Bob Luman

Bob Luman started out as a rockabilly performer, switched to country and then in the late '50s nearly ditched the music industry altogether; were it not for the interference of the Everly Brothers, Nashville would have lost a popular and talented performer to major league baseball. He was born in Nacogdoches, Texas, and grew up loving both sports and music. As a teen, Luman was a high school baseball star, and was so good that he caught the eye of several major league baseball scouts. Through his teens, Luman was primarily interested in singing country music like his idol Lefty Frizzell, but then he saw Elvis perform at a country music show. This inspired him to try his hand at the rockabilly sound and found his own band, which soon began performing at school activities and for area clubs. Soon after graduating, Luman won a talent contest, leading to his debut on the Louisiana Hayride. He was well received and became a regular in the mid-'50s. He was handsome, young and talented to boot, so it was only natural that Luman begin appearing on television. In 1957, he had a small role in a Hollywood film, Carnival Rock. He also appeared in Las Vegas along with Tex Ritter and Johnny Cash. Still, his singles did nothing on the charts. In 1959, the Pittsburgh Pirates offered young Luman a lucrative contract. Fed up with his lack of success, he decided to go for it and announced this during a concert one night. The Everly Brothers happened to be in the audience and after the show, they talked him into giving country music one more try. They suggested he record the Boudleaux Bryant song "Let's Think About Living," and 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 and Luman began organizing a promotional...