Welcome to Retro Rewind, the TGJ original feature launched to unearth some of entertainment’s best (and worst) hidden secrets.
Today, as Aretha Franklin reignites her lengthy feud with Dionne Warwick, we revisit another R&B spat often overlooked / forgotten by the masses.
Who it involved? Luther Vandross and En Vogue.
In 1993, En Vogue were enlisted to support Luther’s ‘Never Let Me Go‘ tour as it hit the U.S. to boost sales of the album of the same name.
Alas, it wasn’t long before the Funky Divas cut themselves loose from the live show citing member Cindy Herron‘s pregnancy as their reason for doing so.
The truth? A raging feud between the group’s members and the ‘Busy Body‘ belter.
Cindy confessed:
We’ve been having a lot of problems with Luther. Our nickname for him is Lucifer.
Entertainment Weekly added at the time:
Herron, who is married to baseball’s Glenn Braggs, thinks the friction stems from the group’s request to have their band moved off stage during their set. Audience members, she says, were complaining that the band blocked the foursome. Vandross’ camp vetoed the idea, and from then on, says Herron, he stopped talking to them, ordered that the two camps eat separately while on the road, and instructed his crew to hang drapes so he wouldn’t have to see the group backstage. “We heard he could be difficult,” says Herron, who adds that she was also having difficulty sleeping on the bus and eating properly. “We feel sorry for him. This reflects an unhappy person.” Vandross’ representatives had no comment.
Eleven years would pass before the world would discover how high (or low) the pair’s spat went.
‘Luther: The Life and Longing Of Luther Vandross by Craig Seymour’ reveals that while in Miami Luther discovered that one of the group’s members had wandered into his side of the drawn curtain.
His response?
His temper hit full-tilt and he “actually” called the Miami police to demand the group be charged with trespassing.
Fortunately, nothing came of his request.