Synopsis
He had the voice of an angel and a vision that defied the limits of American radio.
In the early 1970s, Virgin Islands-born singer-songwriter Jon Lucien burst onto the music scene with a mesmerizing, genreblurring baritone that seamlessly fused Caribbean warmth, Brazilian bossa nova, jazz finesse, and R&B soul.
Record labels hailed him as the “Black Sinatra”, yet the industry fundamentally broke him—refusing to market a Black artist who couldn’t be neatly boxed into a single radio format.
Half music history and half intimate human drama, this documentary uncovers the genesis of the “Quiet Storm” sound alongside the devastating personal cost of Lucien’s genius. As the music industry turned its back on his brilliance, Lucien spiraled into a decades-long battle with severe drug addiction.
His struggles peaked in unimaginable heartbreak, surviving the tragic loss of two daughters—including one in the historic TWA Flight 800 crash
In Rediscovering Lucien, NYWIFT Member, Linnette Harrigan steps into the role of both director and as cast to trace the life of Jon Lucien. As both the director and a primary subject, Linnette serves as the audience’s guide into Lucien’s ultimate redemption story: a deeply moving portrait of an underground icon who lost everything to the dark side of fame, only to find his salvation, his sobriety, and his spiritual voice through the very music that kept him alive.
Why This Story Matters?
Jon Lucien’s music was a force that shaped jazz history, but as physical archives fade, his story risks being lost.
We are now in the final stretch of production to bring Rediscovering Lucien to life.
Because we are proudly backed by NYWIFT as our fiscal sponsor, any amount you donate is fully tax-deductible.
Thank you for support to help us honor and preserve this very important and underrepresented history that is the music pioneer and visionary Jon Lucien.
Producer | Director
LINNETTE A. HARRIGAN
Before producing and directing ‘Rediscovering Lucien,’ Linnette A. Harrigan spent more than a decade as an independent music supervisor in TV & film.
Among her credits, she was the music supervisor for such projects as ‘Motian In Motion,’ a documentary film feature broadcast on Apple TV in 2020 and for’ Rhonda Mitchell MD, ‘ the comedy series pilot sold to NBC Television in 2021.
Born in New York City, she’s a graduate of Hunter College with a degree in media production. As a writer/producer, she’s written music related contentfor short-form for such networks as BET (Black Entertainment Television).
Since 2022, Ms. Harrigan began independent film production under her company Linnette Harrigan Media Inc. after training with The New York Film Academy.
Also in 2022, she completed her first documentary film, a short entitled, “Cook Who Wrote The Book, ” about the life and music of late pioneer cooking show host Sylvia Elbaz.
She is now in pre-production with ‘Rediscovering Lucien,’ a music documentary film on the life and music of Jazz Singer Jon Lucien.
