The Great Snowman 1959-1963 is the first international release from Canetoad Records, Australia's premier oldies label. The generous 34-track anthology compiles most, if not all, of the recordings Bob Luman made for Warner Bros. in his early days as a rocker. His earliest rock recordings, for the Imperial and Capitol labels, are not included. The last track on the collection, "I Like Your Kind of Love," is a duet with Sue Thompson made for the Hickory label in 1963. Luman's rock & roll is like that of Billy "Crash" Craddock or Johnny Burnette, obviously influenced by Elvis Presley but not entirely derivative. Luman expressed great admiration for Johnny Cash and the imitative "My Baby Walks All Over Me" foreshadows the tributes to Cash he would record in the '70s. Luman went on to greater fame as a country singer, and The Great Snowman traces his evolution as the frequency of country cover songs increases and the character of his music drifts toward a Don Gibson-style rock-inflected country sound. Luman's only major hit from this period, "Let's Think About Living," is included, along with a wealth of obscurities. The Great Snowman 1959-1963 is not about compiling hits -- it pays tribute to Luman's reputation among collectors and their enduring interest in his rock & roll.