Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) and gave work to a number of musicians who later became influential at the dawn of the rock and roll era. He was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1986.

Early career

Millinder was born Lucius Venables He took the surname Millinder as a child,

Later years

By 1952, Millinder began working as a radio DJ. He continued touring with his band, but his style was falling out of favor, and the band's history of many personnel changes began to affect its sound. In 1954, he took over the leadership of the house band at the Apollo Theater for a while. He effectively retired from performing around 1955, although his final recordings were in 1960.

He became active in music publishing and in public relations for a whiskey distillery. He died of a liver ailment in New York City in September 1966.

Selected discography

LP compilations

  • Lucky Millinder / Cab Calloway – Awful Natural (1949) (RCA – PM 42030, 1977)
  • Lucky Days 1941–1945 (MCA 1319, 1980)
  • Let It Roll (MCA 1357, 1982)
  • Shorty's Got to Go (Juke Box Lil 609, 1984)
  • Let It Roll Again (Jukebox Lil 613, 1986)
  • Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra, Sister Rosetta Tharpe – The Uncollected Lucky Millinder, 1942 (Hindsight Records HSR-233, 1986)

CD compilations

Every recording (all Decca, RCA Victor, and King) by Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra is included in this four-volume series from the Classics reissue label.

  • The Chronological Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra 1941–1942 (Classics 712, 1993)
  • The Chronological Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra 1943–1947 (Classics 1026, 1998)
  • The Chronological Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra 1947–1950 (Classics 1173, 2001)
  • The Chronological Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra 1951–1960 (Classics 1460, 2008)
  • Apollo Jump (Proper PVCD-115, 2002), 2-CD set
  • Jukebox Hits 1942–1951 (Acrobat ACMCD-4029, 2005)
  • The Very Best of Lucky Millinder (all King recordings) (Collectables COL-2898, 2005)

Preservation

Performances of Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra were preserved and restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive from 16mm prints. Restoration funding was provided by a grant from the GRAMMY Museum®. The restoration had its world premiere at the 2024 UCLA Festival of Preservation.

References

  • Career overview
  • Detailed history of mid career Archived: [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303202143/https://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar41/luckym.html]
  • "Lucky Millinder: Big Band Rhythm & Blues" by Music Librarian Christopher Popa
  • Official website of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame