David Lucas (composer)

David Lucas (born David Helfman April 21, 1937) is an American rock and roll composer, singer, and music producer. 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. 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. In June 2011, Lucas was inducted into Buffalo’s Music Hall of Fame. Biography Early years (1940s–1960s) Lucas was born David Helfman on April 21, 1937, in Buffalo, New York. By the age of four, he was singing with his parents in the Buffalo area, both at venues and on local radio. At 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 was the top record promotion man in the northeastern United States until he was drafted into