Jon Lucien
January 8, 1942 – August 18, 2007
“I would say my sound is a romantic sound…it’s water…it’s ocean…it’s tranquility.”
Jon Lucien
On August 18, 2007, Jon Lucien succumbed to respiratory failure and other complications in Florida where he had been residing for the last few years. By his side were his wife Delesa and his daughter Celesa.
More than any other singer, Jon Lucien captured the essence of romance. His voice was rich and expressive, his best songs were perceptive poetic tales of devotion, trust, hope, harmony and spirituality. Three dimensional parables of love lost and love found and relationships filled with the promise of a new day. He seemed to possess an innate ability to evoke an atmosphere and create images not only through his lyrics but the colors of his music.
Born in Tortola, Jon began performing professionally at 17 in the Virgin Islands. In 1970 he released his first recording in the United States, “I Am Now” on RCA. In the 37 years since the release of his debut album, connoisseurs and assorted in-the-know types have spoken his name with the utmost hushed reverence. His seamless melding of jazz, R&B, Caribbean rhythms and Brazilian music proved to be a decisive early influence on what would be simplified and marketed as the twin formats of “quiet storm” and “smooth jazz,” although very few artists working in either format approach Lucien’s level of artistry or innovation, not to mention originality.
