Lemuel Eugene Lucas, known professionally as Gene Austin, was an American singer and songwriter who was born on June 24, 1900, in Gainesville, Texas, and died on January 24, 1972, in Palm Springs, California. After early performances in vaudeville shows and nightclubs, he broke through in 1924 with the hit single “When My Sugar Walks Down the Street”, recorded as a duet with Aileen Stanley. He achieved his greatest success with the 1927 single “My Blue Heaven”, which remained at Number 1 on the charts for 13 weeks and sold over 5 million copies. Over his career, Austin sold over 80 million records, establishing a foundational influence on the crooner genre. His recordings include his first solo hit “Yearning” (1925), as well as “The Lonesome Road” (1927) and a 1929 recording of Fats Waller's “Ain't Misbehavin'”. Austin also starred in films, including the Western Songs and Saddles (1938) and several productions alongside Mae West. In 1954, he released the album My Blue Heaven on RCA Victor. His career experienced a resurgence in 1957 with the NBC television film The Gene Austin Story and his final hit single, “Too Late” (1957).
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