Biography
Robin Luke endures chiefly through the memory of his lone major success, the 1958 single “Susie Darlin’,” which captured the tenderest, most unsullied aspect of rock & roll. Though his recording activity stretched into the early 1960s and yielded dozens of tracks, he ranked among the era’s most favored romantic vocalists, excelling as a ballad singer in the vein of Ricky Nelson or the Everly Brothers while also demonstrating the capacity to deliver up-tempo performances, notably his solid rendition of Marty Wilde’s menacing “Bad Boy,” itself an homage to Gene Vincent’s approach. Belonging to rock & roll’s second generation, Luke had already absorbed the sounds of the genre and of R&B as a listener before he ever considered making records himself.
His father began as a laborer and later rose to an executive post with Douglas Aircraft; although Robin was born in Los Angeles, the company’s requirements repeatedly moved the family, first to Georgia and then, when the boy was eleven, to Hawaii. There he learned to play both guitar and ukulele. While performing as an amateur at Punahou High School, he attracted the notice of a local promoter who arranged an introduction to producer Bob Bertram, whose roster already included singing cowboy Eddie Dean. Bertram operated several imprints—Lariat, home to Joe Maphis; Polynesian, which specialized in hula discs for visitors; and Bertram International, devoted to rock & roll.
In early May 1958 Bertram International captured two Luke originals, “Living’s Loving You” and “Susie Darlin’,” the latter named for his younger sister. Released that spring, the record enjoyed strong local sales in Hawaii. Dot Records distributor Art Freeman encountered the single and brought it to the label’s attention; Dot subsequently acquired it for national distribution. Already a headliner in Hawaii—frequently closing bills that featured the Everly Brothers and Sam Cooke—Luke embarked on an expedited tour of the United States and appeared on American Bandstand once “Susie Darlin’” began its climb. Additional dates followed with the Kalin Twins, then enjoying their initial hit with “When.” Further national television exposure included The Perry Como Show, and he formed friendships with emerging contemporaries such as Buddy Holly and Ricky Nelson; Holly demonstrated the chords to “Peggy Sue” for him backstage before a shared engagement.
Luke’s timbre closely resembled Nelson’s and, in its gentler passages, Holly’s; as a ballad singer he might almost have served as an English-language counterpart to Ritchie Valens. His soft, romantic delivery combined sexiness with vulnerability, establishing him as a leading heartthrob and teen idol. Before he finished high school in 1959, Dot issued the follow-up “Chicka-Chicka-Honey.” Luke relocated to Los Angeles to enroll at Pepperdine University and began cutting sides directly for the label, supported by musicians that included Glen Campbell and the Champs. In fall 1959 he was hurried into the studio to record a cover of the rapidly rising British single “Bad Boy,” already a hit for Marty Wilde in the U.K.
Although he continued to draw audiences on the concert circuit and received attentive treatment from Dot president Randy Wood, Luke had never planned a prolonged performing career. After completing his undergraduate studies in 1962, he pursued a graduate degree in business administration that led him into academia and permanently away from music. By the mid-1960s he had ceased singing, electing instead the life of a faculty member while retaining fond recollections of his five years as a teen idol.
His father began as a laborer and later rose to an executive post with Douglas Aircraft; although Robin was born in Los Angeles, the company’s requirements repeatedly moved the family, first to Georgia and then, when the boy was eleven, to Hawaii. There he learned to play both guitar and ukulele. While performing as an amateur at Punahou High School, he attracted the notice of a local promoter who arranged an introduction to producer Bob Bertram, whose roster already included singing cowboy Eddie Dean. Bertram operated several imprints—Lariat, home to Joe Maphis; Polynesian, which specialized in hula discs for visitors; and Bertram International, devoted to rock & roll.
In early May 1958 Bertram International captured two Luke originals, “Living’s Loving You” and “Susie Darlin’,” the latter named for his younger sister. Released that spring, the record enjoyed strong local sales in Hawaii. Dot Records distributor Art Freeman encountered the single and brought it to the label’s attention; Dot subsequently acquired it for national distribution. Already a headliner in Hawaii—frequently closing bills that featured the Everly Brothers and Sam Cooke—Luke embarked on an expedited tour of the United States and appeared on American Bandstand once “Susie Darlin’” began its climb. Additional dates followed with the Kalin Twins, then enjoying their initial hit with “When.” Further national television exposure included The Perry Como Show, and he formed friendships with emerging contemporaries such as Buddy Holly and Ricky Nelson; Holly demonstrated the chords to “Peggy Sue” for him backstage before a shared engagement.
Luke’s timbre closely resembled Nelson’s and, in its gentler passages, Holly’s; as a ballad singer he might almost have served as an English-language counterpart to Ritchie Valens. His soft, romantic delivery combined sexiness with vulnerability, establishing him as a leading heartthrob and teen idol. Before he finished high school in 1959, Dot issued the follow-up “Chicka-Chicka-Honey.” Luke relocated to Los Angeles to enroll at Pepperdine University and began cutting sides directly for the label, supported by musicians that included Glen Campbell and the Champs. In fall 1959 he was hurried into the studio to record a cover of the rapidly rising British single “Bad Boy,” already a hit for Marty Wilde in the U.K.
Although he continued to draw audiences on the concert circuit and received attentive treatment from Dot president Randy Wood, Luke had never planned a prolonged performing career. After completing his undergraduate studies in 1962, he pursued a graduate degree in business administration that led him into academia and permanently away from music. By the mid-1960s he had ceased singing, electing instead the life of a faculty member while retaining fond recollections of his five years as a teen idol.
Albums
