Luther's Blues session dates

[drchrisp]

Hi. This is my first posting to the forum. I'm working on research for a book on Motown's departure from Detroit, and I think that Luther Allison's album Luther's Blues represents that event. It has recordings with backing from the Funk Brothers in 1972 and from a non-Motown local band after the Funk Brothers dispersed.

Anyhow, does anyone have dates for the Luther's Blues recording sessions of October 1973? Also, which of those dates were at Studio A, and which at Studio B? I only have the dftmc website's dates for when recordings for the album were finished [[10/19, 10/29, and 11/16), and the website does not specify the studio.

Thanks in advance.

[Kraig Diesel]

Based on the information below, it appears that all of Luther's sessions were held at Hitsville-GW[[Golden World) aka "Studio B".

Studio A aka "The Snakepit" is normally the default studio for all Detroit sessions, unless otherwise stated.

Bad News Is Coming [[Luther Allison-Paul White-Joe Peraino) publ. Jobete
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 22-Jun-72 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Bloomington Closing [[Luther Allison) publ. Jobete
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 21-Mar-73 ; produced by Joe Peraino ; [early version, LA tape]

Cut You A-Loose [[Melvin London) publ. Melva
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 22-Jun-72 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Drivin' Wheel [[Roosevelt Sykes)
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 19-Oct-73 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Dust My Broom [[Elmore James) publ. Globe
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 11-Apr-72 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Easy Baby [[Willie Dixon)
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 19-Oct-73 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Evil Is Going On [[Willie Dixon) publ. Arc
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 01-Aug-72 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Into My Life [[Luther Allison-Gene Block) publ. Jobete
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 29-Oct-73 ; produced by Joe Peraino

It's Been A Long Time [[Luther Allison) publ. Jobete
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 20-Jun-72 ; produced by Joe Peraino

K. T. [[Luther Allison) publ. Jobete
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 16-Nov-73 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Let's Have A Little Talk [[Luther Allison) publ. Jobete
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 16-Nov-73 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Little Red Rooster, The [[Willie Dixon)
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 12-Apr-72 ; produced by Joe Peraino
[unreleased]; 45: Gordy G 7128F A



Luther's Blues [[Luther Allison) publ. Jobete
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 20-Jun-72 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Now You Got It [[Luther Allison-Gene Block-Gary Beam-Kenneth Mills) publ. Jobete
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 29-Oct-73 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Part Time Love [[Janie Bradford-Richard Wylie) publ. Jobete
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 19-Oct-73 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Raggedy And Dirty [[Luther Allison-Joe Peraino-Robert Kreinar-Andrew Smith-Ray Goodman) publ. Jobete
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 04-Aug-72 ; produced by Joe Peraino
[unreleased]; 45: Gordy G 7128F B



Rock Me Baby [[B.B. King-Joe Josea) publ. Modern/Sounds Of Lucille
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 11-Apr-72 ; produced by Joe Peraino

San-Ho-Zay [[Freddie King-Sonny Thompson) publ. Peter Maurice
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 16-Nov-73 ; produced by Joe Peraino ; [no tape]

Someday Pretty Baby [[Berry Gordy-James Woodley) publ. Jobete
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 16-Nov-73 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Stumble, The [[Freddie King-Sonny Thompson) publ. Sunlow
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 29-Feb-72 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Sweet Home Chicago [[Robert Johnson) publ. P.D.
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 19-Jun-72 ; produced by Joe Peraino

Take My Love [[I Want To Give It All To You) [[Mertis John) publ. Benjo
Luther Allison; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 21-Jun-72 ; produced by Joe Peraino

[drchrisp]

Thanks, Kraig, for all those dates. It looks like all of Luther' songs were completed at Studio B between 1972 and 1973. However, the producer and session musicians for Luther's Blues say that there actually were sessions at Studio A in the fall of '73, so they must have been earlier sessions before the songs were completed at Studio B. I'm trying to figure out the Studio A dates.

[Kraig Diesel]

Drchrisp, I remember reading in two different books that Luther's sessions were started in Studio A [[basic rhythm tracks), with finishing touches added in Studio B [[which was pretty much becoming the norm at this point at Motown - Detroit Era). My best guess would be that those sessions began in January 1972.

[drchrisp]

Thanks again, Kraig. I found the liner notes for Luther's first album, Bad News Is Coming, and the first session was on 2/29/72. He had started and finished "The Stumble" that day and started "Dust My Broom." As for Luther's Blues, the songs "KT" and "Luther's Blues" were holdovers from Bad News Is Coming sessions.
There was a 2-day session specifically for the Luther's Blues album in late 1973 in Studio A. A local bar band played the rhythm track for the songs, because the Funk Brothers were largely gone from Motown by then.