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Chanteur US né le 20
Mars 1942
né à Los Angeles (Californie),
installé à Honolulu (Hawaii). Robin Luke a enregistré son premier succès "Susie Darlin'" à l'âge de seize ans au cours de l'été 1958 pour International Records. Mais ce sera Dot Records qui fera connaître ce tube cette même année.
Robin Luke
is best remembered for his one big hit, "Susie Darlin'," in 1958, a song that
embodied the most gently innocent side of rock & roll. His career actually
lasted into the early 1960s, however, and encompassed dozens of songs. He was
one of the most popular of the romantic rockers of the late 1950s, at his best
as a balladeer in the mold of Ricky Nelson
or the Everly Bros., although he was
also able to rock out on occasion and did a good cover of the ominous
Marty Wilde number "Bad Boy," itself a
tribute to Gene Vincent's style. Robin
Luke was a member of rock & roll's second wave, young enough to have been a fan
of rock & roll and R&B before he dreamt of a recording career of his own.
Luke's father was a worker and later an executive for Douglas Aircraft, and
while he was born in Los Angeles, the demands of the elder Luke's job had the
family relocating every few years, first to Georgia and later, when Robin was
11, to Hawaii. It was there that he took up the guitar and the ukelele.
He was appearing as an amateur performer at Punahou High School when he was
spotted by a local impressario, who helped Luke hook up with Bob Bertram, a
producer whose clients included singing cowboy
Eddie Dean. Bertram owned several
labels, including Lariat, whose artists included
Joe Maphis, Polynesian (which released
hula records aimed at the tourist trade, ) and Bertram International, which
recorded rock & roll.
Luke was recorded by Bertram International in early May 1958 doing two originals,
"Living's Loving You" and "Susie Darlin'," the latter title referring to Luke's
younger sister. "Susie Darlin'" was issued in the spring of 1958 and did very
well locally in Hawaii. Luckily for all concerned, it was also heard by Art
Freeman, a distributor for Dot Records, who brought the single to the attention
of his employers. The powers-that-were at Dot picked the record up for
distribution on the mainland; Luke was already a headliner in Hawaii, closing
shows on bills with the likes of the Everly
Bros. and Sam Cooke, but the national
release of "Susie Darlin'" resulted in his doing a quick tour of the United
States and appearing on American Bandstand. As the single climbed the charts, he
was brought back for more shows, in the company of the
Kalin Twins, who were enjoying their
first flush of success with "When" at the time. He appeared on more national
television shows, including The Perry Como Show, and also became friends with a
number of other neophyte music stars, including
Buddy Holly and
Ricky Nelson;
Holly even taught him the chords to
"Peggy Sue" backstage before an appearance on the same bill.
Luke sounded a good deal like Nelson,
and also like Holly in his softer
moments; as a balladeer, he could almost have been an Anglo counterpart to
Ritchie Valens. He had a gentle,
romantic voice that also managed to be sexy and vulnerable, and made him a major
heartthrob and teen idol.
The follow-up to "Susie Darlin," "Chicka-Chicka-Honey," was released before Luke
had graduated from high school in 1959. He moved to Los Angeles to attend
Pepperdine University, and began recording directly for Dot Records, backed by
the likes of Glen Campbell and
the Champs. In the fall of 1959, he was
rushed into the studio to record a cover of a fast-breaking British single, "Bad
Boy," which was tearing up the English charts in a version by
Marty Wilde.
Luke remained popular on the concert stage and was well taken care of by Dot
Records president Randy Woods, but it wasn't his intention to continue as a
singer. After finishing his undergraduate work in 1962, Luke pursued a graduate
degree in business administration that ultimately brought him into the academic
world and took him out of music permanently. He left singing behind after the
mid-1960s, choosing instead the life of a faculty member and the chance to savor
the memories he had of five years as a teen idol.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Luke
Talents : Vocals, Guitar
Style musical : Rock 'n' Roll
SUSIE DARLIN'
(1958)
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Chicka
Chicka Honey (1958)
WON'T
YOU PLEASE BE MINE
(1958)
YOU CAN'T STOP ME FROM DREAMING
(1959)
Walkin' In The Moonlight
(1959)
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Years in activity :
1910 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 2000 | 10 | 20 |
DISCOGRAPHY
Singles & EP
1958 | SP INTERNATIONAL 45-206 (US) |
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Susie Darlin'
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07/1958 | SP DOT 45-15781 (US) | . |
Susie Darlin'
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08/1958 | SP BERTRAM INTERNATIONAL 45-208 (US) | . | Robin LUKE with The
JOLLY
DRIFTERS -
Chicka
Chicka Honey
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10/1958 | SP DOT 45-15839 (US) | . | Robin LUKE with The
JOLLY
DRIFTERS -
Chicka
Chicka Honey
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1958 | EP DOT DEP-1092 (US) |
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SUSIE DARLIN' -
Susie Darlin'
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01/1959 | SP BERTRAM INTERNATIONAL 45-210 (US) | . | Robin LUKE with The
LAWRENCE BROS. COMBO -
You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming
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02/1959 | SP DOT 45-15899 (US) | . |
You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming
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05/1959 | SP BERTRAM INTERNATIONAL 45-212 (US) | . | Robin LUKE with The
LAWRENCE BROS. COMBO
-
Who's Gonna Hold Your Hand
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06/1959 | SP DOT 45-15959 (US) | . |
Who's Gonna Hold Your Hand
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11/1959 | SP DOT 45-16001 (US) | . |
Walkin' In The Moonlight
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01/1960 | SP DOT 45-16040 (US) | . |
Bad Boy
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1960 | SP DOT D 45-167 (DK) |
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Susie Darlin'
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07/1960 | SP DOT 45-16096 (US) |
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Everlovin'
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1960 | SP DOT D 45-231 (DK) |
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Everlovin'
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1960 | EP DOT DEP-620 (US) |
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Everlovin'
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01/1961 | SP DOT 45-16170 (US) | . | So Alone / All Because Of You |
06/1961 | SP DOT 45-16229 (US) | . | Part Of A Fool / Poor Little Rich Boy |
06/1962 | SP DOT 45-16366 (US) | . | Robin LUKE & Roberta SHORE - Foggin' Up The Windows / Time |
1965 | SP DOT 45-135 (US) | . |
Susie Darlin'
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1972 | SP GAMMA G-1154 (MEX) |
Susie Querida (Susie Darling
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1984 | SP Original Sound Oldies But Goodies OBG 4530 (US) | . |
All I Have To Do Is Dream
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1986 | SP Old Gold OG 9598 (UK) |
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Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny
Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (Brian HYLAND)
/
Susie Darlin'
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1987 | SP BELLAPHON 199 07 419 (GER) |
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Oldies -
Original Stars -
Susie Darlin'
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19?? | SP COLLECTABLES COL 1298 (US) | . |
Susie Darlin'
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19?? | SP AVANTI A 1014 (US) | . |
Susie Darlin'
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Unissued Tracks
19?? | Unissued - (Starfire LP 1002 (#12)) | Chicka Chicka Honey [alt. vers.] |
19?? | Unissued - (Starfire LP 1002 (#9)) | Living's Loving You [alt. vers.] |
19?? | Unissued - (Starfire LP 1002 (#5) / Starfire LP 1002 (#10)) | Susie Darlin' [alt. vers.] |
19?? | Unissued - (Starfire LP 1002 (#6)) | Susie Darlin' [demo vers.] |
19?? | DOT unissued - (Bear Family CD 15547 (#18)) | Don't Cry, For You I Love |
19?? | DOT unissued - (Bear Family CD 15547 (#25)) | Hayride |
19?? | DOT unissued - (Bear Family CD 15547 (#31)) | If You Only Knew My Baby |
19?? | DOT unissued - (Bear Family CD 15547 (#15)) | It Had To Happen |
19?? | DOT unissued - (Bear Family CD 15547 (#29)) | It Hurts A Little While |
19?? | DOT unissued - (Bear Family CD 15547 (#28)) | Mighty River |
19?? | DOT unissued - (Bear Family CD 15547 (#12)) | Polyanna |
19?? | DOT unissued - (Bear Family CD 15547 (#23)) | Poor Me |
19?? | DOT unissued - (Bear Family CD 15547 (#13)) | Rotten Love |
19?? | DOT unissued - (Bear Family CD 15547 (#14)) | Sugar |
19?? | DOT unissued - (Bear Family CD 15547 (#30)) | Wide Wide World |
Albums
1978 | LP 12" BEAR FAMILY BFX 15022 (GER) |
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SUSIE DARLIN' - Well Oh Well Oh / Everlovin' / Five Minutes More / You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming / Who's Gonna Hold Your Hand / Susie Darlin' / Part Of A Fool / Poor Little Boy Rich Boy / So Alone / All Because Of You / Make Me A Dreamer / Walkin' In The Moonlight / My Girl / Chicka Chicka Honey / School Bus Love Affair / Strollin' Blues | ||
1981 | LP 12" STARFIRE 1002 (US) (picture disc) |
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1991 | CD BEAR FAMILY BCD 15547 (GER) |
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SUSIE DARLIN' - Susie Darlin' / Well Oh Well Oh / Won't You Please Be Mine / Everlovin' / Five Minutes More / Walking In The Moonlight / Foggin' Up The Window (with Roberta SHORE) / Who's Gonna Hold Your Hand / Make Me A Dreamer / School Bus Love Affair / You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming / Polyanna (demo) / Rotten Love (demo) / Sugar (demo) / It Had To Happen / All Because Of You / So Alone / Don't Cry For You I Love / Poor Little Rich Boy / Part Of A Fool / Bad Boy / My Girl / Poor Me / Chicka Chicka Honey / Hayride / Living's Loving Doll / Strollin' Blues / Mighty River (demo) /It Hurts A Little While (demo) / Wide Wide World (demo) / If You Only Knew My Baby (demo) |
© Rocky Productions 21/08/2015