Lucero is an Americancountry-punkrock band based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Lucero's sound has been described as a "synthesis of soul, rock, and country is distinctly Memphisian." They have released 11 albums and one live DVD, mostly through their own label. The band mainly tours around North America.
Biography
1998-2007: Formation and early years
Lucero had their start in Memphis, TN and played for the first time in early 1998. Since then, they have been called "one of the hardest working bands of the last 10 years—on tour significantly more days than they are not."
2008-2009: ''1372 Overton Park''
In late 2008, the band announced they had signed a four-album deal with Universal Music Group, though the relationship with Universal was short-lived. 1372 Overton Park was released October 6, 2009 by Universal Music Group and was the first Lucero album to feature a horn section.
2012: ''Women & Work''
Lucero's album, Women & Work, was released on March 13, 2012 by ATO Records. This album integrates more of the horn section as well as the pedal steel guitar, keyboards and a gospel chorus.
Lucero's eleventh album, All a Man Should Do, was released on September 18, 2015. It continued the Memphis-soul influence as seen in the previous two albums. The album included a cover of I'm In Love With A Girl, originally recorded by fellow Memphis band, Big Star. The cover, which includes a line taken for the album title, featured backing vocals from Big Star drummer, Jody Stephens. It was recorded in Ardent Studios which is based in Memphis and managed by Stephens.
2018: ''Among the Ghosts''
Among the Ghosts was released August 3, 2018. The album was produced by Matt Ross-Spang and recorded live in a single room at Sam Phillip's Recording, Memphis. The sound is more stripped back than the previous three, with no brass section. The track "Back to the Night" features spoken word lyrics from actor Michael Shannon. Shannon is a frequent collaborator of frontman Ben Nichols brother, film director Jeff Nichols. The song Loving, had previously featured on the soundtrack to Jeff Nichols film, Loving, as a solo Ben Nichols song. 2019 saw Lucero undertake their first ever Australian headlining tour.
Collaborations and other projects
The first solo release from frontman Ben Nichols, The Last Pale Light in the West, was released in January 2009 on Lucero's label Liberty & Lament. On November 17, 2013 the title song was featured in the episode "Live Bait" of the AMC series The Walking Dead. The seven-song record was inspired by Cormac McCarthy's book Blood Meridian and recorded with Rick Steff on piano and accordion and Todd Beane on pedal steel. In May 2009, Nichols co-starred in MTV's $5 Cover, a Craig Brewer-produced, quasi-fictionalized series about the Memphis music scene. A performance of Lucero's song "San Francisco" at the Young Avenue Deli in Memphis was featured in the trailer for the series. Ben Nichols's previous band was Red 40 in which he played alongside Colin Brooks and Steve Kooms. Drummer Roy Berry is half of experimental duo Overjoid and was a member of the Memphis-based band The Simple Ones before joining Lucero. John C. Stubblefield has recorded with Jello 1-2-3, North Mississippi Allstars, Jim Dickinson and BigAssTruck, among others. He co-produced Hill Country Revue’s 2010 album Zebra Ranch. Rick Steff has recorded with Cat Power, Hank Williams Jr. and Dexys Midnight Runners, among others. Todd Beene is also currently a member of the Tennessee band Glossary and Chuck Ragan's band.
Lucero contributed two tracks, "Everything You Need" and "Take You Away", to the 2012 film Mud, which was written and directed by Ben Nichols' brother Jeff Nichols. Ben Nichols contributed three additional tracks, "Davy Brown", "The Kid" and "Snakebite" to the soundtrack.
''Hellion'' soundtrack
Lucero contributed the tracks, "When I Was Young" and "The Other Side of Lonesome", to the 2014 film Hellion.
