. It never saw the light of day, Lindsey says, but it led him to not only work with Perry more often but also to produce many other hit records including Leonard Cohen’s landmark album, “The Future.”
“I owe my whole career to Michelle,” Lindsey says. He still produces music and owns a publishing company called Blotter, as well. He also comes with quite a legacy. Steve’s dad, Mort Lindsey, was the famed orchestra leader and arranger for the likes of Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand, and bandleader on The Merv Griffin Show for 21 years.
So how did “Michelle” resurface? Perry’s ex wife, Linda, who has a long history in the record biz, handed it off to Sony and the Vandross project. Now it’s streaming and will be on the LP version of “Never Too Much” as well.
But there’s a twist. When Lindsay heard “Michelle” on Spotify last week, he realized he had a better, finished version. He’s subsequently sent it off to Sony, which will replace it on all platforms. So if you download “Michelle” right now you’ll get a collector’s item, a demo of Luther Vandross producer by Richard Perry.
Here’s the current version of “Michelle.” It’s already getting airplay on the Beatles Sirius XM Channel 18.
