Luther Kent (born June 23, 1948) is an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

singer based in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, Louisiana. Kent is known for a big soulful voice and his big horn-based group Luther Kent & Trick Bag that mixed swinging blues with

New Orleans R&B New Orleans rhythm and blues is a style of rhythm and blues that originated in New Orleans. It was a direct precursor to rock and roll and strongly influenced ska. Instrumentation typically includes drums, bass, piano, horns, electric guitar, and ...

. Kent now hosts a show that comes on Saturdays on

WBRH WBRH (90.3 FM) is a student-run jazz high school radio station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The station, at Baton Rouge Magnet High School, broadcasts with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 21 kW. It is owned by the East Baton Rouge Paris ...

called ''Luther's House Party.''

Biography

In 1948, Luther Kent was born Kent Rowell in New Orleans, Louisiana. Luther Kent biography on Allmusic/ref> As a vocalist, he was influenced by artists such as

Bobby Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

, and

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

. Kent began to sing professionally when he was 14, and his first record was released by Montel Records. In 1970, he became the lead singer for a group named Cold Grits. The group was subsequently signed to

Ode Records Ode Records (also known as Ode Sounds and Visuals) was an American record label, started by Lou Adler in 1967 after he sold Dunhill Records to ABC Records. It was distributed by CBS's Epic Records except between 1970 and 1976, when the label was ...

, but their record was never released. Kent joined

Blood Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura Ny ...

in 1974 and toured with them until the end of that same year. However, he never recorded with the group as he was still bound by contract with Ode Records at the time. In 1977, Kent released his first solo album, ''World Class'', on RCS Records, produced by Cy Frost at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

in St. John's Wood, London, and Applewood Studios in Colorado. In 1978, Kent and ex-

Wayne Cochran Talvin Wayne Cochran (May 10, 1939 – November 21, 2017) was an American singer, known for his outlandish outfits and white pompadour hairstyle. He was sometimes referred to as The White Knight of Soul. Cochran is best known today for writ ...

musical director, Charlie Brent, formed Luther Kent & Trick Bag. The band was active during the 1980s and 1990s, and released 3 CDs under the name. Kent released a gospel album in 1996 teaming up with John Lee & the Heralds of Christ. The album also featured

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

and

Pete Fountain Pierre Dewey LaFontaine Jr. (July 3, 1930 – August 6, 2016), known professionally as Pete Fountain, was an American jazz clarinetist. Early life and education LaFontaine was born to Pierre, Sr. and Madeline, in a small Creole cottage-style fr ...

. Kent toured Italy in 2006 with Italian blues guitarist Robi Zonca and his band. The show was recorded and released as album ''Magic Box'' that year. Apart from his solo work, Kent also sings as a guest with the traditional jazz group,

The Dukes of Dixieland The Dukes of Dixieland was an American, New Orleans "Dixieland"-style revival band, originally formed in 1948 by brothers Frank Assunto, trumpet; Fred Assunto, trombone; and their father Papa Jac Assunto, trombone and banjo. Their first records ...

on selected dates. Kent is also on some of their recordings.

Discography

* 1977 ''World Class'' (Record Company of the South) * 1987 ''Luther Kent & Trick Bag / It's in the Bag'' (Renegade) * ''Luther Kent & Trick Bag / Good News Blues'' (Renegade) * 1996 ''Luther Kent with John Lee & The Heralds of Christ / Gospel & Holiday Spirituals'' (Renegade) * 1997 ''Luther Kent & Trick Bag / Live'' (Renegade) * 1999 ''Down in New Orleans'' (Louisiana Red Hot) * 2008 ''The Bobby Bland Songbook'' (Vetter Communications) * 2013 ''Luther'' (Atoula Publishing)

Other projects

* 2004 ''Forever Fabulous Chickenhawks Showband & All-Star Revue / Deep in the Heart'' (Louisiana Red Hot) * 2005 ''The Dukes of Dixieland / Christmas in New Orleans'' (Leisure Jazz) * 2005 ''The Dukes of Dixieland / Louisiana Legends'' (Leisure Jazz) * 2006 ''The Dukes of Dixieland / New Orleans Mardi Gras'' (Leisure Jazz) * 2006 ''The Dukes of Dixieland / Timeless'' (Leisure Jazz) * 2006 ''Robbi Zonca and his band featuring Luther Kent / Magic Box'' (Mousemen)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Luther 1948 births Living people American male singers American blues singers Rhythm and blues musicians from New Orleans Musicians from New Orleans Blood, Sweat & Tears members Singers from Louisiana