Lazy Bill Lucas
Encyclopedia
Lazy Bill Lucas was an American
blues
musician
, who was part of the birth of the Chicago blues
scene during the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s, before taking his talents to Minneapolis, Minnesota
, and becoming an important part of that city's blues history until his death.
, Arkansas
, United States
, Lucas's family was always looking for better living conditions and worked their way north to Southern Missouri
, then to St. Louis in 1940 and Chicago
the year after. As a youngster, he sang on the streets of Advance, Missouri
, where the mostly white audience preferred hillbilly
songs, but in St. Louis, he teamed up with blues singer Big Joe Williams
and started singing for a black audience. Until 1946, Lucas played guitar on the streets, often at the side of Sonny Boy Williamson II
. Later that year, he formed a trio with Willie Mabon
and Earl Dranes, joined the Musicians Union
, and enjoyed a two week gig at the Tuxedo Lounge. For several years, he played in various blues combos and played in various clubs, bars and street settings. During this time, he played with Johnny "Man" Young, Jo Jo Williams, Homesick James
, Little Hudson, Snooky Pryor, and Little Walter
. In 1950, Lucas switched from guitar to piano and worked as a sideman
for various blues bands and appeared on records by the Blue Rockers, Willie Foster, Homesick James and Snooky Pryor. In 1953, while leading the trio Lazy Bill and the Blue Rhythm, he secured a recording contract
with Chance Records
, which brought him in one for one recording session. The company released one 78 rpm phonograph record -"She Got Me Walkin'" b/w "I Had a Dream".
and playing solo or leading his own small groups. In 1970, he played a benefit show at the Guthrie Theatre organized by Minneapolis's black establishment to show the range and history of Afro-American music. The same year Lucas appeared at the Wisconsin Delta Blues Festival, and the Ann Arbor Blues Festival, with Jeff Titon and John Schrag. In the 1970s, Titon helped record and produce Lucas's material for Philo Records
. In 1979, Lucas, who had played live on the radio in the 1960s, started hosting his own regular radio show, The Lazy Bill Lucas Show on KFAI
in Minneapolis.
Lucas died of natural causes
in Minneapolis in December 1982, at the age of 64.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, who was part of the birth of the Chicago blues
Chicago blues
The Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois, by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues, making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier, and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums,...
scene during the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s, before taking his talents to Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and becoming an important part of that city's blues history until his death.
Early career
Born to sharecroppers in WynneWynne, Arkansas
Wynne is the county seat and largest city of Cross County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 8,615 at the 2000 Census. Nestled between the Arkansas Delta and Crowley's Ridge, Wynne is home to the largest state park in Arkansas, Village Creek State Park.-Geography:Wynne lies at , the...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Lucas's family was always looking for better living conditions and worked their way north to Southern Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, then to St. Louis in 1940 and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
the year after. As a youngster, he sang on the streets of Advance, Missouri
Advance, Missouri
Advance is a small, fourth-class city located at the intersection of State Highway 25 and State Highway 91/Route C in northern Stoddard County, Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city's population was 1,244; a July 2007 estimate, however, showed the population to be 1,221...
, where the mostly white audience preferred hillbilly
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
songs, but in St. Louis, he teamed up with blues singer Big Joe Williams
Big Joe Williams
Joseph Lee Williams , billed throughout his career as Big Joe Williams, was an American Delta blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, notable for the distinctive sound of his nine-string guitar...
and started singing for a black audience. Until 1946, Lucas played guitar on the streets, often at the side of Sonny Boy Williamson II
Sonny Boy Williamson II
Willie "Sonny Boy" Williamson was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, from Mississippi. He is acknowledged as one of the most charismatic and influential blues musicians, with considerable prowess on the harmonica and highly creative songwriting skills...
. Later that year, he formed a trio with Willie Mabon
Willie Mabon
Willie Mabon was an American R&B singer, songwriter and pianist.-Career:Born Willie James Mabon, and brought up in Hollywood, Memphis, Tennessee, he had become known as a singer and pianist by the time he moved to Chicago in 1942. He formed a group, the Blues Rockers, and in 1949 began recording...
and Earl Dranes, joined the Musicians Union
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
, and enjoyed a two week gig at the Tuxedo Lounge. For several years, he played in various blues combos and played in various clubs, bars and street settings. During this time, he played with Johnny "Man" Young, Jo Jo Williams, Homesick James
Homesick James
Homesick James was an American blues musician. He most notably played slide guitar, and recorded covers of "Stones In My Passway" and "Homesick"...
, Little Hudson, Snooky Pryor, and Little Walter
Little Walter
Little Walter, born Marion Walter Jacobs , was an American blues harmonica player, whose revolutionary approach to his instrument has earned him comparisons to Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix, for innovation and impact on succeeding generations...
. In 1950, Lucas switched from guitar to piano and worked as a sideman
Sideman
A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he or she is not a regular member. They often tour with solo acts as well as bands and jazz ensembles. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit...
for various blues bands and appeared on records by the Blue Rockers, Willie Foster, Homesick James and Snooky Pryor. In 1953, while leading the trio Lazy Bill and the Blue Rhythm, he secured a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Chance Records
Chance Records
Chance Records was a Chicago-based label founded in 1950 by Art Sheridan. It specialized in blues, jazz, doo-wop, and gospel.Among the acts who recorded for Chance were The Flamingos, The Moonglows, Homesick James, J. B. Hutto, Brother John Sellers, and Schoolboy Porter...
, which brought him in one for one recording session. The company released one 78 rpm phonograph record -"She Got Me Walkin'" b/w "I Had a Dream".
Later career
As the 1950s progressed, work became harder to find, and during the 1960s, Lucas tried to get into the folk-blues scene but could not secure any contracts. From 1964 and well into the 1970s, Lucas straddled two careers: playing in various groups led by George "Mojo" BufordGeorge "Mojo" Buford
George "Mojo" Buford was an American blues harmonica player, best known for his work in Muddy Waters' band.-Biography:...
and playing solo or leading his own small groups. In 1970, he played a benefit show at the Guthrie Theatre organized by Minneapolis's black establishment to show the range and history of Afro-American music. The same year Lucas appeared at the Wisconsin Delta Blues Festival, and the Ann Arbor Blues Festival, with Jeff Titon and John Schrag. In the 1970s, Titon helped record and produce Lucas's material for Philo Records
Philo Records
Philo Records was a short-lived record label founded in 1945 by the brothers Eddie, Leo, and Ira Messner. Later its name changed to Aladdin Records. There was another Philo Records, founded by Bill Schubart and Michael Couture in Vermont. It is still active under the ownership of Rounder Records....
. In 1979, Lucas, who had played live on the radio in the 1960s, started hosting his own regular radio show, The Lazy Bill Lucas Show on KFAI
KFAI
KFAI is a community radio station in Minnesota. The station broadcasts a wide variety of music, and also airs programming catering to many of the diverse ethnic groups of the region...
in Minneapolis.
Lucas died of natural causes
Death by natural causes
A death by natural causes, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, is one that is primarily attributed to natural agents: usually an illness or an internal malfunction of the body. For example, a person dying from complications from influenza or a heart attack ...
in Minneapolis in December 1982, at the age of 64.
Discography
- Lazy Bill & His Blue Rhythms: Chance RecordsChance RecordsChance Records was a Chicago-based label founded in 1950 by Art Sheridan. It specialized in blues, jazz, doo-wop, and gospel.Among the acts who recorded for Chance were The Flamingos, The Moonglows, Homesick James, J. B. Hutto, Brother John Sellers, and Schoolboy Porter...
1148 (1954) - Blues Rockers: Excello RecordsExcello RecordsExcello Records was an American blues record label, started by Ernie Young in Nashville, Tennessee in 1953 as a subsidiary of Nashboro, a gospel label...
2062 (1955) - Lazy Bill Lucas: Wild RecordsWild RecordsWild Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. Started by Reb Kennedy, the label specializes in Rockabilly, Rock and Roll, Blues, Soul, Garage, and other roots music....
12MO1 (1969) - Lazy Bill and His Friends: Lazy Records 12MO2 (1970)
- Lazy Bill Lucas Trio: Philo RecordsPhilo RecordsPhilo Records was a short-lived record label founded in 1945 by the brothers Eddie, Leo, and Ira Messner. Later its name changed to Aladdin Records. There was another Philo Records, founded by Bill Schubart and Michael Couture in Vermont. It is still active under the ownership of Rounder Records....
1007 (1971) - Lazy Bill Lucas: Philo (1974)
- Lazy Bill Lucas: Philo 1007 (1973)