Terry Steele: Vandross Tribute

Terry will be bringing his tribute performance show Terry Steele Here and Now, the Legacy of Luther Vandross to Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, located at 250 Bedford Park West, Bronx, NY, on Saturday, March 1st at 8:00 p.m.

[Entertainment: Music]


Luther Vandross was the first artist to record any of songwriter and singer Terry Steele’s work. 

Steele’s song “Here and Now” won Luther his first Grammy for “Best Performing Male Vocalist” and provided Steele with his first Grammy nomination for “Best R&B Songwriter” in the same year, 1989. 

Terry will be bringing his tribute performance show Terry Steele Here and Now, the Legacy of Luther Vandross to Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, located at 250 Bedford Park West, Bronx, NY, on Saturday, March 1st at 8:00 p.m.

“You know I wrote the song “Here and Now” because my pastor’s daughter was getting married and she asked I write a song for her wedding.  Later on, I was with David Elliott, Dionne Warwick’s son, who heard the song.  He added some drums and another arrangement. Dionne took it to Luther Vandross who wanted to record it.  I will never forget the first time I heard Luther sing my song.  One morning, I was listening to the radio and then the station played Luther singing “Here and Now.”  I will never, ever forget that moment, it blew me away,” stated Steele remembering the first time he heard one of his songs being recorded by a famed artist. 

“Patti LaBelle performed my songs “You Saved My Life,” and “That’s What Christmas Is to Me,” at the Clinton White House.  When I saw her singing my songs on television, I was very moved.  I got the treat of my life when Clive Davis did a tribute album to Luther and Patti re-recorded “Here and Now” and performed it on the Oprah show.  I lost my mind again.  Even now, it brings a big smile to my face,” said the humble artist, who has written songs for renowned artists the likes of Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, and Whitney Houston, among others.

Steele has been touring with his tribute show to Vandross for six months. The show which showcases the music of Luther Vandross has a number of surprises.  It features a trio of vocalists, a five-piece ‘who’s who’ R&B band, and the dancing skills of JazzAntiqua Dance and Music Ensemble and of course the song stylings of Terry Steele. 

Steele who is well known as the lead singer for the popular jazz band, Hiroshima, a band that has worked with such artists as Frankie Beverly & Maze, Bebe Winans, George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Patti Austin, Ashford and Simpson, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Boney James, Barry Manilow, et al., is said to demonstrate the same stage presence of Luther Vandross.  People who have seen the show remark that Steele sounds amazingly like Vandross, which is the ultimate tribute to the great singer whose extraordinary vocal acumen and talent is greatly missed. 

“Here and Now, The Legacy of Luther Vandross” features many of the luminaries within the world of Jazz and R&B such as Musical Director James “Kimo” Cornwell (keyboards), Kim Hansen (keyboards), Dwayne “Smitty” Smith (bass), Fred Schreuders (guitar), and Sergio Gonzales (drums). To date, the show has toured in Florida, Las Vegas, and Pittsburg, Connecticut and will appear for one night at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx.

“I will be at Lehman Center for one night but I am looking forward to performing before the New York audience on March 1st.  After New York, I plan to return to L.A., for a break.  Then, I will take the show to Reno, Nevada”, remarked Terry.  “Actually, I have show dates set up throughout the entire year and into the Spring of 2009.  As long as people want to see the show, I will keep doing it,” said Terry who is formulating a second CD of his more recent tribute performances to Luther.

“I am putting together a new album of a collection of songs that I just love.  The new album will feature a combination of songs which I love, have written, and wish I had written.   I also plan to finish my book “The Chronicles of A Songwriter.”  After my book and my new album is released.  I would love to do something different from the Here and Now show.  I am thinking about doing an intimate one man show wherein I sing, perform, and talk about the songs in the book.  Each song has a story.  I have been taping all the live shows at the venues where we have appeared, and I am in the process of mastering a Terry Steele, The Legacy of Luther Vandross Live CD.  In fact, I hope to have CDs available for sale after the performance at Lehman” promised the consummate performer who appeared in the play “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be.”

Those interested in knowing more about Terry Steele can go to www.TerrySteele.com or www.theluthershow.com

If you are a Luther Vandross fan, and want to hear some of Luther’s hits such as “A House is Not a Home,” “Dance with My Father,” “Stop for Love,” and “Superstar,” among other Vandross hits, this is a must see performance. 

Tickets for “Here And Now, The Legacy of Luther Vandross,” starring Terry Steele, are $35, $30, $25 and $20. 
Call the Lehman Center Box Office at 718-960-8833 (Mon.-Fri, 10:00 a.m, – 5:00 p.m., and from noon, onward, the day of the concert) or purchase tickets on line at
www.LehmanCenter.org

 

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