Luther "Captain Luke" Mayer

November 27, 1927 - May 12, 2015

Luther Mayer, known as “Captain Luke,” was born in Greenville, SC, in 1927. He grew up on his grandparents’ farm in nearby Clinton, and listening to his Uncle Jesse sing and play the harmonica, soaked up music from an early age. At 14, Luke moved to Winston-Salem, NC, with his mother and sister, and soon after he went to work in a scrap yard. Luke was blessed with a deep natural baritone; his abilities caught the attention of Otis King, who taught him how to hold the low notes and make them rise and fall. As a young man Luke was singing bass professionally in King’s Gospel Quintet as well as entertaining at informal gatherings. He also worked for 20 years at Merita Bakery, and raised four girls and two boys in Winston-Salem. At one point an admiral’s hat caught Luke’s eye in Miller’s Variety Store and he became in an instant “Captain Luke.” Luke was a leader in his community of East Winston-Salem, so the name fit and it stuck. He had an open door policy for anyone to come in from the cold to sleep, and he would share what food he had on the stove. In 1991 Captain Luke began working with Tim and Denise Duffy and helped to found the Music Maker Relief Foundation. In the two decades since, Captain Luke performed at Lincoln Center and prestigious festivals through out the United States, Europe and South America. His last recording was issued early this year, a truly classic record along with his long time partner Cool John Ferguson. Captain Luke passed away on Tuesday, May 12th, 2015, and will be deeply missed by all who knew him and even those he had never met, but who were touched by his music. He is survived by Thelma Mayer, Beverly Smith, Theresa Mayer, Deborah Mayer, Regina Parker, Doug Mayer & Tim Quattlebaum A memorial service will be held on Thursday, May 21st at 2:00pm. Location: Evergreen Cemetery, 2124 New Walkertown Rd. Winston-Salem, NC 27101