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| Luther Ingram | |
|---|---|
| Name | Luther Ingram |
| Birth name | Luther Thomas Ingram |
| Birth date | 30 November 1937 |
| Birth place | Jackson, Tennessee |
| Death date | 19 March 2007 |
| Death place | Belleville, Illinois |
| Occupation | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1958–1990s |
| Notable works | "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" |
Luther Ingram was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter whose career spanned from the late 1950s through the 1990s. Best known for the 1972 hit "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right", he recorded for labels associated with Stax Records, Volt Records, and KoKo Records, and influenced artists across Chicago soul, Memphis soul, and broader American music traditions. His work intersects with figures and institutions across rhythm and blues, gospel music, and pop music history.
Born Luther Thomas Ingram in Jackson, Tennessee, he grew up during the era of the Great Migration's cultural aftermath and the rise of rhythm and blues circuits in the American South. His family environment exposed him to gospel music traditions and touring acts linked to the Chitlin' Circuit such as Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin, while regional radio stations like WDIA and venues like the Ryman Auditorium shaped local opportunities. Ingram later relocated to Birmingham, Alabama and then to the Chicago metropolitan area, connecting with labels and collaborators associated with Curtis Mayfield, Otis Redding, and the Stax Records/Volt Records network.
Ingram began recording in the late 1950s and worked with producers and songwriters linked to Isaac Hayes, David Porter, and Homer Banks. He recorded singles released on small independent labels aligned with the Chicago soul scene, often appearing alongside acts promoted by companies such as Brunswick Records, Chess Records, and Vee-Jay Records. During the 1960s and early 1970s he moved between studios in Memphis, Tennessee, Chicago, Illinois, and Muscle Shoals, Alabama, associating with musicians from the Memphis Horns, the Fame Studios rhythm sections, and artists connected to Hi Records. His breakthrough came when he signed with KoKo Records and teamed with songwriters and session players whose networks included Sonny Bono, Sly Stone, and contemporaries of Marvin Gaye.
Ingram's signature recording, "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right", written by Homer Banks, Carla Thomas's circle, and Seldon Powell-era collaborators, became a charting single crossing the Billboard Hot 100, Billboard R&B chart, and receiving attention from Grammy Awards voters and MTV-era retrospectives. The song was covered by artists such as Billie Holiday-era interpreters, Barbara Mandrell, Millie Jackson, Rod Stewart, and found placement in compilations alongside tracks by Al Green, Sam Cooke, James Brown, and Etta James. Ingram's recordings contributed to the soundscapes that influenced hip hop sampling practices and the catalogs of Rhino Records and Sony Music Entertainment reissue programs. His approach to vocal phrasing and emotive delivery is cited in studies of soul music alongside figures like Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, Bobby Womack, and Wilson Pickett.
Throughout his career Ingram worked with songwriters, session musicians, and producers connected to major labels and studios: names and entities in his orbit included Isaac Hayes, David Porter, the Hi Records rhythm section, and arrangers who worked with The Temptations, The Supremes, and The Drifters. He performed on bills with peers such as James Brown, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Gladys Knight, and Al Green at venues ranging from the Apollo Theater to regional theaters on the Chitlin' Circuit. Festival appearances and package tours linked him to promoters affiliated with Bill Graham, Don Cornelius-era television exposure on programs like Soul Train, and European tours that paralleled engagements by The Rolling Stones and The Beatles-era package tours bringing American soul artists to Wembley Stadium-sized audiences.
Ingram settled in the Chicago metropolitan area/East St. Louis region later in life and remained involved in regional music scenes connected to St. Louis, Memphis, and Nashville. His later recordings and reissues appeared on labels associated with United Artists Records and independent reissue houses that curate catalogues from Atlantic Records and Stax Records rosters. He died in Belleville, Illinois in 2007, and his estate and recordings have been subjects of archival interest among collectors linked to Collector's Choice Music, Rhino Handmade, and university archives preserving African American music heritage. Ingram's legacy endures in the repertoires of contemporary artists drawing on soul music traditions and in academic work on popular music history.
Category:1937 births Category:2007 deaths Category:American soul singers Category:People from Jackson, Tennessee