Jon Lucien
Dubbed "the man with the golden throat" by Herbie Hancock, Jon Lucien was the premier crooner of the fusion era -- blessed with a deep, velvety voice ideally matched to romantic ballads, his sophisticated amalgam of soul, light jazz, and Caribbean rhythms never enjoyed commercial success commensurate with the esteem afforded him by critics and peers alike. Born Lucien Harrigan on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands on January 8, 1942, he grew up on the neighboring island of St. Thomas. An ardent fan of Nat King Cole, as a teen he played bass in Rico and the Rhythmaires, a group led by his father, Eric. In the mid-'60s he relocated to upstate New York, recording commercial jingles and performing at parties, weddings, and bar mitzvahs. At one such gig he captured the attention of RCA exec Ernie Alshulter, and the label soon extended a contract offer. Renaming himself Jon Lucien, the singer was also a gifted songwriter, but RCA limited his contributions to his 1970 debut, I Am Now, to just one original, instead insisting he record a series of jazz and pop standards: "The record company was attempting to package me as a sort of 'Black Sinatra,'" Lucien recalled decades later. "Once the white women started to swoon at my performances, their attitudes quickly changed." Three years in the making, the follow-up, Rashida, consisted solely of Lucien originals. Both the title cut and the bossa nova-inspired single "Lady Love" found some favor with U.S. radio, and the record also earned rapturous critical notice, even earning arranger Dave Grusin a Grammy nomination.
While 1974's Mind's Eye seemed to position Lucien on the cusp of a commercial breakthrough, a move to Columbia for the follow-up, Song for My Lady, conspired to upset his momentum, and in the wake of 1976's Premonition, the label terminated his contract. Lucien resurfaced later that year on jazz-rock bassist Alphonso Johnson's Yesterday's Dreams, and in 1978 he also guested on fusion supergroup Weather Report's Mr. Gone. Only in 1982 did he resume his solo career with the Precision label release Romantico. "My frustration stemmed from being asked to be a hit-maker...do disco, country...whatever it takes to sell millions," he later said. "I struggled for the executives to understand my music." Lucien also suffered personal tragedy in 1980 when his young daughter Zeudi Jacira drowned. He spent much of the decade to follow battling drug addiction, and during the mid-'80s returned to the Virgin Islands, ultimately settling in Puerto Rico. With his 1991 comeback album Listen Love, he found a home on quiet storm radio playlists. 1993's Mother Nature's Son was also well-received at contemporary jazz outlets, but he faced another crushing blow in 1996 when his daughter Dalila was killed aboard TWA flight 800, which crashed off the coast of Long Island. (The 1997 album Endless Is Love is dedicated to her memory.) In subsequent years, Lucien put aside his differences with the recording industry once and for all by founding his own label, Sugar Apple Music. Health problems plagued him, however, and he died of respiratory failure in Orlando, Florida, on August 18, 2007.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
Discografia
14 álbum(ns) • Ordenado por Mais vendidos
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Rashida (Expanded Edition)
Pop - Lançado por RCA - Legacy em 01/02/1973
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of
Soul - Lançado por RCA Camden em 12/04/1999
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Am Now (Expanded Edition)
R&B - Lançado por RCA - Legacy em 01/02/1970
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mind's Eye
Soul - Lançado por Legacy Recordings em 23/04/1974
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Song For My Lady
Jazz - Lançado por Legacy Recordings em 10/08/1975
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Listen Love
R&B - Lançado por Mercury Records em 01/01/1991
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Endless Is Love
Blues - Lançado por Shanachie em 22/04/1997
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Mother Nature's Son
R&B - Lançado por Mercury Records em 01/01/1993
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lucien Romantico
Lounge - Lançado por Sugar Apple Music Group, Ltd em 01/01/2001
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live in NYC
Jazz - Lançado por Sugar Apple Music Group em 10/08/2004
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Wayfarer-Songs of Praise
Miscellaneous - Lançado por Sugar Apple Music em 01/01/2008
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Man From Paradise
Jazz - Lançado por Sugar Apple em 01/01/2002
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Woman On Fire:Mujer Ardiente
Latin America - Lançado por Afrasia Productions em 07/11/2006
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo