The Dick Lucke Band: Still searching for their special, syncopated sound!

Richard Lucke, Multi-instrumentalist, band leader, recording artist, great grandfather, enigma.
Photo taken at Bloom Studio, Chicago. Family collection.

Dick Lucke Band photo From Duncan Scheidt's book on jazz, The Jazz State of Indiana

Dick Lucky and his Arcadians, The Dick Lucke Band, Dick Lucke and His Syncopators: I am still searching for recordings, under any of these and other possible names! The band and its several incarnations had a legendary sound which generations of Dick Lucke's descendants have heard only stories about. The Lucke Band toured vaudeville and recorded on vinyl during the 1920's and 1930's. They were associated with and recorded for Conn Instruments, and according to a June 1925 Variety magazine article found online and shown below, they also recorded at the Hollywood Record Company in 1925:

"Lucke Recording. Los Angeles, June 2, 1925. Dick Lucke and his Arcadians at the Hillstreet last week made several recordings for the Hollywood Record Co. in Hollywood. They are under contract with that concern to turn out 20 sides per year."

Hopefully soon we'll be tapping our feet to their syncopated tunes!

Dick Lucke and his Arcadians. Photo courtesy of Duncan Scheidt. 

Variety, June 1925. Found on archive.org, via the Library of Congress.
https://archive.org/details/variety79-1925-06

Gem of an article found with information about recording!

I just found this awesome article about my great grandpa and his band, with details about recording, which means I could be closer to finally hearing his music!!! The only copy known to the family was lost in a fire many years ago- my mom remembers it as jazzy, swingy dance music :)

Rockford Republic, Monday, October 22, 1923 (found on Geneologybank.com)

Here is the whole page!

My cousin initiated correspondence with Malcolm Shaw, who in turn sent us a very informative and hopeful response! 

Dear Jenny:

Thank you for your kind reply and update.  If Conn had your ggfather's band as a "house band,"there IS the possibility that they might have recorded for internal use and distribution, especially since Conn is an instrument manufacturer.  Many companies of the era in question had such bands making private recordings for local sale; some of them became more widely distributed, for example the B.F. Goodrich Silvertown Cord Orchestra, whose records were available through regular record company catalogs.

Also, the paper article refers to records and recordings... so they're out there.  It also refers to a "Steinhour's" orchestra, of Cleveland (more likely the name might be "Steinhauer," or "Steiner:" the tendency to mistranscribe "foreign" names in the era is legendary.)  The following snippet from American Dance Bands on Record and Film might conceivably be a whiff of a hint of a clue...

STEINER'S ORCHESTRA

Instrumentation and personnel unknown.                                                                Richmond IN - December 27, 1921

11038-A                One Kiss                                                                               Gnt rejected

NOTE:- Matrix 11038 (with no take suffix) had been allocated to a recording made by The Richmond High School Choir, made five days earlier.

The "Gnt" referred to is the Gennett record label operated by the Starr Piano Co. in Richmond, IN; a pioneer small business in a world of giants like Columbia, Brunswick, Victor and Edison.  They were the precursor of the independent small recording label, like Sun (Memphis) in the 50's and Motown (Detroit) in the 60's, who discovered Elvis Presley and everyone from Smokey Robinson to Aretha Franklin, respectively.  Gennett had the habit of making "discoveries" who went on to world-famous status,  usually out of the Midwest, the major name being Louis Armstrong, but also Gene Autry, Lawrence Welk and Guy Lombardo, amongst many others.  They also made many "private-label" recordings (i.e. non-commercially available records made to order in small quantities, usually 100 or less.)  Although this particular session is shown as "rejected," artists on sessions would usually receive a test pressing, which could conceivably be what your Mother remembers hearing.  If that were so, I have to shudder, since it would mean that only participants would have kept copies, which would mean...

Again; I hope your search bears fruit even beyond yesterday's news article (you don't give newspaper or date) and ask that you let me know of any further threads.  My ADBORAF authors would burst their buttons to know.  Likewise, given your interest in the era and music, I'd like to send you a complimentary set of "American Dance Bands" in the hope that it might help you in some as-yet-undreamed-of way.

Sincerely yours:

Malcolm Shaw

Rustbooks Publishing

July 15th, a follow up message:

Dear Jenny:

 

As I surmised; all the musicians in the personnel you give were "journeyman" musicians in the Chi area in the 20's and into the 30's.  You will see this in the ADBORAF index, when you get the book.  Some of the bands they played with were Arthur Lange, Russo and Fiorito's Orioles, Don Bestor and others.  They were the top dance bands of the day, so Ggpa was in swell company.  Like his band, all the above played a continuing circuit across the Midwest and were probably on tour as much as they were in town, just like rock bands today touring the world.  For Dick, touring the world was going to Cleveland and Des Moines with a bunch of other guys and staying in tiny, steam-heated hotel rooms in St. Louis, two to a room, but playing swishy, sweet venues. 

 

For atmosphere, visit the Congress Hotel and look at the Gold Room, then see if you can get them to show you staff accommodations.  They probably won't; they suck.  I got the experience in Chicago myself in the early 70's, at what was then the Radisson on Wabash, between the Trib building and the WaterTower, in a staff room, where you could touch both walls on either side with your fingertips.  I was living in Venezuela at the time, and couldn't believe anyone in the world's most prosperous country could live like that. 

 

For summer, bands like these usually had a summer residency like Castle Farms in Cinncinati or Hudson Lake in Indiana, where things were a bit more resort-like an you didn't have to unpack every day.  The musician's life sounds romantic, like a gypsy's. Also vaudeville acts. It wasn't.  It was a young man's game, and guys I have spoken to were glad to get off the road and run a pawnshop or be a building superintendent. It changed up to, during and after the war, once every house had a radio an eventually a TV, and many successful guys migrated to California to play for films.

 

Back to yours: many of the musicians you mention also recorded for Gennett; so the distant scent I got from your first thoughts is getting stronger.

 

2508 N. Kedzie.  Hmmm; my wife's from Akron, but lived for a number of years at Halsted/Armitage, just behind the Biograph.  The demographics hadn't changed much since Dillinger was shot there.  We understand it's been gentrified since.  I'm an original Brit, but here since 1980, after 15 years in the West Indies and South America.  I used to buy parts for my 1972 American Motors Hornet at Archer/Kedzie Autos, on trips like the one I mention.  I's still my favorite US city.

 

Good hunting.

Previous Correspondence: 

Hello, I'm searching for info on an ancestor from 1920's Chicago who was a pianist and had a Dance Band. His name was Dick Lucke, the band was called The Arcadians, he also appeared with his wife's dance troup, I believe they were called the High Steppers [Chicago Steppers]. Can you provide any information about these groups or possible recordings? Thanks.

Bruce Pedalty

Dear Mr. Pedalty:

Regrettably, I can't be of help to you, since Mr. Lucke does not appear to have recorded, under his own name or that of "The Arcadians."  That name in particular was used by recording companies as a cover, or pseudonym for other bands, but the personnels do not appear to have included Mr. Lucke on Piano.  Likewise, "The High Steppers" appear on record, but as a recording band rather than a dance troupe, and likewise, there is no information regarding Mr. Lucke in band personnels.

I wish I could be more help, and I hope that efforts in other quarters give you better results.

Sincerely yous:

Malcolm Shaw

Rustbooks Publishing.

Dear Malcolm, 

Bruce Pedalty kindly forwarded this correspondence to me, and, as alternate search, I wonder if anything is available under C.G. Conn Ltd? It appears that our ancestor's band was their official recording band around 1922-1923, if not in other years as well. Please follow this link for an article I found last night with more details & a great photo. Thank you sincerely for your time! http://www.luckefamilyhistory.blogspot.com/

-Jenny Moran

Malcolm Shaw's in-depth response may be found above!

Key Vaudeville Review Found!

Good press work by the management, which stressed the
Eight Chicago Steppers and Dick Lucke’s Arcadians,
packed the 2,000-seat auditorium…

I am quite sure that this photo describes the act in the review below!
Dick Lucke and His Arcadians & Marie Veatch and Her 8 Chicago Steppers
Great Grandpa is pianist Dick Lucke; Great Grandma is the dancer above him, Dottie Seery Lucke; Walt is Dick's brother, second from left on saxophone.
'Augmented Vaudeville' Stage, ca 1925, staged in Chicago for this photograph by H.A. Atwell.
Augmented Vaudeville: the newest style of vaudeville,
with very elaborate staging, costuming and choreography.

On a recent visit to the Harold Washington Library, I requested some microfilm reels from their Variety collection. While some publications have since become dust, Variety has maintained their archives from their start in 1905/1906. This opportunity was awesome on so many levels. First of all, it was my first time using a microfilm machine, and I've always been curious about them. Second, the prospect of discovering photos or new information was very high. I had 1924-1930 to look at, with dozens of occurrences of the Luckes being somewhere within the reels. I soon learned that the page numbers listed online don't correspond to what's on the reel. Because of that, it will take longer than I thought to go through the reels. It's fun work though. I still have several years to go through, and am certainly motivated by this great start!



Review as found in microfilm reader in 2011



At left is what thrilled me at the library, as I first saw it! This review covers what I think may be the first time Dick & Dottie took the stage together! Dottie would have been 18, still in highschool or fresh out. It has wonderful, long forgotten details about what their production was like.

Below is the review in full, both via print press as seen in 1924 by my great grandparents & other fellow "youngsters" & Variety readers, and via blog press as transcribed by me in 2011. (click on the images to enlarge)

xerox copy from the microfilm reader of:

VARIETY
Wednesday, September 24, 1924
Vaudeville Reviews
Orpheum Road Show No. 1
Terre Haute, Ind., Sept. 19.

VARIETY

Wednesday, September 24, 1924

Vaudeville Reviews

Orpheum Road Show No. 1

Terre Haute, Ind., Sept. 19.

This city, bearing the theatrical reputation of a cold audience town because of its proximity to Chicago lessons in amusement sophistication, opened up in support of the Orpheum Road Show No. 1. It played four days at the Indiana.

Good press work by the management, which stressed the Eight Chicago Steppers [my great grandmother Dorothea Seerey was among these eight dancers!] and Dick Lucke’s Arcadians [Dick Lucke would soon be her husband, & his brother, Walt Lucke on saxophone, would soon be her brother in law!], packed the 2,000-seat auditorium with curious ones the opening day. It is a Moore & Megley produced show.

After the Chicago premiere, the unit moved to South Bend, Ind.  From here it jumps to Evansville and then to St. Louis. Engagements are to be lengthened to a week after the date here. Two more acts and an increase in the jazz band from seven to ten members is contemplated.

Bicknell, who models in clay, together with the Steppers, makes the first act lengthy but interesting. Albert Malotte, pianist, and Mary Jane, vocalist, follow with a double. Miss Jayne starts in a Spanish number that has atmosphere supplied by the Windy City Girls in a Latin-costumed ensemble. Malotte goes over the average variety assembly’s head with his “classicisms” on the pipe organ, but lends a welcome touch of novelty.

The one weak spot is “Laughs, Laughs, and More Laughs,” staged by George Wilson and Hilda Ward. Wilson works from the audience and the turn smacks of the four-a-day. It is a drop in the entertainment standard as a whole. Wilson, however, makes good in the afterpiece. He and Ben Pierce, who features another round of humor with Lee Ryan while the revue set is being assembled, manufacture some real merriment during the closing whirl of melody and dance. Wilson sits in a box and nibbles at a banana as Pierce pulls the rube stuff, leading the Arcadians as a village band.

Lucke and his boys have the average brass layout, the three saxes doing effective doubling. “After the Storm” allows the youngsters a bit of imaginary inclement weather frolic. The drummer, in a fair tenor, vocalizes a portion. He also solos earlier.

Jane Smith makes her initial bow as “The Little Stepper” with the band. Her Irish jig strikes popular fancy and her enthusiasm is reflected in the succeeding turn-out of the Steppers. Miss Jayne and Malotte have an extreme with “An Old Fashioned Waltz”.

The radio and phonograph are utilized as material for the afterpiece. Several members of the Steppers entertain in duos, further specialties being contributed by players of the regular acts.

The whole company works hard and the show looks like a trump card in Vaudeville if the proposed changes are made and Ward’s stuff pepped up a bit. –Bob Berlin

Richard Lucke on the vibes

Getting crafty!

I recently walked into Chicago's Frame Factory  with a shoe box full of family treasures. The staff was very friendly, helpful and creative. On this visit, I left with a single shadow box and lots of ideas to get me started.

My priority was getting my great-grandmother's diary in an air tight place, yet still have it viewable and accessible... not just buried away somewhere, forgotten.

A couple of days ago, I dug through my craft supplies & found some nice black archival paper. It's acid free, which is important. Non-archival paper could damage the diary by hastening the aging process.

I carefully glued the black archival paper to the cardboard insert that came with the shadow box. Next, I centered the diary inside the box. With a delicate hand I oh-so-carefully put it all back together. Voila! Good enough for now.

That didn't keep me satisfied long, however. I had to improve it. I didn't like the way the diary was simply propped up on the bottom of the shadow box, tilted against the glass. I dug around my craft supplies again, and an old cardboard jewelry box caught my eye. Hm! I thought maybe it would make a great little shelf for the diary, centering it nicely within the case.

I cut the box in half, then eyeballed the overall balance of the case. I wagered the box still needed a little trim. Next, I carefully wrapped the trimmed box in the black paper scraps that were left over from the other day. I wrote a little story of how I received the diary, complete with the date I received it, and tucked the story inside the "shelf" for future generations to discover. Last, I placed a silica gel packet behind the book. The silica gel is great for keeping old books (and other things) fresh and safe from moisture, so save those packets from the landfills! It also helped to keep the book flat against the glass.

In the end, it looks like a little craftiness yielded a nicely preserved family heirloom.
See you next time on Jenny's Crafty Corner! :)

An Ode to Librarians

Throughout my life, I have found librarians to be incredibly resourceful, enthusiastic, and encouraging people. My experiences during this research project have been no exception! If you are doing a historical research project like this, I highly recommend taking a trip to your local library to glean some helpful tips and information from these knowledge experts.

Recently, Dana & I walked into the Harold Washington Library and approached the Visual & Performing Arts Department's reference desk with high hopes. I told the Chicago/Vaudeville/ancestral story to a friendly librarian who showed me a few research tips, leading us to many Chicago Tribune articles about our ancestors (I will post them in an upcoming post!). The Chicago Public Library has digital access to the full Chicago Tribune archive. She told us in closing that I should also talk to Bob Sloane, their Art Unit Head and dance expert.

I later emailed Bob Sloane with my story, and he came back with an incredible find. Turns out, the Chicago Public Library archived all of the old music union cards, including those from the 1920's. I went back to the library to check out what he found. We talked for nearly an hour, while he taught me how to do various searches & explored various research avenues. I left the library with clear instructions to look up the "Dick Lucke" archive files from the popular vaudeville (and still running strong!) newspaper, Variety , which I soon did. I found about 95 articles! The articles are loaded with the names of venues & other acts that shared the stage with the Luckes! Only the date and an abstract of the article is visible online without a subscription to Variety. The next step is to go back with all of the dates that I found and go through the microfiche Variety collection housed at the Harold Washington Library. The articles can then be copied and used for further research.

I also left with two tangible treasures, unearthed by librarian Bob Sloane:

Here we have a union card from my great grandpa, R.R. (Dick) Lucke, member of the Chicago Federation of Musicians.

Instruments listed: Piano & drums.

Years active: 1924-1930, 1935

Phone number: 0895, the same as the Seery household number from Dottie's 1922 diary. You'll see a lot of cancellations & renewals on Dick's card: librarian Bob Sloane told me that the union clerks were very efficient- the moment your card expired, it was stamped so.

He lists his address as 5119 Dorchester, which I was able to find on Google- http://www.emailflyers.net/email-flyer-2704.htm. Check out the link for interior shots & real estate listing information.

The house is a beautiful Hyde Park greystone, built 1n 1888 in the Victorian style. The going price today is $795,000.

I've never seen this address before on other documents. My guess is it belonged to a friend or was a boarding house that Dick & Dottie used for lodging while travelling the vaudeville circuit. They stayed here and used Dottie's parents' home phone as a contact number, nearby at 1516 E 54th Street. Check out this map of Hyde Park, a close up view of the neighborhood they sometimes called home, after a day/evening of performing together: Dottie dancing with her troupe Marie Veatch and her Chicago Steppers or Chicago Debutantes & Dick playing piano or drums along side his brother Walt with the band, Dick Lucke and His Arcadians.

Here we have Walt Lucke's union card.

Member of the Chicago Federation of Musicians.
Instrument listed: Sax.
Years active: 1931
This must be a second card, as Walt was certainly an active musician in the 1920's.
He lists his address as the Bradley Hotel, Chicago, located on the northwest corner of N. Rush Street and E. Grand Avenue. Check out this map of the downtown area where Walt would rest after a day/evening of playing his saxophone and other reed instruments on stage. The hotel was just one block west of the Mag Mile, right in the heart of all the action.

Chicago Public Library Archives & The Fine Arts Building

Our first stop was the 9th floor of the Harold Washington Public Library in downtown Chicago. Up, up, up a series of escalators and elevators, through the heavy brass doors of an elevator and into a glass topped atrium, down an exhibit hall, and into the archive we went. Bags, pens, cameras and coats were stowed in a locker- only pencils and notebooks are allowed into this treasure trove. Among the scholastic gems kept here are some of the original volumes from the trunks of books donated and shipped across the pond from Europe after the great Chicago fire.

We stayed at the library until closing, sifting through some terrific vaudeville photos, telling our story, and making a good start. Back down the labyrinthine halls, elevators and escalators and out onto State Street, it was already twilight in the city.

We headed east to Michigan Avenue, to try and find Marie Veatch's old 'School of the Dance', where our great grandmother Dorothea Seery wrote about taking soft shoe, pointe, and pantomime lessons downtown. 1920's newspaper ads listed Marie Veatch's downtown studio location as "1010 Fine Arts", so we walked in and took the elevator up to the 10th floor. A seemingly simple act, yet an interesting one here!



 

The Fine Arts Building was designed by Sullivan, and the elevator is original. It's still manned by an elevator operator, who sits atop a stool and takes you wherever you need to go. We whizzed past floor after floor, a ride somehow both smooth and bouncy- and so fast that it was a little scary!

At the 10th floor, we were let off. After checking out the hallway & work studios where architect Frank Lloyd Wright and sculptor Lorado Taft once walked and worked, we didn't come across any dance studios. A flick of a few lights finally revealed a beautiful studio. It wasn't room 1010, but it was probably where Dottie took dance lessons before touring coast to coast on the vaudeville circuit with Marie Veatch and her Chicago Steppers, or Dancing Debutantes, as they were alternately named in the 1920's newspapers and  theater listings, alongside none other than our great grandfather, his brother, and their band: Dick Lucke and His Arcadians.

The view of Michigan Avenue, Lake Michigan, Buckingham Fountain & the glittering city from the tenth floor studio is breathtaking.

We had the room to ourselves, so we decided to set up the camera and strike a pose... then two... then three...

As you can see, we had a ton of fun in this remarkable space! And, of course, it was super cool making this connection to our past.

As we headed back to the elevator, we found Room 1010, where Marie Veatch advertised that her downtown dance classes were located, but it was locked. The elevator operator said that 1010 was definitely not a dance studio now and is heavily guarded with a security system. The mystery continues! I suppose the next step is to find historical records about the Fine Arts Building, or a historian with knowledge of it. If there are vintage photos of artists/patrons/classes/activities there, that would also be fantastic!

Some of the ornate details at Sullivan's Fine Arts Building

South Shore Cultural Center

After our visit to the archives at University of Chicago, we were heading toward Lake Shore Drive and home. Suddenly I had an idea, in the middle of the street, right in front of a cop. "Dana! Please pull over!" Dana pulled over, and the cop cruised on by. "Let's try to find the South Shore Country Club! It should be nearby, just off of the lakeshore." Great Grandma Lucke mentioned going to a dance at the country club in her 1922 diary, and Frances Vandervoort of the Hyde Park Historical Society had mentioned the striking beauty of the place when we first met her over the summer. She said it was open to the public, and that we absolutely had to check it out! Today, Dana & I had a chance to explore the place together. A quick Google Maps search on my smart phone told us to head further south a few miles down Lake Shore Drive. And with that, we were off on another adventure.

We just hoped it would be open late.

And it was!

Columns leading up to the Cultural Center, in the Mediterranean Revival Style.
Horse stables are nearby: in a bygone era, Al Capone housed horses there.
In stark contrast, the horses of Chicago's mounted authority live here today.

It must be mentioned that the folks who work at the Cultural Center are very kind, knowledgable and professional. They showed a genuine interest in our story, and shared the rich history of the place with us.

One hundred years ago, the South Shore Cultural Center was a stylish country club. In the 1970's, it was in severe disrepair and nearly torn down. The Park District purchased it and it is now a historical gem, right on the lakeshore. Such a gem, in fact, that President and First Lady Obama had their wedding reception here. A bit of history: Al Capone had his horse stables here. Today, the stables house the horses for Chicago's mounted authority. 



If these old doors could talk!
From the entrance at the South Shore Cultural Center.
Our great grandmother passed through here,
along with Al Capone and so many other characters.

 

Wild Parrots in Chicago?

Opposite the entrance door is The Parrot Cage, a fine restaurant where today culinary students dish up entrees for politicians like the Daley's and the general public alike.  One hundred years ago, it used to be a tea room, where ladies would host gatherings and parties in our great grandmother's day. According to a super informative and historically passionate host, the Parrot Cage is named after a pet store truck that tipped over some time ago, freeing large green parrots which today thrive in the hundreds in Chicago's south side. Or, as other sources allege, maybe the parrots escaped from a pet store or a home where they were kept as pets.

My fiance recently saw a flock of parrots down there & wondered how that could be possible? Who knew parrots could thrive in our crazy Chicago climate?

While there are no concrete answers, there is lots of great information about and photos of these intelligent, adaptive parrots, compiled by enthusiasts and wildlife experts alike.

Dana did some research and provided me with these links:

http://chicago.about.com/b/2008/11/25/the-parrots-of-hyde-park.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_2323394_find-wild-parrots-chicago.html

http://www.monkparakeet.com/jmsouth/

And from Chicago Wilderness magazine: http://www.chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/winter2003/monkparakeets.html





From Chicago Wilderness Magazine: Chicago's parakeets have built nests
on electric transformer poles, braces under the El tracks,
and (shown here) on the back of a satellite dish. Photo by Joe Nowak.
 http://www.chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/winter2003/monkparakeets.html

  

The truth of the roots of these wild parrots in Chicago may never be known, but it's fun to imagine & speculate!

An insightful response & update from Frances Vandervoort of the Hyde Park Historical Society on December 1st:

...The parrots are another story.  They escaped from a shipment from So. America, where they damage crops.  They've not made it to Illinois farms yet --- there's plenty for them to eat in the city, but they will.  Farmers, watch out!  The birds are aggressive, displacing native species.  Many Hyde Parkers love them, however.  Their first Hyde Park nest was across from Mayor Harold Washington's apt. on east 51st St. near the Lake.  He loved them, and many people love them because he did.

 

Down the hall from the restaurant is the theater room, where dances were held in the 1920's. So, this is one of the places where our great grandmother danced the night away, back in the winter of 1922!

Dana in the theater room where our great grandmother danced in the 1920's.

Me and Dana in today's ballroom. In the 1920's it was a formal dining area.







Hyde Park & The University of Chicago

 On a recent Friday, Dana and I set out to make the most of the vast resources in Chicago. We began in Hyde Park, at the University of Chicago, just blocks from where our great grandmother Dorothea Seery grew up. Frances Vandervoort of the Hyde Park Historical Society invited us to meet at her home, from which she led us to the Regenstein Library. There, Frances helped us get started on our first archival expedition. Her know-how and encouragement continues to fuel us along!
 At the archives, we hoped to find dance or community photographs to help build the Chicago chapter of our ancestors' story. After a few hours of searching through box after box of vintage photos, menus, and other Chicago memorabilia, we found some stunning interior shots of the old Hyde Park Hotel, where Dorothea Seery went dancing in the 1920's. There are still many more boxes to go through... maybe more puzzle pieces will turn up at this archive.
 
 

Dana going through a box, modeling the stylish gloves we wore while searching the archives.



Me, Frances Vandervoort of the Hyde Park Historical Society, and Dana.
Regenstein Library, University of Chicago.



Our vaudeville story is really coming together!



Dick Lucke and His Arcadians & Marie Veatch and Her 8 Chicago Steppers
Great Grandpa is pianist Dick Lucke; Great Grandma is the dancer above him, Dottie Seery Lucke; Walt is Dick's brother, second from left on saxophone.
'Augmented Vaudeville' Stage, ca 1925, staged in Chicago for this photograph by H.A. Atwell.
Augmented Vaudeville: the newest style of vaudeville, with very elaborate staging, costuming and choreography.

 Three days ago, the caption for this photo would have been simply, "Dick Lucke and His Arcadians. Dorothea Seery Lucke above Dick, seated at the piano, on a stage in Chicago. Walt Lucke, second from left on saxophone. Photo by H.A. Atwell." See my most recent post for the story on connecting with David Garrick of  http://www.jazzage1920s.com/, who sent me a 1925 news clipping Friday morning about the Lucke Band and the Chicago Steppers making a huge hit in Vaudeville. That little article was loaded with missing links and clues!! As were the others he sent! Thank you, David.

Slim pickings in the beginning:
Beginning with a vintage pair of toe shoes, a drafting set, a saxophone, some photographs, a band poster, and the story of a legendary big label 78 record lost in a fire over 20 years ago, we've come a long way, baby! Each of these original pieces led to a multitude of new clues. Thanks to the internet and digital archives, we've made so many friends, connections, and discoveries... in the past several months alone. Thanks to http://www.ancestry.com/, I've even found other relatives who are most fascinated, helpful, and encouraging in this story. We still have not found the 78 recording of the Dick Lucke Band, but with any luck, and lots of persistence, we will!

There's so much more to learn about this piece of American dance & music history- and our wily ancestors!
So, my sister Dana Tock will soon be joining me for a big day of research in Chicago. We'll visit the University of Chicago's Regenstein Library, where we'll dig through the archives. We'll visit the Chicago History Museum. We'll make use of Chicago's libraries and their free access to ProQuest's vast collection of digitized articles.

What are we looking for?
Photos, recordings, news articles, and other printed publications related to 1920's vaudeville, 1920's Chicago music and dance, 1920's national tours on the Orpheum vaudeville circuit, stories of romance and adventure, and more... all centering around our fun and charismatic ancestors, Dorothea Seery Lucke, Richard Lucke, and Waldemere Lucke. aka Dick & Dottie & Walt.

Clues & staying organized!
I'll be adding a page to this blog which will include all of the key names of people, places and things discovered along the way, from emails, discussions, articles, books and more... names of actors, singers, musicians, teachers, photographers, social clubs, hot dance spots in Chicago and across the country, national vaudeville theaters, and more.