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By Stephanie Dean
For the Enterprise

Born in Yadkin County in1934, Luther Chandler was born with an ear for music and a bit of Irish in his blood.
His paternal grandfather played a few tunes, but as far as Luther’s love for music, the musician gave credit to his mother’s side of the family.
“I reckon it was my two uncles who played music and traveled all the time.”
But it’s not just his ear for music or the blood of the Irish that has earned this talented man success.
He’s got music in his soul.
Looking in life’s rearview mirror, Luther summed it up:
“I just enjoyed it because you learn from it. You hear tunes you never tried to pick and learn new ones. When I first started playing, it was for small crowds and then as I went on, I played for up to 100,000 people while in the band – like at Union Grove – and others had 50-60,000 people seated and many more standing up.”
As a youngster, Luther benefited from a mentoring musician.
When about 9, Luther met Jerry Casstevens when he began playing mandolin with his band. At that time, Jerry was 30 and played locally. The band didn’t travel much.
“We played for restaurants back then … and we’d jam in Jerry’s yard and people would come listen.”
Jerry believed in Luther and thought the boy had talent – way more than Luther ever realized at the time. Being a good banjo picker and teacher, Jerry was an inspiration to Luther, and that proved valuable later in the young boy’s life.
“I still have some tapes of Jerry. He encouraged me to keep growing and learning.”
After Jerry had gotten older and quit picking the banjo, Luther was approached by another banjo player named Larry Richardson from Galax, Va. Larry invited Luther to play with his band, The Bluegrass Group.
“That’s where I really began to learn music was with him. We played more. I just began to learn from anyone who could pick and began growing into it.”
When in his early 20s, Luther formed his own group, performing with Wayne Tucker from Jonesville. They picked together for 5-6 years in a band called Carolina Grass, primarily playing for music clubs and restaurants around Yadkinville.
And then came the Lincoln County Partners – the last band Luther played with. From Hickory, the bluegrass band traveled all over the United States except California.
While Luther was known for his mandolin picking, he also played guitar and a little fiddle, although he never felt good enough at fiddle to play in a band. The band cut records and recorded tapes over the next 20 years while Luther played and traveled with them.
As Luther and I talked about his musical career – an old Lincoln County Partners LP circled on his turntable – and bluegrass twanged in the background.
Luther’s proud of the two songs he wrote – “Memories I Used to Own” and “Just to Know” – both on the band’s record album called “Water So Cold.”
“We were offered to go to Canada and play, but our band leader said no, so we didn’t go. I don’t know why he didn’t want to go to Canada. Maybe the main reason was we had to pay to get in. Our band leader, JD Setzer, was from Hickory. We all agreed that he was our band leader, and we did what he said to do.”
And JD Setzer had a bus. So when the band went anywhere, they took his bus. Luther played in his final band around the year 2012.
Somewhere along the road, Luther took just enough time off to fall in love and tie the knot.
He married his first wife, Rita, and they were married for about 25 years. Married life suited Luther. The fact that he and Rita are still friends today says a lot about enduring love. She still calls to check on him.
He reminisced a favorite memory.
“Rita went with me on the bus once and we went to Nashville, Tenn. to the Grand Ole Opry.”
Luther opened up about his personal feelings and the downfalls of being on the road all the time. Even though the money was good and the couple bought a home, the travel took a toll on the marriage. To this day, he says travel was a struggle. There was a price to pay, and for that, Luther has regrets.
“I would change going all over the United States because that had a lot of effect on my marriage. I have regrets that I traveled so much and was gone all the time. I missed Rita when I was gone, but I didn’t want to quit my music. I let my music get in the way. I couldn’t give my music up because I’d grown up with it and played it all those years.”
Luther moved to Mocksville in 1963 to work on sewing machines at a local business. It was here, he got a second chance at love. After seven years of living the single life, Luther met and later married, Diane. Together they had a son, Tommy Chandler, another local, well-known musician. Luther lost his wife after 31 years of marriage when Diane passed away in 2020. But Luther hasn’t forgotten some of their many good times.
“Diane loved bluegrass, but she couldn’t pick. She went with me a whole lot. We went different places. We went to a place over in Statesville and one up next to Hickory when I was playing a show.”
According to Luther, besides being good for his soul, music made many positive contributions towards living a good life.
“Music bought me my home and my cars. I’ve had about three new cars. I paid cash for them and the house. Music’s done a lot for me. I have not bought anything that I haven’t paid cash for. My favorite performances were the festivals when you got paid good to be the lead band. When we played for shows. We’d get paid anywhere from 4,000-5,000 dollars to play.”
Luther grinned while sharing a moment in his musical career of which he wasn’t pleased– but if the truth be known – deep down, he was most proud.
“We went to a fiddler’s convention up in Virginia, and I was pickin’ mandolin. Well, I won first place in mandolin, and a man came up to me and suggested I play guitar. He gave me a guitar – a Martin – so I accepted. I went on stage and played a tune. And when they called the winners out – I had won both mandolin and guitar. And the guitar player in my band got so mad he could hardly stand it.”
One notable moment still sticks out in Luther’s memory. Just talking about it elicited a big smile.
“I played on stage at the old, Grand Ole Opry in downtown Nashville with Sonny and Bobby Osborne. The Osborne Brothers. I was in their band for almost a year and played guitar. Bobby was my best friend.”
Bobby and Sonny Osborne were two famous bluegrass musicians from Kentucky, later Nashville. In addition, Luther played a lot of festivals with Bobby where they’d pick together.
But there comes a time when every musician has to develop his or her personal style
“I was picking at a festival,and I’d known Bill Monroe for years. I liked him, so I kind of played his style when I first started.”
But later, Monroe told Luther, “You’re doing good, but get your own style.”
A few months later at a festival, Bill noted: “I see you’ve learned your own style.”
“I couldn’t find my own style. So I worked on it and finally got my style, and then other mandolin players tried to pick my style. Many saw me play at festivals – and they’d ask, ‘Where’d you learn that style’?”
Luther answered that it was his own. At one point, Bobby Osbourn told Luther that he considered his way to be the best he’d ever heard.
“I played chops when the banjo or fiddle was the lead picker, whatever, but my style was more leading with the melody. When I learned my own style, I played it different. It sounded like the song, but I added my notes.”
The accomplished musician will be 90 on Oct. 24 and he still plays the mandolin for his own enjoyment when at home.
Does he wish for a few do-overs? Sure.
But, while the music is still in his soul, the hands don’t want to cooperate.
“I’m trying to do it over now, trying to get back to where I used to be on the mandolin. I can’t play fast anymore. If I hadn’t quit, and laid it down, I’d still be picking fast. My hands got arthritis in them and that’s why I stopped pickin’ a couple years ago.
“If you learn it and love it, you don’t ever want to give it up. I still play the mandolin, but I can’t play fast like I used to. I can still remember where every note is. I try to pick some every day because I love it.”
Luther had a few things to say to folks who want to begin playing music.
“I’d tell them to learn, but know that traveling will wear you out. That’s what I tell Tommy all the time, but he’s a fine guitar picker. I reckon he got it from me, the love of music and pickin’. When I showed him how to play a guitar, he picked it up and just loved it. He started out with mandolin and then he started taking lessons banjo with Kip (Snow).”
And so, Luther’s musical legacy has passed down.
“It was in my blood – I reckon. because my two uncles played all the time and played here and yonder. I loved the way they played. It got in my blood.”
It’s good to know that Luther’s ear for music, a bit of Irish in his blood, and his musical legacy will continue to live on.