Luther Ingram Biography
Luther Thomas Ingram, 30 November 1944, Jackson, Tennessee, USA, d. 19 March 2007, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. This singer-songwriter's professional career began in New York with work for producers Leiber And Stoller. Several unsuccessful singles followed, including "I Spy (For The FBI)', which failed in the wake of Jamo Thomas" 1966 hit version. Ingram then moved to Ko Ko Records, a tiny independent label later marketed by Stax Records. Ingram's career flourished in the wake of this arrangement. With Mack Rice, he helped to compose "Respect Yourself" for the Staple Singers, while several of his own releases were R&B hits. The singer's finest moment came with his 1972 recording of the classic Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson and Carl Hampton song, "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right". This tale of infidelity was later recorded by Rod Stewart, Millie Jackson and Barbara Mandrell, but neither matched the heartbreaking intimacy Ingram brought to his superb original version. It went on to sell over a million copies and reached number 3 in the US pop charts. The haunting "I'll Be Your Shelter (In Time Of Storm)" then followed as the artist proceeded to fashion a substantial body of work. His undoubted potential was undermined by Ko Ko's financial problems, but after eight years in the commercial wilderness, Ingram returned to the R&B chart in 1986 with "Baby Don't Go Too Far".
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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