Luther Rabb was born on Sep 7,1942 and he grew up in Seattle, Washington, the son of a Minister. Luther learned to play music on his Grandmother's piano. By the age of 10 he had his first saxophone and as a teen was doing gigs at the local Rotary Boys Club where Luther was a sax player in Jimi Hendrix's first band, "The Velvetones". Over the next ten years, Luther performed with a variety of successful Pacific Northwest bands such as "The Stags" and "The Nite Sounds" before recording his own songs with "The Emergency Exit" on Dunhill Records.

By now Luther had switched to bass guitar and was playing his own style of music. In 1970, Luther Rabb & "BALLIN'JACK" were signed to Columbia Records... doing several shows, opening up for Jimi Hendrix across the United States at large halls and outdoor festivals. They quickly gained a reputation as an outstanding live act, opening for many legends of the era at famous venues like Bill Graham's Fillmore East & West. After four LP's, some line-up changes and much praise… BALLINJACK had broken up by 1975.

In 1976 Luther did a European tour as lead vocalist with Carlos Santana. He continued to work as a session musician with Lola Falana and he played on the critically acclaimed "Aalon" Cream City LP in 1977. At the height of the disco era, Luther finished his work on a solo LP and by the time they released his 1979 "Street Angel" album on MCA, he had joined the band WAR, where he spent most of the 80's playing bass and doing vocals.

Luther Rabb might be most recognized as one of the sampled voices used in the Grammy award winning 1989 "Bust A Move" single. The many fans who have seen him onstage remember his captivating smile and warm personality, but all of the musicians who worked alongside him will remember Luther as a sparkplug that made any music machine he was plugged into… fire hot… and on all cylinders.

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