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ABOUT
Luther is a veteran Detroit Blues guitar player who has recorded more
than
50 songs and released 4 great albums. He has performed at some of
the
most notable venues and events in the area including Baker's
Keyboard
Lounge, Cliff Bells, Bert's Place, Callahan's, Harbor House, Nancy
Whiskey's,
Rosie O'Grady's, the historic The Soup Kitchen, and Ground Zero in
Memphis.
Luther has also performed at The Music Hall, The Ferndale Blues
Festival,
The Windsor Blues Festival, The Chene Park Concert Series, The
Campus
Martius Concert Series, The Arts Beats & Eats Music Festival, Cobo
Center,
and The New Year's Eve D-Drop at Cadillac Square.
Luther has been nominated for five awards at The Detroit Music
Awards and
was honored as Outstanding Blues Songwriter. He also won The
Detroit
Blues Challenge Award.
What makes these accomplishments even more impressive is that
Luther
didn't pick up a guitar till he was 30 and didn't start performing
in public till
he was 45.
After earning a degree in Journalism from The University of
Detroit, Luther
landed a job as a reporter at The Detroit News. He later became a
columnist,
then Chief Economics Correspondent - and eventually the Business
Editor for
the paper. But in 1980, he saw famed Blues guitarist, Luther
Allison, perform at a local nightclub and became immediately hooked on The Blues.
A transformation took place.
Days later, Luther went out and bought a used guitar and spent the
next 15 years practicing the instrument as a recreational musician. In
1995, Luther finally formed a band and began to perform on stage. In
1998, he picked up the
nickname "Badman" based on his style of play and that became his
artist middle name. Then in 1999, things started rolling when Luther
released his 1st CD. In the 16 years that followed, he would release
three more.
These days Luther can be heard performing at local clubs and festivals
all around the Metro-Detroit area for evening and weekend gigs. But his
current professional day job is serving as the Executive Director of the Arise
Detroit Foundation which works with neighborhood businesses and
leaders to improve the quality of life in the many Detroit communities.
Whether he's on stage playing music
to his fans or on stage delivering speeches to community groups, Luther is always
inspiring people. His impact has been formidable.
Every Blues singer seems to have a great story to tell. This is
Luther’s. Despite his late start, he never gave up on his passion.
His life story provides great motivation for any of us who have big dreams.
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