Bob Luman
Encyclopedia
Bob Luman was an American
country
and rockabilly
singer.
, Texas
. His early interest in music was influenced by his father, an amateur fiddle
, guitar
and harmonica
player. Bob Luman received his first guitar when he was thirteen years of age.
Luman attended high school in Kilgore
, where the family had moved after young Bob's birth. It was in high school
that Luman started his first band.
Bob Luman had been a baseball star in his high school, and he tried out with the Major League Baseball
Pittsburgh Pirates
, but when he didn't make it in professional baseball, he decided to concentrate on music. In 1956, he won a talent contest promoted by the Future Farmers of America, which earned him an appearance on the Louisiana Hayride
.
For the Hayride, Luman formed a backup band
called the Shadows, including James Burton
on guitar, James Kirkland on bass and Butch White on drums. In 1957, the band signed with Imperial Records
, where they recorded "All Night Long" and "Amarillo Blues."
That same year, the band appeared on the Town Hall Party
in Los Angeles
, and appeared in the movie Carnival Rock, where they backed up David Houston
.
The following year, having been dropped by Imperial Records, Luman signed with Capitol Records
, where he released "Try Me" and "I Know My Baby Cares." Capitol Records wanted Luman to change his name, which he refused to do, so he left the record label and signed with Warner Bros. Records
, recording "Class of '59" and "Loretta."
In 1960, Luman was drafted into the United States Army
. It was while still in the Army that Warner Bros. Records released Luman's best-known crossover hit, "Let's Think About Living," a novelty song
that hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart
and #9 on the Billboard
country music
chart. It also reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart
.
After leaving the Army in 1962, Luman moved to Nashville
, where he married. In 1965, he joined the Grand Ole Opry
.
, with an act which combined country and rockabilly. He signed with Epic Records
in 1968, and had several hits with them, including "Lonely Women Make Good Lovers" and "Still Loving You." "Lonely Women Make Good Lovers" became his biggest country hit, hitting #4 on the country chart. (Steve Wariner
, who had earlier been a member of Luman's band, later covered the song in 1984, and he, too, took it to #4 on the country charts.)
Luman's other country hits included "Ain't Got Time To Be Unhappy" (1968), "Ballad of Two Brothers" (with Autry Inman
, 1968), "When You Say Love" (1972), "Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)" (1973), "Proud Of You Baby" (1975), and "The Pay Phone" (1977). Perhaps his most unusual song was a slow, soulful recitation of Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone."
Luman died in Nashville of pneumonia
in 1978, at the age of forty-one. After his death, Bear Family Records
released several compilations of his songs, including More of the Rocker, Still Rockin and Carnival Rock.
Luman is a member of both the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
and the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
singer.
Early life and career
Luman was born in NacogdochesNacogdoches, Texas
Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. His early interest in music was influenced by his father, an amateur fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
player. Bob Luman received his first guitar when he was thirteen years of age.
Luman attended high school in Kilgore
Kilgore, Texas
Kilgore is a city in Gregg and Rusk Counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the home of Kilgore College, and was also the childhood home of famous classical pianist Van Cliburn...
, where the family had moved after young Bob's birth. It was in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
that Luman started his first band.
Bob Luman had been a baseball star in his high school, and he tried out with the Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, but when he didn't make it in professional baseball, he decided to concentrate on music. In 1956, he won a talent contest promoted by the Future Farmers of America, which earned him an appearance on the Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American music...
.
For the Hayride, Luman formed a backup band
Backup band
A backing band or backup band is a musical ensemble that accompanies an artist at a live performance or on a recording. This can either be an established, long-standing group that has little or no change in membership, or it may be an ad hoc group assembled for a single show or a single recording...
called the Shadows, including James Burton
James Burton
James Burton is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 , Burton has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame...
on guitar, James Kirkland on bass and Butch White on drums. In 1957, the band signed with Imperial Records
Imperial Records
Imperial Records is a United States based label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd and reactivated in 2006 by label owner EMI.- The independent and Liberty Records years :...
, where they recorded "All Night Long" and "Amarillo Blues."
That same year, the band appeared on the Town Hall Party
Town Hall Party
Town Hall Party was an American country music radio and television show broadcast over KXLA-AM, Pasadena, California, KFI-AM, Los Angeles, California, and KTTV-TV. The first radio broadcast was in the autumn of 1951.Promoter William B...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and appeared in the movie Carnival Rock, where they backed up David Houston
David Houston (singer)
Charles David Houston was an American country music singer. His peak in popularity came between the mid-1960s through the early 1970s.-Biography:...
.
The following year, having been dropped by Imperial Records, Luman signed with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, where he released "Try Me" and "I Know My Baby Cares." Capitol Records wanted Luman to change his name, which he refused to do, so he left the record label and signed with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, recording "Class of '59" and "Loretta."
In 1960, Luman was drafted into the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. It was while still in the Army that Warner Bros. Records released Luman's best-known crossover hit, "Let's Think About Living," a novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
that hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
and #9 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
chart. It also reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
After leaving the Army in 1962, Luman moved to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, where he married. In 1965, he joined the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
.
Later career
Luman toured frequently in the 60s and 70s, and became popular in Las VegasLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, with an act which combined country and rockabilly. He signed with Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
in 1968, and had several hits with them, including "Lonely Women Make Good Lovers" and "Still Loving You." "Lonely Women Make Good Lovers" became his biggest country hit, hitting #4 on the country chart. (Steve Wariner
Steve Wariner
Steven Noel "Steve" Wariner is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has released eighteen studio albums, including six on MCA Records, and three each on RCA Records, Arista Records and Capitol Records...
, who had earlier been a member of Luman's band, later covered the song in 1984, and he, too, took it to #4 on the country charts.)
Luman's other country hits included "Ain't Got Time To Be Unhappy" (1968), "Ballad of Two Brothers" (with Autry Inman
Autry Inman
Robert Autry Inman , was an American country and rockabilly musician.-Biography:Inman was born in Florence, Alabama, and was performing on local radio station WLAY by age 14. He used his middle name "Autry" as his stage name. After completing school he worked as a reporter for the Lauderdale Co...
, 1968), "When You Say Love" (1972), "Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)" (1973), "Proud Of You Baby" (1975), and "The Pay Phone" (1977). Perhaps his most unusual song was a slow, soulful recitation of Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone."
Luman died in Nashville of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in 1978, at the age of forty-one. After his death, Bear Family Records
Bear Family Records
Bear Family Records is a Germany-based independent record label that specializes in reissues of archival material ranging from country music to 1950s rock and roll to old German movie soundtracks.-History:...
released several compilations of his songs, including More of the Rocker, Still Rockin and Carnival Rock.
Luman is a member of both the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Rockabilly Hall of Fame
The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on the internet on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering American music genre....
and the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame/Tex Ritter Museum, located in Carthage in Panola County in East Texas honors those who have made outstanding contributions to country music and were born in the state of Texas. This includes singers, songwriters, disc jockeys and others.A museum, a large...
.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Let's Think About Livin | Warner Bros. | |
| 1965 | Livin' Lovin' Sounds | Hickory | |
| 1968 | Ain't Got Time to Be Unhappy | Epic | |
| 1969 | Come On Home and Sing the Blues to Daddy | ||
| 1970 | Gettin' Back to Norma | ||
| 1971 | Is It Any Wonder That I Love You | ||
| Chain Don't Take to Me | |||
| 1972 | When You Say Love | 38 | |
| Lonely Women Make Good Lovers | 10 | ||
| 1973 | Neither One of Us | 26 | |
| 1974 | Bob Luman's Greatest Hits | 26 | |
| Still Loving You | 42 | Hickory/MGM | |
| Red Cadillac and Black Moustache | Epic | ||
| 1976 | A Satisfied Mind | ||
| 1977 | Alive and Well | ||
| 1978 | Bob Luman | 49 | Polydor |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1959 | "My Baby Walks Over Me" | — | — | — | single only |
| "Dreamy Doll" | — | — | — | Let's Think About Livin | |
| 1960 | "Let's Think About Livin'" | 9 | 7 | — | |
| "Why Why Bye Bye" | — | 106 | — | ||
| "Oh Lonesome Me" | — | 105 | — | ||
| 1961 | "Great Snowman/Pig Latin Song" | — | — | — | singles only |
| "Private Eye" | — | — | — | ||
| 1962 | "Rocks of Reno" | — | — | — | |
| "Belonging to You" | — | — | — | ||
| "Hey Joe" | — | — | — | ||
| "You're Everything" | — | — | — | ||
| 1963 | "You're Welcome" | — | — | — | |
| "I'm Gonna Write You a Song" | — | — | — | ||
| "I Like Your Kind of Love" | — | — | — | ||
| 1964 | "The File" | 24 | — | — | Livin' Lovin' Sounds |
| "Lonely Room" | — | — | — | singles only | |
| "Fire Engine Red" | — | — | — | ||
| 1966 | "Five Miles from Home (Soon I'll See Mary)" | 39 | — | — | |
| "Poor Boy Blues" | 39 | — | — | ||
| "Come On and Sing" | 42 | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "Hardly Anymore" | 59 | — | — | |
| "If You Don't Love Me (Then Why Don't You Leave Me Alone)" | 61 | — | — | ||
| "Running Scared" | — | — | — | ||
| 1968 | "Ain't Got Time to Be Unhappy" | 19 | — | 6 | Ain't Got Time to Be Unhappy |
| "I Like Trains" | 50 | — | — | Come On Home and Sing the Blues to Daddy | |
| "Woman Without Love" | — | — | — | ||
| 1969 | "Come On Home and Sing the Blues to Daddy" | 24 | — | — | |
| "It's All Over (But the Shouting)" | 65 | — | — | single only | |
| "Every Day I Have to Cry Some" | 23 | — | — | Gettin' Back to Norma | |
| "The Gun" | 60 | — | 28 | ||
| 1970 | "Gettin' Back to Norma" | 56 | — | — | |
| "Still Loving You" | 56 | — | — | single only | |
| "Honky Tonk Man Honky Tonk Man (song) "Honky Tonk Man" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Horton. It was released in March 1956 as his debut single, reaching #9 on the U.S. country singles charts... " |
22 | — | — | Is It Any Wonder That I Love You | |
| "What About the Hurt" | 44 | — | 37 | ||
| 1971 | "Is It Any Wonder That I Love You" | 60 | — | — | |
| "I Got a Woman" | 40 | — | 43 | Chain Don't Take to Me | |
| "A Chain Don't Take to Me" | 30 | — | — | ||
| 1972 | "When You Say Love" | 6 | — | 10 | When You Say Love |
| "It Takes You" | 21 | — | 34 | Lonely Women Make Good Lovers | |
| "Lonely Women Make Good Lovers Lonely Women Make Good Lovers "Lonely Women Make Good Lovers" is the title of a song written by Freddy Weller and Lindon Oldham, and first recorded by Bob Luman. Luman's version was the second single from his 1972 album of the same name... " |
4 | — | 4 | ||
| 1973 | "Neither One of Us" | 7 | — | 17 | Neither One of Us |
| "A Good Love Is Like a Good Song" | 23 | — | 43 | ||
| "Still Loving You" (re-recording) | 7 | — | 29 | Bob Luman's Greatest Hits | |
| 1974 | "Just Enough to Make Me Stay" | 23 | — | — | |
| "Let Me Make the Bright Lights Shine for You" | 25 | — | — | Red Cadillac and Black Moustache | |
| 1975 | "Proud of You Baby" | 22 | — | 38 | A Satisfied Mind |
| "Shame on Me" | 48 | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "A Satisfied Mind" | 41 | — | — | |
| "The Man from Bowling Green" | 82 | — | — | ||
| "How Do You Start Over" | 89 | — | — | ||
| "Labor of Love" | 94 | — | — | Alive and Well | |
| 1977 | "He's Got a Way with Women" | 63 | — | — | |
| "I'm a Honky-Tonk Woman's Man" | 33 | — | — | Bob Luman | |
| "The Pay Phone" | 13 | — | — | ||
| "A Christmas Tribute" | 92 | — | — | single only | |
| 1978 | "Proud Lady" | 47 | — | — | Bob Luman |
Further reading
- Davis, W.P. (1998). "Bob Luman" In Encyclopedia of Country Music. P. Kingsbury, Ed. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 308–309.
- "Robert Glynn (Bob) Luman," In "Handbook of Texas Online." Texas State Historical Association.