Lucier, Bob

Websites:  No
Origin: Grande Pointe, Ontario, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Bob Lucier stands as one of Canada’s finest pedal steel guitarists, a musician whose tone, technique, and musical intelligence have been celebrated on both sides of the border for more than five decades. His playing helped define Canadian country music on television, radio, and the touring circuit, and his name remains synonymous with precision, taste, and a style that blends Nashville finesse with unmistakable Canadian character.

Raised in Ontario, Lucier came of age at a time when the pedal steel was just beginning to evolve into its modern form. He was part of the first Canadian generation to treat the instrument as both a melodic voice and a textural palette. By the late 1960s he was working steadily in clubs and regional circuits, developing the clarity of attack and phrasing that would become his signature. His precision quickly made him a favourite among singers who valued the steel guitar’s ability to elevate a ballad without overwhelming the vocalist.

Lucier’s career reached a national audience in the 1970s when he became the resident steel player on CBC’s long-running Tommy Hunter Show. Week after week his instrument helped carry arrangements for countless guests, from Nashville artists passing through Toronto to rising Canadian performers making their first national appearance. The Tommy Hunter Show was the most important country music platform in Canada, and Lucier’s consistency, adaptability, and musical empathy made him a linchpin of the house band. His work on the program earned him praise from some of Nashville’s biggest steel heroes, including Curly Chalker, Lloyd Green, John Hughey, Buddy Emmons, and others who publicly remarked that Canada had a player of equal ability in Bob Lucier.

Much of Lucier’s sound is tied to the instrument he championed for decades: the custom-built Fulawka pedal steel guitar crafted by Ontario luthier Ed Fulawka. Lucier was one of Fulawka’s earliest and most important high-profile players, helping bring worldwide attention to the builder’s meticulous craftsmanship. The Lucier–Fulawka partnership became legendary among steel aficionados; his instrument’s rich sustain and singing clarity became inseparable from his identity onstage and in the studio.

The studio was another major part of Lucier’s life. Across the 1970s, 80s, and 90s he became one of the country’s busiest session steel players, contributing to commercial country releases, independent projects, CBC recordings, and jingles that required the expressive weight of steel guitar. Singers valued him for his ability to create a sixteen-bar turnaround that felt symphonic yet respectful of the song, a hallmark of his arranging sensibility.

After decades as a featured sideman, Lucier moved toward creating his own recorded legacy. His 2002 album Eleven Favorites showcased the depth of his musicianship. With engineering by Doug Deveaux at Sideman Studios and mastering by George Graves at The Lacquer Channel, the album reaffirmed Lucier’s range and tone control, moving effortlessly from tear-stained country classics to his own compositions such as Magnum, a piece that highlights his lyricism as a writer. The project also united him with long-time collaborators including Mel Aucoin, Darren Lachance, Neil Nickafor, Sean O’Grady, and noted fiddlers Dan McGrath and Don Reed. Liner notes by Gordie Tapp of Hee Haw fame placed Lucier’s talent in its proper context: a Canadian master whose ability was recognized by Nashville’s elite.

Live performance remained central to Lucier’s identity. For many years he led his own group, Magnum, featuring vocalist Kurk Bernard, pianist Mel Aucoin, guitarist Darren Lachance, and a rhythm section of seasoned Ontario players. The band became a winter fixture at the Waterdown Legion Hall, drawing dedicated audiences who came specifically to hear Lucier’s steel guitar speak in its full voice.

Away from the stage, Lucier’s reputation extended into another craft entirely: fine cabinetry. Known for meticulous workmanship in wood as well as music, he maintained parallel careers that both relied on precision, patience, and a deep respect for materials. Within the Canadian steel community he became a mentor to younger players, and photos of Lucier showing his grandson Zachary “all those hot licks” capture the essence of a musician who valued family and tradition as much as technical mastery.

Today Bob Lucier is viewed as a pillar of Canadian country instrumentation. His contribution spans national television, hundreds of recording sessions, influential collaborations, and a recorded legacy marked by warmth, restraint, and unmistakable identity. Among steel players he is spoken of with a mixture of affection and awe, a Canadian original whose voice on the Fulawka pedal steel remains instantly recognizable.
-Robert Williston