Skip Luke Main Page

Skip was born in Urbana, Illinois, and raised in the Champaign/Urbana area, where his displaced Texan father taught at the University of Illinois. With several guitar-playing friends, Skip began teaching himself to play on an old six-string acoustic. About this time, he also started going to performances of the top local band “Mike Brewer and the Galaxies,” where he became fascinated with the tight groove created by bassist Mike Manual and drummer “Bird” Heineman. When Manual bought a new bass and put his Danelectro “Longhorn” bass up for sale, Skip purchased it and a Fender Bassman amplifier and was soon a working musician. Bass players were in high demand at that time, and Skip soon found himself steadily working pickup gigs at the age of 15 (his mother had to drive him to the clubs.)

His first regular band was a group called the “Rock-A-Beats,” and they recorded one 45 single, which received some moderate airplay locally. Skip then moved on to a 5-piece group called “The Chandelles,” which probably influenced him more than any other band. Consisting of experienced long-time players, the Chandelles could play almost anything from Jazz to Classical music. Here Skip had his first real exposure to Blues, R&B, and Soul music, styles that he came to love. After graduation from high school, Skip joined house band “Terry Cook and the Majestics,” and became a fulltime musician with 6 gigs a week. It was in this band that he became good friends with band mate Terry Luttrell, who in a few years would go on to be the first lead singer for the new band, REO Speedwagon, and afterward form Starcastle.

The circle was completed when Mike Manual left the “Galaxies” and Skip became the band’s bass player, complete with Manual’s original Danelectro bass guitar! Tours to venues in Chicago and Indianapolis followed, as well as a 45 single which received airplay in the Chicago radio market. Skip recently completed studio work with Katherine Dawn of Boerne, Texas on her new CD, "Sugarbowl," as well as many live performances with the Katherine Dawn Band in Southern Texas.

Skip is known as a “groove” player and likes to work closely with the drummer to create a solid bottom end. He lists his major influences as: James Jamerson (primary Motown bassist,) Tommy Shannon (Double Trouble/SRV,) Chuck Rainey (Steely Dan,) and Victor Wooten (Bassist Extraordinaire.)

	Skip Luke - Bassist County Line, San Antonio; photo by Rachel Beissner BIO
*Guestbook* *Photo Album* *Links* *Recent Performances* *Email Me*	Skip was born in Urbana, Illinois, and raised in the Champaign/Urbana area, where his displaced Texan father taught at the University of Illinois. With several guitar-playing friends, Skip began teaching himself to play on an old six-string acoustic. About this time, he also started going to performances of the top local band “Mike Brewer and the Galaxies,” where he became fascinated with the tight groove created by bassist Mike Manual and drummer “Bird” Heineman. When Manual bought a new bass and put his Danelectro “Longhorn” bass up for sale, Skip purchased it and a Fender Bassman amplifier and was soon a working musician. Bass players were in high demand at that time, and Skip soon found himself steadily working pickup gigs at the age of 15 (his mother had to drive him to the clubs.) His first regular band was a group called the “Rock-A-Beats,” and they recorded one 45 single, which received some moderate airplay locally. Skip then moved on to a 5-piece group called “The Chandelles,” which probably influenced him more than any other band. Consisting of experienced long-time players, the Chandelles could play almost anything from Jazz to Classical music. Here Skip had his first real exposure to Blues, R&B, and Soul music, styles that he came to love. After graduation from high school, Skip joined house band “Terry Cook and the Majestics,” and became a fulltime musician with 6 gigs a week. It was in this band that he became good friends with band mate Terry Luttrell, who in a few years would go on to be the first lead singer for the new band, REO Speedwagon, and afterward form Starcastle. The circle was completed when Mike Manual left the “Galaxies” and Skip became the band’s bass player, complete with Manual’s original Danelectro bass guitar! Tours to venues in Chicago and Indianapolis followed, as well as a 45 single which received airplay in the Chicago radio market. Skip recently completed studio work with Katherine Dawn of Boerne, Texas on her new CD, "Sugarbowl," as well as many live performances with the Katherine Dawn Band in Southern Texas. Skip is known as a “groove” player and likes to work closely with the drummer to create a solid bottom end. He lists his major influences as: James Jamerson (primary Motown bassist,) Tommy Shannon (Double Trouble/SRV,) Chuck Rainey (Steely Dan,) and Victor Wooten (Bassist Extraordinaire.)

	*... hits since 1/14/03*