| Robert Lucas | |
| Birth Date: | 25 July 1962 |
| Genre: | Blues |
| Occupation: | Musician |
| Past Member Of: | Bernie Pearl, Luke and the Locomotives, The Confessors, Canned Heat |
Robert Lucas (July 25, 1962 – November 23, 2008) was an American blues musician, singer, guitarist and harmonica player, who became the front man for the group Canned Heat in the mid-1990s and was also a solo artist.
Lucas came from a middle-class family, and grew up in Long Beach, California. He took up harmonica at the age of 13. At around 16 he started playing slide-guitar.[1] [2] While at school in the 1970s, he wasn't into the pop music of the day. He preferred the older blues records.[3]
Lucas joined Bernie Pearl's band as a harmonica player after taking lessons from him. Some of the artists that he backed up as a harmonica player included Big Joe Turner, George "Harmonica" Smith, Pee Wee Crayton, Lowell Fulson, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, and Percy Mayfield. In 1986, he formed the band Luke & The Locomotives.[4] In 1992, he played shows in the UK in support of his AudioQuest album Built For Comfort. His backing musicians were: Rick Lacey (drums), Ian Edmundson (bass), and Gary Burnett (guitar). In 1993, he was one of the many acts scheduled to play at the Orange County Blues Festival.[5] In 1994, he joined Canned Heat and fronted the band.[6] He played on their 1999 album Boogie 2000.[7] In 2000, he left for a solo career, but by 2005, he had rejoined the band.[8]
Lucas died from what appeared to be a drug overdose at a friends place in Long Beach, California. He was 46 years of age.[9]