Luther Ingram

Luther Ingram, the R&B vocalist, achieved his lasting renown through the emotionally charged 1972 ballad "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right," yet he also demonstrated notable skill as a songwriter by collaborating with Mark Rice on the Staple Singers’ enduring empowerment anthem "Respect Yourself." Born November 30, 1944, in Jackson, TN, he passed the bulk of his teenage years in Alton, IL, where he first performed vocally alongside his siblings in a family group. During adolescence he likewise started composing material, and he later stepped forward as a solo performer, most prominently serving as an opening act for Ike Turner in East St. Louis. He eventually moved to New York City, where, according to legend, he shared living quarters for a time with a then-unknown Jimi Hendrix. In 1965 he joined the Decca roster and recorded his first single, "You Never Miss Your Water," before issuing a version of Jamo Thomas’ "(I Spy) For the FBI" on Smash. Following modestly received releases on the independent Hurdy-Gurdy label ("Run for Your Life") and on HIB (the instrumental "Exus Trek"), he shifted his base to Memphis and signed with producer Jimmy Baylor’s newly established KoKo imprint. Early KoKo sides such as the 1967 single "I Can't Stop" and the following year’s "Missing You" attracted scant attention, but Ingram’s prospects brightened considerably once Baylor secured a distribution arrangement with Stax Records in 1969. Later that year he achieved his initial R&B Top 20 entry with "My Honey and Me." The 1970 release "Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)" not only reached the R&B Top Ten but also climbed to a position just outside the pop Top 40.

As his own recording profile rose, Ingram branched into independent songwriting and joined forces in 1971 with R&B veteran Rice to supply the Staples with "Respect Yourself." The track became a crossover success, stopping just short of the Billboard Top Ten; over subsequent years it was interpreted by artists ranging from Joe Cocker to actor Bruce Willis. Twelve months later Ingram delivered his own major hit with "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right," a compelling narrative of infidelity authored by Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson, and Carl Hampton. His warm, closely focused delivery suited the song ideally, resulting in sales exceeding one million copies and a number-three pop-chart placement, though country crossover queen Barbara Mandrell later enjoyed her own substantial version. Additional R&B-chart successes such as "You Were Made for Me," "Always," and "Love Ain't Gonna Run Me Away" appeared in sequence, and in 1973 he returned to the pop Top 40 for the final time with the evocative "I'll Be Your Shelter (In Time of Storm)." Even at the height of his visibility, however, KoKo encountered financial difficulties, so that for the balance of the 1970s Ingram issued only a limited number of singles, each hampered by distribution and promotional shortcomings. Following more than ten years away from the spotlight, he signed with Profile in 1986 and reentered the R&B Top 40 via "Baby Don't Get Too Far." Lesser-charting follow-ups "Don't Turn Around" and "Gotta Serve Somebody" ensued, and in 1992 he concluded his recording activity with the Ichiban single "I Like the Feeling." After an extended period of health challenges that included kidney disease and diabetes, Ingram succumbed to heart failure on March 19, 2007.