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Nick Lucas

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Nick Lucas
Background information
Birth nameDominic Antonio Nicholas Lucanese
Born(1897-08-22)August 22, 1897
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedJuly 28, 1982(1982-07-28) (aged 84)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
GenresJazz, traditional pop
Occupation(s)Musician, bandleader
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals
Years active1912–1981
LabelsPathé, Brunswick, Durium, Cavalier, Accent
Formerly ofDuke Ellington, Jimmie Noone, Wilber Sweatman, Spirits of Rhythm
SpouseCatherine Ciffrodella (1917-1970)
Websitenicklucas.com

Dominic Antonio Nicholas Lucanese (August 22, 1897 – July 28, 1982),[1] better known by his stage name Nick Lucas, was an American jazz singer and guitarist.[2] He was the first jazz guitarist to record as a soloist. His popularity during his lifetime came from his reputation as a singer. His signature song was "Tiptoe Through the Tulips".

Career

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Lucas was born into an Italian family in Newark, New Jersey, United States. In 1922, at the age of 25, he gained renown with his hit renditions of "Pickin' the Guitar" and "Teasin' the Frets" for Pathé. In 1923, Gibson Guitars proposed to build him a concert guitar with a deeper body. Known as the "Nick Lucas Special," it became a popular model with guitarists such as Bob Dylan. It was this guitar's outline that was later used as the basis for the Gibson Les Paul solid body electric guitar. Also in 1923, he began recording for Brunswick and remained one of their exclusive artists until 1932.

In 1929, Lucas co-starred in the Warner Bros. two-color Technicolor musical, Gold Diggers of Broadway, in which he introduced the two hit songs "Painting the Clouds with Sunshine" and "Tiptoe Through the Tulips", which survives in a fully synchronized and preserved Vitaphone disc. The same year, Lucas was featured in the studio's all-star revue, The Show of Shows. Lucas turned down Warner Bros. seven-year contract offer, which went instead to fellow crooner Dick Powell.

In April 1930, Warner bought Brunswick and gave him his own orchestra, billed on his records as "The Crooning Troubadours". This arrangement lasted until December 1931, when Warner licensed Brunswick to the American Record Corporation (ARC). The new owners were not as extravagant as Warner Bros. had previously been and Lucas lost his orchestra and eventually left Brunswick in 1932. He made two recordings for Durium in 1932 for their Hit of the Week series. These would prove to be his last major recordings.

Lucas spent the rest of his career performing on radio, in night clubs and dance halls. He made a number of recordings for small or independent labels, including Cavalier, where he was billed as the "Cavalier Troubadour." In 1944, he reprised some of his old hits in soundies movie musicals and filmed another group of songs for Snader Telescriptions in 1951, including his hit of "Walkin' My Baby Back Home". He signed with Accent in 1955 and remained with the label for 25 years.[3] He once made an extended eight-month tour of Australia when he was on the road. As of 2023, Nick Lucas has one of the longest singing careers, spanning 64 years.

Personal life

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Nick Lucas enjoyed a long marriage of 53 years to Catherine Ciffrodella. They had 1 Daughter, Emily Lucas Bissell(1918-2013) and 3 grandchildren.[4]

Later years and death

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Lucas became friends with Tiny Tim, who considered him an inspiration and who borrowed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as his own theme song. Most people believe that Tiny Tim was the original singer of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips". Lucas sang the song to him when he married Miss Vicki on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on December 17, 1969. Nick Lucas was interviewed all throughout the 1970's and the early 1980's.

In 1974, his renditions of the songs, "I'm Gonna Charleston Back to Charleston", "When You and I Were Seventeen" and "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue" were featured on the soundtrack of The Great Gatsby (1974), selected by the film's musical director Nelson Riddle.

In 1975,[5] Nick Lucas performed a sold-out show at Mayfair Music Hall in Santa Monica, California. In 1977, he celebrated his 80th birthday.[6] This footage is available on YouTube. In 1980,[7] Lucas rode in the Rose Bowl Parade on his float 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips. In 1981,[8] Lucas collaborated with Riddle one last time to sing 4 minutes of his best-selling hits. This was one of his last public appearances.

On July 28, 1982, less than a month before his 85th birthday, Nick Lucas died in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from complications of double pneumonia.[9] He was interred with his wife Catherine in the "Shrine of Remembrance" in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Filmography

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[10] Here are the films that Nick Lucas Was In:

Title Director Year and Company
Gold Diggers of Broadway Roy Del Ruth Warner Bros. 1929
The Show of Shows John G. Adolfi Warner Bros. 1929
Nick Lucas Song Vitaphone - 1929
Organloguing the Hits With Nick Lucas Master Art Products - 1931
Home Again Master Art Products - 1933
On the Air and Off Universal - 1933
What This Country Needs Vitaphone - 1934
Nick Lucas and His Troubadours Joseph Henabery Vitaphone - 1936
Vitaphone Headliners Vitaphone - 1936
Yankee Doodle Home Arthur Dreifuss Columbia - 1939
Congamania (Nick sings "In a Little Spanish Town") Larry Caballos Universal - 1940
Goodnight, Wherever You Are Soundies - 1944
An Hour Never Passes Soundies - 1944
Tiptoe Through the Tulips With Me Soundies - 1944
Side By Side Soundies - 1944
Big Time Revue Warner Bros. - 1947
Disc Jockey Will Jason Allied Artists - 1951
I'm Looking at The World Thru Rose Colored Glasses Snader - 1951
I Love the Sunshine of your Smile Snader - 1951
Get Out Those Old Records Snader - 1951
Mexicali Rose Snader - 1951
Marie, Ah, Marie Snader - 1951
Bela Bimba Snader - 1951
Walkin' My Baby Back Home Snader - 1951
The Great Gatsby Jack Clayton Paramount - 1974

(voice only)

The Day of The Locust John Schlesinger Paramount - 1975

(voice only)

Hearts of the West Howard Zieff MGM - 1975

(Voice only) (Final film role)

Here Are the Broadway Plays Nick Lucas Starred In:

Sweetheart Time 1926
Show Girl 1929
Blackouts Of 1949 1949

Here are the TV Shows Nick Lucas was a regular on:

The Lawrence Welk Show ABC, 1962-1965

Discography

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  • Painting the Clouds with Sunshine (Decca, 1957)[1]
  • Tip-Toe Thru' The Tulips (ASV Living Era, 2000)

References

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  1. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. xx. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ "Nick Lucas, The Crooning Troubadour and his Guitar". www.nicklucas.com. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  3. ^ Pitts, Michael; Hoffmann, Frank; Carty, Dick; Bedoian, Jim (December 22, 2001). The Rise of the Crooners: Gene Austin, Russ Columbo, Bing Crosby, Nick Lucas, Johnny Marvin and Rudy Vallee. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-1-4617-0712-7.
  4. ^ Pitts, Michael R. (2023). Nick Lucas: The Crooning Troubadour and His Guitar. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 9781476690674.
  5. ^ Nick Lucas at Mayfair Music Hall. Retrieved May 7, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  6. ^ NICK LUCAS - Nick's 80th Birthday Party (1977) home video excerpt. Retrieved May 7, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  7. ^ NICK LUCAS - 1980 Rose Parade "Music of America". Retrieved May 7, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  8. ^ NICK LUCAS (1981). Retrieved May 7, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  9. ^ "Nick Lucas Biography". nicklucas.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  10. ^ "Nick Lucas Filmography". nicklucas.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
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