Luther Rada, Luther and the Healers frontman, dies

Luther and the Healers at Friendswood’s Stevenson Park in 2015. Luther and the Healers at Friendswood’s Stevenson Park in 2015. Photo: Kristi Nix Photo: Kristi Nix Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Luther Rada, Luther and the Healers frontman, dies 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Luther Rada -- frontman for the long-running Houston blues band Luther and the Healers -- has died.

A post on the band's web site read: "After a brief illness Luther Rada passed away on July 10, 2018 surrounded by friends and family. He loved life and sharing his love of the Blues."

A Chicago native, Rada grew up immersed in that city's storied blues scene. He also cited two prominent left-handed guitar greats -- Albert King and Jimi Hendrix -- as two of his biggest influences. He moved to Houston in the mid-1980s.

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Rada formed the band in 1991, a labored audition process to find a group of Healers fluent in the blues as well as jazz, soul and R&B. Luther and the Healers played hundreds of gigs around town annually. Luther and the Healers' shows were not to be observed while standing. The group dug deep grooves that often moved listeners to dance, with Rada's growling, soulful voice dancing around the music.

"It's hard to get respect sometimes because people have this preconceived notion of a blues band as kind of a loose, jam-type thing," Rada told the Chronicle. "I'm more into polished, well-rehearsed stuff. When I think of a good blues band, I think of B.B. King or Robert Cray or even vintage James Brown."

More often than not, Luther and the Healers could be found on stage in one of the city's clubs.

"I really want this," Rada said of building his life around nightlife. "I don't need to be a star, but I want to be a musician for the rest of my life. I want to master my craft."