Nick Lucas and guitar (1929)

Nick Lucas and guitar 1929.
In July, 1922 Nick Lucas cut two original sides for Pathe, "Picking The Guitar" and "Teasing The Frets." With these sides Nick Lucas also cut a path for generations of guitarist to come. These were the first solo jazz guitar instrumentals recorded. Without a doubt this had to be an influence on banjoists such as Eddie Lang, and also an inspiration for him to trade the banjo in for a guitar. Eddie Lang would later elaborate on Lucas' fast bass runs and be remembered as being the father of jazz guitar, this makes Nick Lucas the Grandfather of jazz guitar.

Nick Lucas was the first to trade his banjo and replace it with guitar in the big name orchestras of the day. It took a few years for Nick's contemporaries to emulate him on the instrument. While these great guitarists were grinding their axes and become mostly sidemen, Lucas was looking past and beyond just being cast as an accompanist.

His recording career spanned from test cylinders for Thomas Edison in 1912 to the stereophonic age in 1980, with total disc sales in excess of 80 million copies. It is doubtful that anyone in popular music had a longer recording career, one that spanned seven decades.

It is important to remember that, though the height of his popularity came in the late 1920's, Nick Lucas' style was set by the time he moved to Chicago in 1922. Before electrical recording, before Louis Armstrong ever found his way into a recording studio, Nick Lucas had found his voice, and used it in much the same way for sixty years.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Nick
• Lucas
• and
• guitar
• 1929
• Tony
• Rice
• Eddie
• Lang
• Lonnie
• Johnson
• Django

[motorwawt]

I thought I was the only nick lucas superfan in the world... phew!

[Panufo]

He seems to be tuned up a whole step: F#-B-E-A-C#-F#. Weird, considering how heavy strings were in those days...

[kingoliver45]

Nick Lucas was a master of sweet music like this, but don't forget he could really swing too!

[longjonwhite]

I only came to see what a "Nick Lucas" Gibson model was about...( One for sale on ebay )

No bloody wonder I'd never heard of him, I'm ancient (60). But not this old!! NICE Playing all the same . Shame on me for my ignorance... Always something new to discover on you tube, ta.

[paul29671]

For some hot guitar playing in this vein, listen to Eddie Lang with Lonnie Johnson! (in fact, anything with Lonnie Johnson!)

[marguitar1]

@Panufo Thanks! And I heard that, I love the Beatles!

[Panufo]

@marguitar1 Eddie Lang seems to be among the 1st to solo on jazz guitar. I'm wayyyy more knowledgable about, say, the Beatles . . .

[marguitar1]

@Panufo This guy seems to be interesting. Do you know of any other jazz guitarists from the 20's? I'm interested in that style of playing.

[yago2br]

he has a delicious voice :)

[HexSpa]

@ClearColorCloud Exactly. I commented this too. 

[HexSpa]

@Panufo Often, old recordings are not reproduced in the key they were recorded. Don't ask me how this is possible but there are jazz recordings cut even after this video that suffer from the same problem. So the truth is that discerning the true tuning of that instrument cannot be done by listening alone.

[steinsteel]

@motorwawt No Sir