By David Rotenstein
NKyTribune reporter
Singer Luther Scruggs died Feb. 7 at age 68. A Covington native, Scruggs made a name for himself locally and internationally as a member of the religious a capella group, the Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers.
“He had a big musical background,” said Eric Riley, who was one of the earliest members of the group founded by Eric “Ric” Jennings. “His mother played the piano in church, his sister sings.”
“Luther’s an original member of the Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers,” Jennings told the NKyTribune. “Started in 1987.”
Scruggs graduated from Holy Cross High School. As a student, Scruggs distinguished himself as a vocal soloist. He sang the national anthem before sporting events where Northern Kentucky high school teams competed, according stories published in local newspapers during the 1970s.
It became one of Scruggs’s signature songs. “Our rendition of the national anthem came from him,” Riley said.
Scruggs’s arrangement, though, wasn’t the usual version. He infused it with gospel soul.
“It’s called call and response,” Riley explained.
“You knew it was the anthem, but it was different from everybody else’s,” said Jennings. “We say it added some flavor to make it pleasing to the taste buds of the soul.”
The group has performed Scruggs’s version before Bengals and Reds games.
After graduating from Holy Cross, Scruggs attended Wilberforce University and Morehead State University.
Jennings formed the Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers after the Ninth Street Baptist Church Choir disbanded. He recruited Scruggs to join the new group. “Luther had worked with various different churches and choirs,” Jennings said.
Scruggs took some time off from the Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers to raise a daughter and he returned as a part-time singer.
Scruggs belonged to Covington’s Our Savior Catholic Church, an institution where the singers frequently performed for services and community events. The group and community celebrated Scruggs’ life Feb. 14 inside the church’s social hall. According to former parish administrator Sister Janet Bucher, the hall was filled to capacity.