Lucien Leopold Harrigan (January 8, 1942 – August 18, 2007), known professionally as Jon Lucien, was a singer from
Tortola
Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...
in the
British Virgin Islands
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = Territorial song
, song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands"
, image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg
, map_caption =
, mapsize = 290px
, image_map2 = Brit ...
. His parents were Eric "Rico" Lucien Harrigan and Eloise Turnbull Harrigan of Tortolan families. His father was a musician whose main instrument was a three-coursed Latin guitar-like
chordophone
String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner.
Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the st ...
known as a
Tres
Tres may refer to:
* Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument
* Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy
* "Tres" (song) by Juanes
* "Tres", a song by Líbido from their album ''Hembra''
* TrES, the ''Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey''
* Templi ...
.
Life and career
Born in
Tortola
Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...
in 1942, Lucien was raised in
St. Thomas. As a teenager, he played bass in his father's band. During the 1960s he moved to New York City.
While performing at a party, he was discovered by an executive from RCA, which released his debut album (''I Am Now'', 1970) of pop and jazz standards.
Lucien said the label attempted to market him as a "black Sinatra". His second album, ''Rashida'', contained only songs written by Lucien, with "Lady Love" receiving radio airplay.
Dave Grusin
Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...
received a Grammy Award nomination for his arrangements.
He recorded two albums for Columbia before making guest appearances on ''
Yesterday's Dreams'' by
Alphonso Johnson
Alphonso Johnson (born February 2, 1951) is an American jazz bassist active since the early 1970s. Johnson was a member of the jazz fusion group Weather Report from 1973 to 1975, and has performed and recorded with numerous high-profile rock and ...
and ''
Mr. Gone'' by
Weather Report
Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian virtuoso keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer and vocali ...
.
His daughter drowned in 1980, and he spent much of the decade struggling with drug addiction. He returned to music with the albums ''Listen Love'' (Mercury, 1991) and ''Mother Nature's Son'' (Mercury, 1993).
Another daughter died tragically, in the crash of
TWA Flight 800
Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA800) was a Boeing 747-100 that exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at about 8:31pm. Eastern Daylight Time, EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. K ...
, and Lucien dedicated his album ''Endless Love'' (1997) to her.
He died of respiratory failure in Orlando, Florida, on August 18, 2007.
Discography
* ''I Am Now'' (RCA, 1970)
* ''Rashida'' (RCA, 1973)
* ''Mind's Eye'' (RCA, 1974)
* ''Song for My Lady'' (Columbia, 1975)
* ''Premonition'' (Columbia, 1976)
* ''Romantico'' (Precision, 1980)
* ''
Inside Moves
''Inside Moves'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by Richard Donner. The film is based on the book of the same name by Todd Walton, with a script by then writing duo Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson.
Plot
After a suicide attempt leave ...
'' as featured vocalist (Elektra Records,1984)
* ''Listen Love'' (Mercury, 1991)
* ''Mother Nature's Son'' (Mercury, 1993)
* ''Endless Is Love'' (Shanachie, 1997)
* ''By Request'' (Shanachie, 1999)
* ''Precious Is Love'' (Love Arts, 1999)
* ''Man from Paradise'' (Sugar Apple Music, 2002)
* ''Live in NYC'' (Sugar Apple Music, 2003)
* ''A Time for Love'' (Sugar Apple Music, 2004)
* ''The Wayfarer'' (Sugar Apple Music, 2008)
References
Further reading
*''Notable Caribbeans and Caribbean Americans: A Biographical Dictionary'', by Serafín Méndez-Méndez and Gail A. Cueto. Greenwood Press, 2003.
External links
Jon Lucien Dies at age 65Jazz Singer Jon Lucien Dies At 65, Baritone Was Known For Soulful, Sultry Ballads - The ShowBuzz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucien, Jon
1942 births
2007 deaths
People from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
20th-century American singers
20th-century British musicians
American jazz singers
British Virgin Islands emigrants to the United States
British Virgin Islands musicians
British Virgin Islands singers
Soul-jazz vocalists
United States Virgin Islands musicians
GRP Records artists
People from Tortola