|
Bob
Luman was born in Nacogdoches, Texas on
April 15, 1937. He started out as a rockabilly
performer, switched to country and then in the late ‘50s
nearly ditched the music industry altogether.
Through his
teens, Luman was primarily
interested in singing country music like his idol Lefty
Frizzell, but then he saw Elvis,
which inspired him to try his hand at the rockabilly sound.
Soon after graduating, Luman won a
talent contest, leading to his debut on the Louisiana Hayride.
He became a regular in the mid‘50s, and had a small role in
the 1957 film Carnival Rock; still, his singles did nothing on
the charts.
In 1959, the
Pittsburgh Pirates offered Luman a
contract; fed up with his lack of success, he announced his
intention to accept the offer during a concert one night.
However, the Everly Brothers
talked him into recording the Boudleaux
Bryant song “Let’s Think About Living”; sure enough, it was a
Top Ten hit on both the country and pop charts. His follow-up,
“The Great Snowman,” was also a hit, but he was drafted, and
spent the next two years in the military.
In 1964, he
began recording for Hickory Records, and the following year,
he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Luman eventually signed with Epic
Records and had a string of Top 25 hits over the next ten
years. He toured extensively and became the first country
singer to perform in Puerto Rico; he also remained a regular
on the Opry, where his lively
performances veered close to rock & roll at times.
Luman
had a major heart attack in 1975,
and it took him nearly five months to recover. His final chart
appearance came in 1977; the following year he contracted
pneumonia and died in Nashville, Tennessee on December 27, at
the age of 41.
by Sandra
Brennan
|
