Click on photos for a larger image
Left: The above picture was photographed while Luke was employed by Gibson and these
are some of the mandolins he was making for them at the time
Right: Luke Thompson with the Father of Bluegrass, Mr. Bill Monroe being presented
with a plaque for creating the first bluegrass festival in Louisiana
Welcome to the Luke Thompson Company Homepage Web Site!
Although, Luke Thompson plays and builds most stringed instruments, he is best known for his mandolins. A prominent figure in bluegrass music in Louisiana, Luke grew up in a tradition of old time country and bluegrass music. He remembers hearing his grandfather play the fiddle from a very young age, and he began performing professionally himself in the 1950's, developing his own unique style of mandolin picking. Luke appeared regularly on the Louisiana Hayride, Shreveport Radio Station KWKH's stage production which was second in importance only to the Grand Ole Opry. For approximately ten years from 1948 to 1958, the Hayride was a focal point for the country music enthusiast and performers across the nation. Called the "Cradle of the Stars," it hosted early performances by Hank Williams Sr., Kitty Wells, George Jones, Johnny Horton, and Elvis Presley. Louisianians Faron Young, Jimmy C. Newman, and Webb Pierce made their breakthroughs here. In 1968, Luke founded the Louisiana Bluegrass Festival with his good friend, the Father of Bluegrass, Mr. Bill Monroe. Since 1983, Luke has shifted the focus of his activities to instrument building and playing with his band, the Green Valley Cut-Ups.
Luke Thompson Music CompanyWeb Site maintained by scratch0@bellsouth.net