Lucky Oceans
Encyclopedia
Lucky Oceans is a pedal steel guitarist and a former member of Country/Western Swing
band Asleep at the Wheel
. He is now a broadcaster in Perth, Western Australia
with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
His presence on the local music scene stretches from his early music to being a member of local group the Zydecats.
on April 21, 1951 to Eugene (a salesman at an aluminium fabricating company) and Phyllis (a drama teacher). Three out of their four children are all musicians, with Avery specialising in early music for the recorder (based in Milan
), Anne
a modern composer and improviser on keyboards (based in New York) and Josh Gosfield a visual artist, who does a lot of music connected work: cover art and video art direction.
In 1977 he met a young Australian photographer from 'The Boston Globe
', Christine Haddow, whom he married in 1979 and had a daughter, Leela.
and Oceans co-founded Asleep at the Wheel
in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and soon after they found themselves opening for Alice Cooper
and Hot Tuna
in Washington, DC. A year later, they moved to East Oakland, California at the invitation of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
. After being mentioned in Rolling Stone
magazine by Van Morrison
, they landed a record deal with United Artists
. In 1973, their debut album, Comin' Right At Ya was released by United Artists. At the request of Willie Nelson
, they left Oakland and moved to Austin, Texas
in 1974.
In 1974, they released their second album, Asleep at the Wheel with a cover of Louis Jordan
's "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
", which was their first single to hit the country charts. The following year saw the release of Texas Gold as the group's third album with the top-ten Country hit single The Letter that Johnny Walker Read
. In addition, they played on PBS's Austin City Limits
, where they have since performed a record-setting ten times. The band released their next album, Wheelin' and Dealin in 1976 with their cover version of the classic "Route 66" garnered a Grammy nomination. In 1977, the band was voted Best Country Western Band by Rolling Stone Magazine and was awarded the Touring Band of the Year by the Academy of Country Music
. They also went on tour with Emmylou Harris
in Europe. The following year, they made a cover of Count Basie
's song "One O'Clock Jump
". Also in 1978, they appeared in the movie Roadie, along with Meat Loaf
, Blondie
and Art Carney
. By the end of the decade, the band recorded their first live album Served Live at the Austin Opera House.
As member of the Asleep at the Wheel he won the Grammy Award
for the 'Best Country Instrumental' in 1978 for the band's remake of Count Basie
's "One O'clock Jump
".
On his arrival in Australia, Oceans became a member of Jim Fisher’s band Outlaws, later joining Anna Gare
in Nansing and the Jam Tarts, before finally uniting with guitarist Kent ‘Beast’ Hughes (Steve Tallis) to form the band, Dude Ranch in 1987. Oceans and Hughes were joined by Richard Danker on bass, Gary France on drums and Peter Busher on guitars and vocals.
His current band Zydecats was formed in 1993 a few years after he began playing the button-accordion. The Zydecats started when Lucky approached Bill Rogers (vocals, saxphone and harmonica) to play some Zydeco
together with fellow Dude Ranch member, Hughes. Their idea was to combine Zydeco with 'Cat' music - swing, jump blues
and rockabilly
, plus any other style that suited the line-up, including rock and roll
, country blues
, soul
, R&B
, Cajun
and New Orleans R&B. They were initially joined by France (Dude Ranch) during the formative stages and first few gigs but France was replaced by Evan Jenkins (a graduate from the Edith Cowan University
jazz course). Jenkins and fellow ECU graduate, Paul Binns, were the Zydecats' rhythm section for the first year, but were eventually replaced by Konrad Park and Ben Franz. Park was later replaced by drummer, Ric Eastman, whilst Franz was replaced by Graeme Bell on bass.
In 1993 he won a second Grammy Award ('Best Country Performance by a Duo') with Asleep at the Wheel for the band's collaboration with Lyle Lovett
on "Blues for Dixie" from the 1993 album A Tribute to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.
Lucky was inducted into the WAMi ‘Rock n’ Roll of Renown’ in 1994 and thus into the WAM Hall of Fame in 2004.
In 1995, despite having had no previous experience, Lucky began work as presenter for the daily radio show ‘The Planet’, on Radio National
, which features an eclectic mix of music from around the world, and is the only daily Perth-based radio program that broadcasts nationally. In 2001, he presented a six episode spin-off TV series of the same name on ABC TV
, in which he played a significant creative role due to his vast knowledge of international music; knowledge which he also shares as co-ordinator of the World Music Cultures course at the University of Western Australia
.
, a rare disorder with no known cause that affects the nervous system. He was admitted to the Abington
Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania
, where he began treatment. In an email to his colleagues Oceans advised:
In March 2009 Lucky posted a story of the sickness and recovery on the ABC website including links and details for the curious about Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
band Asleep at the Wheel
Asleep at the Wheel
Asleep at the Wheel is a American country music group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, but based in Austin, Texas. Altogether, they have won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception. In their career, they have released more than twenty studio albums, and have charted more than twenty...
. He is now a broadcaster in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
His presence on the local music scene stretches from his early music to being a member of local group the Zydecats.
Early life
Oceans was born Reuben Gosfield in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
on April 21, 1951 to Eugene (a salesman at an aluminium fabricating company) and Phyllis (a drama teacher). Three out of their four children are all musicians, with Avery specialising in early music for the recorder (based in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
), Anne
Annie Gosfield
Annie Gosfield is a New York composer who specializes in using detuned or out of tune samples and industrial noises. Her work often contains improvisation and frequently uses extended techniques and/or altered musical instruments...
a modern composer and improviser on keyboards (based in New York) and Josh Gosfield a visual artist, who does a lot of music connected work: cover art and video art direction.
In 1977 he met a young Australian photographer from 'The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
', Christine Haddow, whom he married in 1979 and had a daughter, Leela.
Asleep at the Wheel
In 1969, Ray BensonRay Benson
Ray Benson is the front man of the Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel.In 1970, Benson, a Jewish native of Philadelphia, formed Asleep at the Wheel with friends Lucky Oceans and Leroy Preston. The group relocated to Austin in 1973 after a suggestion from Willie Nelson .Since then, the group has...
and Oceans co-founded Asleep at the Wheel
Asleep at the Wheel
Asleep at the Wheel is a American country music group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, but based in Austin, Texas. Altogether, they have won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception. In their career, they have released more than twenty studio albums, and have charted more than twenty...
in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and soon after they found themselves opening for Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
and Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna is an American blues-rock band formed by bassist Jack Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen as a spin-off of Jefferson Airplane. It plays acoustic and electric versions of original and traditional blues songs.- Jefferson Airplane side project :...
in Washington, DC. A year later, they moved to East Oakland, California at the invitation of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen is an American country rock band founded in 1967. Core members included founder George Frayne, John Tichy, Billy C. Farlow, Bill Kirchen, Andy Stein, Paul "Buffalo" Bruce Barlow, Lance Dickerson, and Bobby Black....
. After being mentioned in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine by Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, they landed a record deal with United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
. In 1973, their debut album, Comin' Right At Ya was released by United Artists. At the request of Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, they left Oakland and moved to Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
in 1974.
In 1974, they released their second album, Asleep at the Wheel with a cover of Louis Jordan
Louis Jordan
Louis Thomas Jordan was a pioneering American jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician, songwriter and bandleader who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "The King of the Jukebox", Jordan was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the...
's "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
"Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" is a popular song first recorded in January 1946 by Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five. It topped the R&B charts for 18 weeks from August 1946, a record only equalled by one other hit, "The Honeydripper"...
", which was their first single to hit the country charts. The following year saw the release of Texas Gold as the group's third album with the top-ten Country hit single The Letter that Johnny Walker Read
The Letter That Johnny Walker Read
" Letter That Johnny Walker Read" is the title of song written and recorded by the American country music band Asleep at the Wheel. It was released in August 1975 as the lead single from their album Texas Gold. The song's title is a reference to the Johnnie Walker "Red Label" Scotch whisky...
. In addition, they played on PBS's Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits is an American public television music program recorded live in Austin, Texas by Public Broadcasting Service Public television member station KLRU, and broadcast on many PBS stations around the United States...
, where they have since performed a record-setting ten times. The band released their next album, Wheelin' and Dealin in 1976 with their cover version of the classic "Route 66" garnered a Grammy nomination. In 1977, the band was voted Best Country Western Band by Rolling Stone Magazine and was awarded the Touring Band of the Year by the Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
. They also went on tour with Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
in Europe. The following year, they made a cover of Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
's song "One O'Clock Jump
One O'Clock Jump
"One O'Clock Jump" is a jazz standard, a 12-bar blues instrumental, written in 1937 by Count Basie, with arrangement from Eddie Durham and Buster Smith. The original recording of the tune by Basie and his band is noted for the saxophone work of Herschel Evans and Lester Young; trumpeting by Buck...
". Also in 1978, they appeared in the movie Roadie, along with Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
, Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
and Art Carney
Art Carney
Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney was an American actor in film, stage, television and radio. He is best known for playing Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in the situation comedy The Honeymooners....
. By the end of the decade, the band recorded their first live album Served Live at the Austin Opera House.
As member of the Asleep at the Wheel he won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for the 'Best Country Instrumental' in 1978 for the band's remake of Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
's "One O'clock Jump
One o'Clock Jump
One O'Clock Jump is a 1957 album by Joe Williams, with the Count Basie Orchestra. Ella Fitzgerald is featured in duet with Williams on the first track....
".
Australian career
In 1980 he moved to his wife's hometown of Fremantle, Western AustraliaFremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
On his arrival in Australia, Oceans became a member of Jim Fisher’s band Outlaws, later joining Anna Gare
Anna Gare
Anna Gare is an Australian musician and television personality. She is one of four judges on Channel Ten's reality television program, Junior MasterChef Australia, although she is neither a formally trained chef nor trained cook.-Biography:...
in Nansing and the Jam Tarts, before finally uniting with guitarist Kent ‘Beast’ Hughes (Steve Tallis) to form the band, Dude Ranch in 1987. Oceans and Hughes were joined by Richard Danker on bass, Gary France on drums and Peter Busher on guitars and vocals.
His current band Zydecats was formed in 1993 a few years after he began playing the button-accordion. The Zydecats started when Lucky approached Bill Rogers (vocals, saxphone and harmonica) to play some Zydeco
Zydeco
Zydeco is a form of uniquely American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of "la la" Creole music...
together with fellow Dude Ranch member, Hughes. Their idea was to combine Zydeco with 'Cat' music - swing, jump blues
Jump blues
Jump blues is an up-tempo blues usually played by small groups and featuring horns. It was very popular in the 1940s, and the movement was a precursor to the arrival of rhythm and blues and rock and roll...
and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, plus any other style that suited the line-up, including rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, country blues
Country blues
Country blues is a general term that refers to all the acoustic, mainly guitar-driven forms of the blues. It often incorporated elements of rural gospel, ragtime, hillbilly, and dixieland jazz...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, Cajun
Cajun music
Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin...
and New Orleans R&B. They were initially joined by France (Dude Ranch) during the formative stages and first few gigs but France was replaced by Evan Jenkins (a graduate from the Edith Cowan University
Edith Cowan University
Edith Cowan University is located in Perth, Western Australia. It was named after the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Australian university named after a woman....
jazz course). Jenkins and fellow ECU graduate, Paul Binns, were the Zydecats' rhythm section for the first year, but were eventually replaced by Konrad Park and Ben Franz. Park was later replaced by drummer, Ric Eastman, whilst Franz was replaced by Graeme Bell on bass.
In 1993 he won a second Grammy Award ('Best Country Performance by a Duo') with Asleep at the Wheel for the band's collaboration with Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...
on "Blues for Dixie" from the 1993 album A Tribute to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.
Lucky was inducted into the WAMi ‘Rock n’ Roll of Renown’ in 1994 and thus into the WAM Hall of Fame in 2004.
In 1995, despite having had no previous experience, Lucky began work as presenter for the daily radio show ‘The Planet’, on Radio National
Radio National
ABC Radio National is an Australia-wide non-commercial radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Radio National broadcasts national programming in areas that include news and current affairs, the arts, social issues, science, drama and comedy...
, which features an eclectic mix of music from around the world, and is the only daily Perth-based radio program that broadcasts nationally. In 2001, he presented a six episode spin-off TV series of the same name on ABC TV
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
, in which he played a significant creative role due to his vast knowledge of international music; knowledge which he also shares as co-ordinator of the World Music Cultures course at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
.
Guillain-Barre Syndrome
In October 2008 Oceans was placed in critical care in the United States after coming down with a rare and debilitating nerve condition. Oceans, whilst visiting family, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre SyndromeGuillain-Barré syndrome
Guillain–Barré syndrome , sometimes called Landry's paralysis, is an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy , a disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system. Ascending paralysis, weakness beginning in the feet and hands and migrating towards the trunk, is the most typical symptom...
, a rare disorder with no known cause that affects the nervous system. He was admitted to the Abington
Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Abington Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 55,310 in as of the 2010 census.Abington Township is one of Montgomery County's oldest communities dating back to before 1700 and being incorporated in 1704. It is home to some of the county's...
Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, where he began treatment. In an email to his colleagues Oceans advised:
In March 2009 Lucky posted a story of the sickness and recovery on the ABC website including links and details for the curious about Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
Asleep at the Wheel
- Comin' right at ya! - United ArtistsUnited ArtistsUnited Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
(1973) - Asleep at the Wheel - EpicEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
(1974) - Texas Gold - CapitolCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
(1975) - Wheelin' and Dealin - Capitol (1976)
- The Wheel - Capitol (1977)
- Served Live - Capitol (1979)
- Tribute to the music of Bob Wills - Capitol (1993)
- Back to the future now - Live in Las Vegas - ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
(1995)
Solo
- Lucky Steels the Wheel - Independent (1982)
- Secret Steel - Head Records (2005)
Contributions
- Amateur Night in the Big TopAmateur Night in the Big TopThe NME said "It's genius. His talent is akin to Eminem. He's a great chronicler of down and dirty street life".Uncut said "It's terrifying, exhilarating stuff. Another wildly implausible Ryder comeback. Just when we needed one. Embrace his soul vision".Ministry of Sound said "A remarkable album...
(2003) - contributed pedal steel and accordion to Shaun RyderShaun RyderShaun William Ryder, aka X, is an English musician, occasional newspaper columnist, actor, author, singer-songwriter and television personality, best known as lead singer for Happy Mondays and Black Grape – and more recently as the runner-up of the 2010 version of the British TV Show I'm a...
's first solo release. - Dirt MusicDirt MusicDirt Music by Tim Winton is a Booker prize shortlisted novel from 2001 and winner of the 2002 Miles Franklin Award. The harsh, unyielding climate of Western Australia dominates the actions and events of this thriller.-Plot summary:...
(in collaboration with Tim WintonTim WintonTimothy John "Tim" Winton , is an Australian novelist and short story writer.-Life:Winton was born in Perth, Western Australia, but moved at a young age to the regional city of Albany....
) - ABC Music (2001) - Tognolini, Barry.(1992) Now and then sound recording.AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
: Columbia, Columbia: 472384 2. Barry Tognolini, pianist and arranger; Sara Macliver, vocalist (3rd and 13th works); Simon Styles, saxophone (1st work); Lucky Oceans, pedal steel and dobro guitar (12th work)