Matt Lucas (born July 19, 1935) is an American

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

, and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

singer, drummer and songwriter. He is best known for his "rocked-up" version of the

Hank Snow Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian country music guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' country charts betw ...

country classic "I'm Movin' On". He was inducted into the

Rockabilly Hall of Fame The original Rockabilly Hall of Fame was an organization and website launched on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relating to the artists and personalities involved in rockabilly. Headquartered in Nashville ...

in 1999, the International Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2004 and

the Southern Legends Entertainment & Performing Arts Hall of Fame The Southern Legends Association along with its subsidiaries is a diversified non-profit entertainment company with operations in four business segments, Hall of Fame inductions, artist promotions, musical recordings and various entertainment oper ...

in 2005.

Early life

Born on July 19, 1935, in the General Hospital in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, he grew up in

Poplar Bluff, Missouri Poplar Bluff is a city in Butler County, Missouri, Butler County in southeastern Missouri, United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. The population was 16,225 at the 2020 ...

. At the age of seven, he discovered he was adopted when he found his adoption papers and a letter dated September 6, 1935 signed by the Assistant Superintendent Tennessee Children's Home Society Shelby County Branch.Blue Suede News #54, Spring 2001, Page 28 His father worked for a theater chain in Poplar Bluff, which had three theaters: The Criterion, The Jewel, The Strand, and later The Rogers Theater. This gave him an opportunity to go to the movies for free. Watching MGM musicals along with attending church services turned him on to music. At Mark Twain School, he played

maracas A maraca ( , , ), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas, also known as tamaracas, were rattles of d ...

in The Mark Twain Rhythm Band, and the

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

soon became his passion. One of his favorite musicians at the time was

Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. Krupa is widely regarded as one of the most influential drummers in the history of popular music. His drum solo on Benny Goodman ...

, who he greatly admired for his solos and showmanship.

Musical influences

The first band he played with was the Ray Chilton Band, which featured five saxophones, an upright bass, a piano and drums and included Don (Chan), Glenn, Ray and Bill Chilton. At night, he listened to the

big bands A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

from

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

on the radio and pictured himself in those bigger cities. Several times, he tried to run away from

to pursue his dreams of becoming a great

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musician and at age 14, he got into serious trouble when he took a cement mixer truck to run away from home. He was declared a

juvenile delinquent Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior younger than the statutory age of majority. These acts would be considered crimes if the individuals committing them were older. The term ...

and sentenced to a term in the Missouri Reformatory in

Boonville, Missouri Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the American Civil War, Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeat ...

.Rockville International, October 2000 After 14 months, he returned home and went back to his musician friends in the black section of Poplar Buff, known as "The Holler". He drank, talked music, and sat in with some of the bands. As soon as he was off parole, he tried his luck in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where his musical taste was influenced by frequent visits to Dolphin's Of Hollywood, a record shop which would become world-famous in

Doo-Wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

circles. The shop, located in

Watts, Los Angeles Watts is a neighborhood in southern Los Angeles, California. It is located within the South Los Angeles region, bordering the cities of Lynwood, Huntington Park and South Gate to the east and southeast, respectively, and the unincorporated co ...

, on the corner of Vernon and Central, featured a deejay by the name of Dick Hugg, nicknamed "Huggie Boy." He played records such as "Gee" by

The Crows The Crows were an American R&B vocal group formed in 1951. They achieved commercial success and popularity during the 1950s with their debut single and only hit, " Gee". The single, released in June 1953, has been credited with being the first ...

, "You're The One” by The Spiders, "Shake a Hand" by

Faye Adams Faye Adams (born Fanny Tuell, May 22, 1923), who also performed under the stage names Faye Scruggs and Fannie Jones, is an American former singer who recorded and performed gospel and rhythm and blues. She had several chart hits in the early 19 ...

, and "Money Honey" by

Clyde McPhatter Clyde Lensley McPhatter (November 15, 1932 – June 13, 1972) was an American rhythm and blues, soul, and rock and roll singer. He was one of the most widely imitated R&B singers of the 1950s and early 1960sPalmer, Robert (1981)"Roy Brown, a Pio ...

Rock and Roll

In 1955, when Rock & Roll began, he went back to Poplar Bluff where people immediately started ridiculing him due to his love for black music. He decided to move to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, where he worked bars and night clubs including a stint at The Bamboo Key Club in

East St. Louis, Illinois East St. Louis, also known as ESTL, is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. It is directly across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis, Missouri, and the Gateway Arch National Park. East St. Louis is in the Metro East ...

, where

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

was the house band. His next stop was The Bar X in

Calumet City, Illinois Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History Calumet City (commonly referred to locally as "Cal City") was founded in 1893 ...

, a suburb of Chicago notorious for gangster activity. He worked from 8 at night until 5 or 6 in the morning playing backup for

strippers A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events. Modern forms of stripping m ...

and singing blues tunes he made up as he went along. After a few months he moved back to southeast Missouri where he started playing a variety of jobs in jazz trios, country bands and rock & roll bands. In July 1956, while playing a gig at the El Morocco Club in Gideon, Missouri, he met a local singer by the name of

Narvel Felts Albert Narvel Felts (born November 11, 1938) is an American country music and rockabilly singer. Known for his soaring tenor and high falsetto, Felts enjoyed his greatest success during the 1970s, most famously 1975's "Reconsider Me". Career H ...

who had started to build himself a reputation as an

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Presley's sexuall ...

-type rocker. In late 1956, they ended up in the same band when Jerry Mercer, leader of the band for which Felts sang, fired drummer Bob Taylor and Felts recommended Lucas for the job. In 1959, he met up with Narvel Felts again when he was asked to audition for a new trio that Narvel was about to form after the breakup of his "Narvel Felts and The Rockets" band. His experience in drumming in a wide variety of musical styles landed him the job and he started in 1960 as the drummer for the Narvel Felts Trio, which also featured J.W. Grubbs on stand-up bass and Narvel Felts on lead guitar. The Narvel Felts Trio played across the Missouri/Arkansas/Illinois area from real dives like the Starlight in

Lepanto, Arkansas Lepanto is a city in Poinsett County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,893 at the 2010 Census. It is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named for the Greek seaport of Lepanto, the site ...

, to honky-tonks in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

and strip joints in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

and

Chester, Illinois Chester is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, Illinois, United States, on a bluff above the Mississippi River. The population was 7,640 at the 2020 census. It lies south of St. Louis, Missouri. History Founding Samuel Smith is s ...

.Blue Suede News #49, Winter 1999/2000, p. 27.

"I'm Movin' On"

Lucas was soon asked to sing a couple of songs during each set in order to broaden the trio's repertoire, and he reverted to the blues and R&B he had learned during his years as a drummer in the clubs of East St. Louis and

Calumet City Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History Calumet City (commonly referred to locally as "Cal City") was founded in 1893 ...

. In addition to songs like "Annie Had A Baby" and "Hoochie Coochie Man", he started playing around with Hank Snow's 1950 country hit "I'm Movin' On" changing some of the lyrics and adding lines like "wind it up baby" and "shake it for your daddy" and " I'm gonna ride that train tonight". The song became a crowd favorite and convinced him he had a potential hit on his hands. In the summer of 1961, while Narvel Felts was serving six months in the

US Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. History Origi ...

, he stayed in Memphis playing drums for

Bill Rice Wilburn Steven "Bill" Rice (April 19, 1939 – October 28, 2023) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Rice charted six singles between 1971 and 1978, including the Top 40 hit "Travelin' Minstrel Man", but is better known for his ...

and Jerry Foster as well as doing studio work. Sometime during those six months he recorded "Trading Kisses / Sweetest One" at the Fernwood Studios in Memphis with Alvy Browning on bass, Bill Rice on piano, himself on drums and Roland Janes on guitar. The latter also produced the record and released it on his Good Records label.Billy Poore, Rockabilly, A Forty Year Journey, Page 134 In late 1962, he recorded "I'm Movin' On" in the Sonic Sound Studios in Memphis, at the end of a Narvel Felts session. The song was initially released on Renay Records, a label owned by Roland Janes. The deejays loved it; the only problem was they liked the B-side "My Heavenly Angel". In an effort to kill the record, a "It's Different – It's A Hit – I'm Movin' On by Matt Lucas" stamp was applied to the sleeves and sometimes the record itself. The reaction was swift and devastating "The record is too wild and crazy and we don't want to play this nigger music on our white radio station". Eventually, he visited

WDIA WDIA (1070 AM) is a radio station based in Memphis, Tennessee. Active since 1947, it soon became the first radio station in the United States that was programmed entirely for African Americans. It featured black radio personalities; its success ...

radio, the top black radio station in Memphis at the time, where he played the record for

Rufus Thomas Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Re ...

who really liked it and added it to the stations

playlist A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player, either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs that can be played once or in a loop. ...

. A second

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

instrumental in breaking "I'm Movin' On' was Dick "Kane" Cole on

WLOK WLOK (1340 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Memphis, Tennessee, carrying a gospel music format. Owned by the Gilliam family Trade name, doing business as WLOK Radio, Inc., the station serves t ...

. The

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

on the black stations forced white stations like WHBQ WHBQ to add the song to their

too. He wanted more than a local hit in Memphis and on recommendation by

he went to the number 1 R&B radio station in the world,

WLAC WLAC (1510 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a talk radio radio format, format. The radio studio, studios are in Nashvill ...

in Nashville, Tennessee. John R., the station's top disc jockey, took one listen to the Renay single and immediately referred Matt to Zenas Sears of

WAOK WAOK (1380 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station, owned by Audacy, Inc., in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. WAOK broadcasts from studios at Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta. It is Atlanta's third-oldest continuously li ...

radio in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. Bob McKee, a disc jockey at that station, played it over the phone for a contact at

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...

in Chicago which resulted in the release on

Smash Records Smash Records was an American record label founded in 1961 as a subsidiary of Mercury Records. History Mercury Record Corporation president Irving Green announced the formation of the company’s new pop subsidiary label, Smash Records, in Ma ...

Colin Escot & Martin Hawkins (1975, 1980), Sun Records, Page 134 and a monster hit. The record sold 50,000 copies in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

alone. It was a big hit in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

as well and it was released in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

on Smash, Belinda, Philips and several other labels. In August 1963 the Belgium Teen magazine "Juke Box" listed the single as "promising" and one month later it entered the Belgium hitparade at #10. In October it moved to #8 and in November it peaked at #6. The November 1963 Juke Box Hit Parade reveals an even higher listing (#4) in the French-speaking Southern part of Belgium. All in all, it was a genuine worldwide smash pop hit. Stateside it officially peaked at 56 in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''Whitburn, Joel (1970). Billboard Top 100 1955-1969 and 45 in Cashbox but locally it was much bigger especially in the Southern markets. The Narvel Felts Trio now became the Matt Lucas Trio with Matt as the featured vocalist occupying front center stage with his drum set and Narvel Felts on lead guitar and J.W. Grubbs on bass standing behind him on the sides.

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

's "Ooby Dooby" was selected as the follow-up single. He gave the Orbison rocker the "I'm Movin' On' treatment starting it with the classic line "Hey baby this is Matt Lucas, come on out on this dance floor I want to tell you about something that is brand-new, and I made it up baby and I am doing it just for you and here it is…Hey Baby”. The record came out on

and it started off the same way as "I'm Movin' On". Radio stations were reluctant to play it and the single never attained the success of "I'm Movin' On". A second attempt at a follow-up hit involved

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

’s “Maybellene”. The recording took place at the

Roland Janes Roland E. Janes (August 20, 1933 – October 18, 2013) was an American rockabilly guitarist and record producer, who was active at Sun Records between 1956 and 1963. Biography He was born in Brookings, Clay County, Arkansas, the second youngest i ...

studio in Memphis, Tennessee with

Travis Wammack Travis Wammack (born November 1944 in Walnut, Mississippi, United States) is an American rock and roll guitarist from Memphis, Tennessee. Described as an "instrumental genius" and "a precursor to guitar-hero shredding", he is known for his "magn ...

on guitar, Jamie Isonhood, a talented

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...

type piano pumper from

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

, on keyboard and Fred Carter on bass. It was released on

DOT A dot is usually a small, round spot. Dot, DoT or DOT may also refer to: Orthography * Full stop or "period", a sentence terminator * Dot (diacritic), a mark above or below a character (e.g. ȧ, ạ, İ, Ċ, ċ, etc.), usually to indicate sou ...

Records and basically went nowhere.

Blue Eyed Soul wonder

Frustrated by the lack of success he started thinking about moving North to Canada and an offer from Harold Kudletts, the man responsible for bringing Rock & Roll to Canada, sealed the deal. The move meant the end of the Matt Lucas trio since the other members had too many roots in Southern Missouri. For his next record, he left the formula of taking an established song adding his own drum beat to it and throwing in some extra lyrics. "Turn on Your Lovelight" a Bobby Blue Bland hit from 1961 was recorded in Memphis with the same people as "Maybellene" with the organ at the end dubbed in. The record basically saw no chart action and was largely ignored by both black and white radio. In 1965, he briefly returned to the States when he was contacted by Ollie McLaughlin, producer/manager of

Del Shannon Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one ''Billboard'' hit " Runaway", which was covered la ...

Barbara Lewis Barbara Ann Lewis (born February 9, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter whose smooth style influenced rhythm and blues. Career Lewis was born in Salem Township, Washtenaw County, Michigan, Salem, Michigan, United States. She was writ ...

and later

The Capitols The Capitols were an American, Detroit, Michigan-based soul trio, widely known in 1966 for their '' Billboard'' hit single " Cool Jerk". Formation and disbandment The R&B trio formed in 1962 as "The Three Caps," with Samuel George as the le ...

. Ollie had taken a liking to him when he visited Detroit during the promotion of "I'm Movin' On” and he was asked to come up with a song to hook in on a dance craze, which was big in Detroit. The dance was called The Twine and a single by

Alvin Cash Alvin Cash (born Alvin Welch; February 15, 1939 – November 21, 1999) was an American pop singer and actor. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Cash was a graduate of St. Louis's Sumner High School (also attended by Luther Ingram, Billy Davi ...

& The Crawlers called "Twine Time" was a big hit. He wrote “The Motor City Twine” and recorded Part 1 & 2 of the song at United Sound in Detroit with the finest

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

players. The single topped the R&B charts in Detroit but remained a local hit. The second release on Karen, "Baby You Better Go-Go" was also recorded at United Sound but it failed to chart, and he moved back to

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

. (Note: the record later became a mega rare Northern Soul hit in the U.K.

Canada

Ronnie Hawkins Ronald Cornett Hawkins (January 10, 1935 – May 29, 2022) was an American rock and roll singer, long based in Canada, whose career spanned more than half a century. His career began in Arkansas, United States, where he was born and raised. He ...

added Lucas as a second drummer to his band for several one-nighters where he shared the stage with regular drummer

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for The Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Hel ...

. In the early 1970s, he started rebuilding his career with some success. In 1971, he made the cover of the prestigious ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

Magazine'' and appeared on the Pierre Burton Show, while CBC TV did a special on him called "Return of a Singer". In 1972, Gene Lees, a Canadian composer and editor of the jazz magazine

Down Beat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

, who had just started a new record label called Kanata Records, offered to cut a blues album on him and his band. Recorded at Sound Canada Studios the album, "I Paid My Dues", produced the single "I'm Movin' On" / "The Old Man" which became a double-sided hit in Canada, reaching just below the Top 20. In 1974, he returned to Ollie McLaughlin in Detroit and recorded "You've Gotta Love" backed with a song called "I'm So Thankful". Musicians on the session included

Minnie Ripperton Minnie Julia Riperton (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American soul singer and songwriter best known for her 1974 single "Lovin' You", her five-octave vocal range, and her use of the whistle register. Born in 1947, Riperton grew up ...

, Donnie Hathaway, and

Phil Upchurch Phillip Upchurch (born July 19, 1941) is an American soul music, R&B, jazz and blues guitarist and bassist. Career Upchurch started his career working with the Kool Gents, the Dells, and the Spaniels, before going on to work with Curtis Mayfiel ...

. The single was released in 1974 or 1975 on Quality Records, Canada's largest independent record company. The record became a hit in Canada, and also appeared on an album called "Disco mania" with songs by acts like

Van McCoy Van Allen Clinton McCoy (January 6, 1940 – July 6, 1979) was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and singer. He is known for his 1975 internationally successful hit " The Hustle". He has approximately 700 song copyrights to his c ...

Gloria Gaynor Gloria Fowles (born September 7, 1943), known professionally as Gloria Gaynor, is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "I Have a Right, Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), "I Am What I Am (Broadway mus ...

and

The Ohio Players ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

Caribbean

In 1975, he had a near fatal heart attack. He received an offer to go on tour with

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar "Buck" Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was the frontman for The Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on the ''Billboard'' country music chart. He pioneered what came ...

starting in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario. The same day he also received a call from Sid Rudeau in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

. Sid had

The Bellamy Brothers The Bellamy Brothers are an American pop and country music duo from Darby, Florida. The duo consists of brothers David Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950) and Homer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946). The duo had considerable musical s ...

and

Jim Stafford James Wayne Stafford (born January 16, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and comedian. While prominent in the 1970s for his recordings " Spiders & Snakes", "Swamp Witch", "Under the Scotsman's Kilt", " My Girl Bill", and " Wildw ...

and he offered him a job at the Rodeway Inn in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

. Hoping the move to a warmer climate and different surroundings would enhance his chances of making a full recovery from his heart attack, he left Canada and started spreading his brand of Rock & Roll and Blues music amongst the

cajuns The Cajuns (; Louisiana French language, French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French people, Louisiana French ethnic group, ethnicity mainly found in t ...

. After working the club circuit in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

for a while, he received a call from his agent asking him if he would be interested in playing at "Frenchmen's Reef", the number one resort hotel in St. Thomas on the

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands () are an archipelago between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Caribbean Sea, geographically forming part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, Caribbean islands or West Indie ...

. He took the offer and ended up spending a little over 2 years there working 6 nights a week. Eventually, he moved back to

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

where he had bought a home and started working hotel chains like

Holiday Inn Holiday Inn by IHG is a chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson (1913–2003), who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee. The chain was a division ...

s and Supper Clubs always working 6 nights a week. Around 1980, he accepted an offer for a job on a

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

. This turned out to be an excellent career move, as he knew how to work the crowds who took to the seas to have a good time. He re-released several albums/cassettes with titles that clearly reflect two musical personalities. There were two volumes of "The Memphis Rock & Rollin' Rock-A-Billy" filled with old rockers like "Memphis", "Blue Suede Shoes", "Don't Be Cruel" and " Breathless". Then, there were "Matt Lucas Sings for Lovers" and "Matt Lucas Sings

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

" featuring standards like "Solitude", "Caravan", "Try A Little Tenderness" and "When I Grow Too Old To Dream". (Most of this material had originally been recorded in the late 1960s). Other cruise lines started offering him engagements giving him a long steady period of employment while making good money. A few years earlier, he had fallen in love with a girl in Pittsburgh and after some arm-twisting, he convinced her to join him on the cruise lines as a tour director. Together, they worked several cruise ships out of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and

Cape Canaveral, Florida Cape Canaveral is a city in Brevard County, Florida. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne– Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,912 at the 2020 US census. History After the establishment of a lighthouse in 184 ...

. In 1990, he became Steamboat Director for the

Delta Queen ''Delta Queen'' is an American sternwheel steamboat. She is known for Cruising (maritime), cruising the major rivers that constitute the tributaries of the Mississippi River, particularly in the American South, although she began service in Ca ...

Steamboat Company, and his wife tour manager, together they cruised the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

from New Orleans to Minneapolis/St. Paul and the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

from St. Louis to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the ''

Mississippi Queen "Mississippi Queen" is a song by the American rock band Mountain. Considered a rock classic, it was their most successful single, reaching number 21 in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1970. The song is included on the group's debut album and se ...

''.

21st century

Today, he and his wife Barbara make their home in North Central Florida during the winter while summers are spent in their RV on the roads of the USA. As avid motorcyclists and RVrs they take to the roads as soon as the warmer temperatures of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

spread north to the Canada–US border. He has continued performing, starting with a trip to

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

in 2000 followed by appearances at The Rockabilly Hall of Fame Introduction Show in

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis and 130 Miles Southwest of Nashville, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population wa ...

(2000), The Hemsby Rock 'N' Roll Weekender in Hemsby, Norfolk England (2001), The Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans, Louisiana (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007), American Music Magazine Show,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

(2005) and various other small festivals. Recording wise, there were new CDs in 2001 "Shockabilly", "I'm Movin' On & Other Timeless Rockers" on Redita Records of The Netherlands and "Back In The Saddle Again" on Ten O Nine Records out of Chicago. The Redita release features all his old Rock & Roll songs as well as some interesting tracks from the sixties/seventies. "Back In The Saddle Again" features all new songs and was recorded with the

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana, United States) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also ...

on guitar and

Charlie Musselwhite Charles Douglas Musselwhite (born January 31, 1944) is an American blues harmonica player and bandleader who came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal figure in helping to revive the Chicago ...

on harmonica. One of the new songs is a new recording of his biggest hit, now titled "I'm Still Movin' On" : "It was back in 63 when the great Hank Snow inspired me to start movin' on, start rolling on.
He said they can do you no wrong, if you don't stay too long, keep moving on.
Well you know Hank now he is dead and gone, Carl Perkins and Elvis well they sang their songs,
they've all moved on, yes they've all moved on.
'But old Matt's having fun and keeps rocking along 'cause I'm still movin on."

Discography

Singles

1962 :Tradin' Kisses / Sweetest One (Good 003) 1963 :I'm Movin' On / My Heavenly Angel (Renay 304) :I'm Movin' On / My Heavenly Angel (Smash 183) :Ooby Dooby / No One Like You(Smash 1840) :Maybellene / Put Me Down (Dot 16564) 1964 :Turn On Your Lovelight / Water Moccasin (Dot 16614) 1965 :The M.C. Twine Pt 1 / The M.C. Twine Pt 2 (Karen 321) :Baby You Better Go-Go / My Tune (Karen 2524) 1972 :The Old Man / I'm Movin' On (Kanata 1008) :The Old Man / Bathtub Blues / I'm Movin' On (Kanata Kan 9) 1975 :You Gotta Love / I'm So Thankful (Quality 2129) :I Need Your Lovin' / Zoo Blues (Quality 2159) 1977 :Put Me Down / Tom Cat Blues (CJG 504) 1981 :I'm Movin' On / Maybellene (Underground 3001) 1982 :Peepin' Tom Blues / Newsman Blues (Underground 3002) 2011 :Shake It (3246) (one sided single on blue vinyl) 2012 :You Better Go Go (Made in Detroit) (one sided single)

Albums, cassettes and CDs

1968 :The Memphis Rock & Rollin' Rock-A-Billy Vol. 1 (Memphis Legends 1931) CST :The Memphis Rock & Rollin' Rock-A-Billy Vol. 2 (Memphis Legends 1932) CST 1972 :"I've Paid My Dues" (Kanata KAN 9) LP 1973 :Matt Lucas Sings Duke Ellington (All Star 1015) LP :Matt Lucas Sings For Lovers (All Star 1016) LP 1979 :The White Blues Wonder (Bluejam BJS 1001) LP 1983 :A Legend In His Time : Back With The Blues (Bluejam BJS 1002) LP (CD 401) :The Chicago Session (Congo CS 1935) LP :Sings The Hits (Bluejam 2020) LP :Ride That Train Tonight (Charly 30222) LP 2000 :Paying My Dues (Bluejam 7777) LP :Original Hits (Bluejam 7797) CD :Rockabilly 2000 Vol 1 (Bluejam CD 100) :Rockabilly 2000 Vol 2 (Bluejam CD 200) 2001 :Shockabilly 2002 :I'm Movin' On & Other Timeless Rockers (Redita 146) CD 2006 :Back In The Saddle Again (Ten-O-Nine TN8379) CD 2007 :Music To My Momma's Ears (Ronjen SKU070827) CD

References

External links

Rockabilly Hall Of Fame : Matt Lucas

Delta Boogie : Matt Lucas

Ten O Nine Records

Official Web Site {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Matt 1935 births Living people American blues singers American rhythm and blues singers American rock singers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians Celebration (record label) artists Drummers from Tennessee