Kent 279 - Luther Ingram - Pity For The Lonely - The KoKo singles Vol 1 (2007) - Rare Soul+++Full Artwork

Long Deleted First CD Album on Kent From Luther Ingram!.....Luther Thomas Ingram was born in Jackson, Tennessee in 1937. His family moved to Alton, Illinois in 1947 & Luther,s  early interest in music led to the formation of a gospel group, the Alton Crusaders, which included his brothers Archie and Richard. They eventually began singing doo-wop, and accompanied by bandleader Ike Turner, they recorded as the Gardenias for Federal Records in 1956. In 1965, Ingram recorded his first solo record. His first three recordings failed to chart but that changed when he signed for KoKo Records in the late 1960s, and his first hit "My Honey And Me"(also done by The Emotions) peaked at #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1970. Many of his songs appeared in the pop and R&B charts, even though Koko was only a small label, owned by his manager and record producer, Johnny Baylor, Koko and Baylor were closely associated with the Memphis based Stax Records label during the height of its commercial success. Ingram is best known for the hit, "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right", written by Homer Banks, Carl Hampton and Raymond Jackson.  The song reached number one on Billboard 's R&B chart and peaked at number three in the summer of 1972.  The track stayed in the Hot 100 for 18 weeks, ultimately selling a reported four million copies.  The song was later successfully covered by Millie Jackson, David Ruffin, and Barbara Mandrell, it has also been recorded by Bobby "Blue" Bland, Rod Stewart and Isaac Hayes.
Other popular tracks for Ingram included "Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)", "Let's Steal Away to the Hideaway" and "I'll Be Your Shelter (In Time of Storm)". He also co-authored "Respect Yourself", a million seller for the Staple Singers, on the Stax label, in 1971. The acetate demo version of Ingram's, "Exus Trek" (an instrumental backing-track released 1966 as the B-side of HIB Records #698), became a sought after Northern soul track,unusual for an Inst Track to go Massive on the Northern Scene before the vocal. With the Stax connections, Ingram recorded at the Memphis label's studios, as well as other southern based studios such as Muscle Shoals. Ingram was the opening act for Isaac Hayes for some years, and often used Hayes' Movement band and female backing group for his 1970s recordings. He recorded into the 1980s, and whilst only managing lower R&B chart hits. He performed in concert until his health began declining in the mid-1990s.He sadly passed in 2007 but what an incredible legacy he left behind with such a wonderful voice.This was the first of 4 Kent CD,s that were issued...highlighting most his Material Recorded. I shall be reviewing the others in due course....A True Soul Legend!

AMM 

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