While in Miami, he met jazz drummer and bandleader Buddy Rich, and joined him for a world tour, after which Lucas moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a songwriter and producer. He made ends meet by selling vacuum cleaners during the day, and attending night school to learn about mutual funds. He was the top record promotion man in the northeastern United States until he was drafted into the United States Army, after which he moved to Miami Beach, where he was a social director and performer at the Attache Hotel. Īt the age of nineteen, Lucas started promoting records, choosing artists such as the young Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, Sam Cooke, and The Everly Brothers, and encouraging local DJs to play their music. He briefly attended Bennett High School in Buffalo, where he sang in the choir, and then in 1951 transferred to Miami Beach Senior High School, graduating in 1955. By the age of four, he was singing with his parents in the Buffalo area, both at venues and on local radio. Lucas was born David Helfman on April 21, 1937, in Buffalo, New York.

In June 2011, Lucas was inducted into Buffalo's Music Hall of Fame. On the 1976 Blue Öyster Cult song ' (Don't Fear) The Reaper' which he co-produced, Lucas sang backup vocals and came up with the idea for using a cowbell, parodied by Christopher Walken in the ' More cowbell' skit on Saturday Night Live. He has written thousands of commercial jingles, such as AT&T's ' Reach Out and Touch Someone.' In 1981, he received a Clio Award for composing the music to Pepsi's ' Catch That Pepsi Spirit.' As a record producer, he worked with many new artists such as Blue Öyster Cult. David Lucas (born David Helfman April 21, 1937) is an American rock and roll composer, singer, and music producer.

Make It Music by Everly Lucas