Biography
So here I am trying to write a biography for this new-fangled website that I am trying to put together, and it just seems boisterous. So I asked my mom to write it. Parents are always unabashed when it comes to speaking of their children, so it seems a perfect fit. Look for her at my shows sometime!
J. Luke was born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. From birth he was interested in music, in fact, his first record player was a trade to Santa for all his pacifiers. Once he got his first record player at age 2, his love of music intensified. I guess it helped that I sang to him constantly, and that when he got up every morning we danced while I sang Be- Bop- A-Lula, You're my Baby. Thus, I started calling him Be-Bop. I am quite sure he didn't like this much when I called him that as a teenager. Now it is a sweet memory that we both laugh at. However, as an elementary student, he began to play sports. He played baseball, football, soccer and basketball. Music was something for listening to and singing along with. He never thought he could sing, although myself and many of his friends had heard him and knew he had a nice voice. He played trombone in the junior high school band, but gave it up to play high school basketball. I owned an old Martin guitar which I had played in high school and college. Luke picked around on this guitar, but never got totally interested in playing. He learned a few basic chords from me, but it wasn't until 2002 that he actually stole my guitar and began to take lessons from a girl he thought was cute, thinking this would be a good way to meet her. He ended up liking the guitar more than the girl. Time passed and Luke began attending performances by Paul "Tall Paul" Bobal. Many shows later Paul offered Luke a lesson, and this developed into a friendship as well as mentorship. Luke had never sung in public before, but suddenly realized he could. He began to learn songs, and began his career by opening for Tall Paul a few times. He eventually gave me back my guitar and invested in his own equipment. You can find Luke playing most all the time. When he is not performing, he is practicing . I told him the guitar had grown to his hip. Many of his high school classmates find it amazing that this high school jock is singing for a living. They are all amazed at his vocal and guitar ability. Sometimes Luke invites me to sing with him which is fun for me and the audience. His father and I are very proud of Luke. Keep singing Be-bop!
by Beverly Cochran
(Luke's mom)
