This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2020) |
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".
Nick Lucas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dominic Antonio Nicholas Lucanese |
| Born | August 22, 1897 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | July 28, 1982 (aged 84) Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, traditional pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1912–1981 |
| Labels | Pathé, Brunswick, Durium, Cavalier, Accent |
| Formerly of | Duke Ellington, Jimmie Noone, Wilber Sweatman, Spirits of Rhythm |
| Spouse | Catherine Ciffrodella (1917-1970) |
| Website | nicklucas |
Career
editLucas 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
editNick 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
editLucas 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
edit[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
edit- Painting the Clouds with Sunshine (Decca, 1957)[1]
- Tip-Toe Thru' The Tulips (ASV Living Era, 2000)
References
edit- ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. xx. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ "Nick Lucas, The Crooning Troubadour and his Guitar". www.nicklucas.com. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Pitts, Michael R. (2023). Nick Lucas: The Crooning Troubadour and His Guitar. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 9781476690674.
- ^ Nick Lucas at Mayfair Music Hall. Retrieved May 7, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ NICK LUCAS - Nick's 80th Birthday Party (1977) home video excerpt. Retrieved May 7, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ NICK LUCAS - 1980 Rose Parade "Music of America". Retrieved May 7, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ NICK LUCAS (1981). Retrieved May 7, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Nick Lucas Biography". nicklucas.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "Nick Lucas Filmography". nicklucas.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
External links
edit
