Nick Lucas
b. 22 August 1897, Newark, New Jersey, USA, d. 28 July 1982. Lucas was a vocalist/guitarist/banjoist whose easy-going style made him a massive record seller in the late '20s and early '30s. Initially in vaudeville, he played clubs before becoming banjoist with the Dan Russo- Ted Fio Rito Oriole Orchestra in the early '20s and was known as the Singing Troubador. Lucas signed to Brunswick and had his first hit with My Best Girl in 1925. This was followed by a string of best-sellers through to 1931, including Brown Eyes Why Are You Blue, I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover, Tiptoe Through The Tulips and Painting The Clouds With Sunshine. He appeared in the Broadway musical SHOWGIRL in 1929 along with Ruby Keeler, Jimmy Durante and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. That same year he featured in two early ‘talkies’ Gold Diggers Of Broadway and SHOW OF SHOWS. During the '30s he settled in Hollywood making movie shorts and playing clubs. In 1934, he headed a dance band for a while and by 1937 was resident on the Al Pearce radio show. He became inactive in the '50s and '60s apart from the occasional one-off show, but Tiny Tim's late '60s version of Tiptoe Through The Tulips rekindled interest in Lucas and in 1974 he sang on the soundtrack of the film THE GREAT GATSBY.