Linda Lucas has been playing guitar (other than her uncle Bert's 'plank' guitar) since about 1973. She wrote her first song at age 14 and has been writing ever since. The pivotal person that shifted her focus from bedroom composer to public performer was the owner of Blue Skies Recording, Stanley Mark Kerr, who approached her at London Music Club one night and suggested that she record. She's been doing so ever since, largely in response to the enthusiastic encouragement and creative assistance of this tremendously talented man who died of cancer the day of her CD release at Hugh's Room in Toronto, August 13, 2009. Like Mark Herr, Linda Lucas's influence are largely folk, from Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot and Bruce Cockburn to James Gordon, Tannis Slimmon and Katherine Wheatley. Mark's contribution to her songwriting and his inspiration to keep writing will always be with her.
The songs on her only released album, Alone in a Red canoe: The Life and Times of Bill Mason, are a tribute to William Mason, Canada's premier canoeist, documentary film-maker and palette-knife painter (1929-1988 http://www.redcanoes.ca/bill/). She began the project with intent to write a single song and came away with 18, which she whittled down to 16 for the album. Her song, "Paddlin' yer Own Canoe" won honourable mention at the OCFF Songs of the Heart Contest in 2009.
Currently, she is working on a more introspective set of songs with themes of love, music, death and mourning. Generally she plays with Michel Sarrasin and at times also with Gary McGill at local venues in or around London but also in other cities, depending on her schedule. She is a teacher of French, English and Special Education with the Thames Valley Board of Education.
interests
Singer-songwriters, song-writing, singing, harmonizing, listening to good music.