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Nick LucasAmerican singer and one of the first jazz guitarists
Date of Birth: 22.08.1897
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Nick Lucas: The Grandfather of the Jazz Guitar
- Early Life
- Rise to Fame
- The Crooning Troubadour
- Later Career
- Legacy
Nick Lucas: The Grandfather of the Jazz Guitar
Nick Lucas, an American singer and one of the first jazz guitarists, was known as "The Grandfather of the Jazz Guitar". He reached the peak of his popularity from the mid-1920s to the early 1930s. In addition to the guitar, he also played the double bass, trombone, tuba, and violin.
Early Life
Dominic Nicholas Anthony Lucanese, known as Nick Lucas, was born on August 22, 1897, in Newark, New Jersey.
Rise to Fame
In 1922, at the age of 25, Lucas gained some recognition with his hits "Picking the Guitar" and "Teasing the Frets", recorded on Pathe Records. In 1923, Gibson Guitars approached Lucas to design a concert guitar with a deeper body, and this model, known as the "Nick Lucas Special", quickly became popular among guitarists and continues to be successful to this day. That same year, Lucas began a successful career in the recording industry, collaborating with Brunswick Records and becoming one of their leading artists until 1932.
The Crooning Troubadour
By the late 1920s, Lucas, thanks to his Brunswick Records recordings, earned the nickname "The Crooning Troubadour" for his soft and lyrical singing style. In 1929, he starred in Warner Brothers' musical comedy film "Gold Diggers of Broadway", where he performed two hit songs, "Painting the Clouds with Sunshine" and "Tiptoe Through the Tulips". The latter became Lucas' signature song.
Later Career
In 1932, Lucas made two recordings for Durium Records in their "Hit of the Week" series, which became his last significant releases. For the remainder of his career, Lucas performed on radio, in nightclubs, and dance halls. He made recordings for various small and independent labels, including Cavalier Records, where he was promoted as the "Cavalier Troubadour". In 1944, Lucas reprised some of his old hits in Soundies, short musical films that were the precursors to modern music videos and were extremely popular before the advent of television.
Legacy
In 1974, several of Lucas' songs, including "I'm Gonna Charleston Back to Charleston", "When You and I Were Seventeen", and "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue", were featured in the soundtrack of Paramount Pictures' epic adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" with Robert Redford in the lead role. Nick Lucas passed away on July 28, 1982, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from bilateral pneumonia, just three weeks before his 85th birthday.
