KEEPING THE MUSIC PLAYING: MICHAEL LUCAS TURNS “RETIREMENT” INTO AN ENCORE

by Joe Accetta

Ask Michael Lucas what he’s doing in retirement, and he’ll laugh. After more than two decades in radio and another lifetime around live music, Lucas has built a second act that keeps musicians working, activity directors relieved, and senior communities tapping their toes. The Austin native—approaching his 85th birthday—now helms Music for Seniors USA, a new offshoot of his broader agency Lucas Artists, which manages wedding bands, tribute acts, and other entertainers across Texas and beyond. “People keep asking me, when are you going to retire? My remark is, retire to do what? This is my retirement, and I’m loving it,” he says.

Lucas’ path to this encore started early. “By the time I was 20, I was already on the air,” he recalls, working his way from TV cameraman to radio personality and later programmer. Over the next two decades he moved through Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth, and Waco, ultimately wrapping his radio career in the early ’80s. Along the way, the top-40 scene in Austin pulled him from behind the board and into the club: he began managing local “party bands,” a side hustle that ballooned into a full agency booking acts across Texas.

When Lucas formally retired in 2002, he didn’t stay idle. A popular wedding band asked him to handle bookings; soon, demand outpaced supply and—just like in the ’60s—one act became two, then three, with shows popping up statewide. Then came the email that changed everything: could he send a piano player to a senior community for a one-hour daytime show? He did, and the lightbulb switched on. “I realized this was a huge market,” Lucas says. “Suddenly I was seeing senior communities on every other street corner in Austin.” Weekday bookings multiplied from a handful to 20 or 30 a month, a perfect fit for working musicians who were otherwise idle Monday through Thursday.

It wasn’t just the volume that appealed—it was the purpose. Lucas is quick to point out that he’s not a performer. “I can’t play anything…this was a way for me to be in it without being of it,” he says with a broadcaster’s grin. He found satisfaction in connecting pros with audiences who respond best to seasoned entertainers. To protect that experience, he vets performers carefully. Reliability is non-negotiable.

As demand grew, Lucas realized he needed to distinguish this new avenue from his main agency. Lucas Artists continued to focus on weddings, corporate events, and variety entertainment, while Music for Seniors USA became the dedicated branch for senior living performances. Today that side of the business books roughly 150 to 180 shows a month, powered by a stable of vetted artists in multiple markets. One corporate client’s portfolio helped propel the expansion from Texas into Phoenix, Las Vegas, Charlotte, and Southwest Florida, with California now in active development. Lucas loves the hunt—recruiting new artists city by city—and the small victory each time a new community calls. “It’s like watching your kids grow,” he says of the agency, which he nurtures with the patience of a proud parent.

There’s a structural kindness built into his model, too. Communities don’t pay the agency; like an employment service, the artists pay a small fee when they’re booked. For activity directors juggling calendars and budgets, that removes a layer of friction. For musicians, it’s steady, meaningful weekday work that complements weekend gigs. And for residents, it’s a regular dose of connection: sing-along staples, shared stories, and the kind of eye-contact entertainment that turns a common room into a concert hall.

Lucas isn’t chasing scale for its own sake—he’s chasing fit. His near-term goal is to broaden beyond any single corporate chain in each city so more communities can tap his roster. The work is intentionally old-school: phone calls, walk-ins, relationships, follow-through. It’s “gumshoe leather work,” as he puts it, but that’s the point—every new booking is a personal win, and every satisfied activity director is a repeat partner. Retirement, it turns out, looks a lot like momentum.

Learn More: Music for Seniors USA

Music for Seniors USA, the senior-living branch of Lucas Artists, connects communities with professional, vetted entertainers for engaging, resident-centered programs. The agency currently services Texas and several other markets (including Phoenix, Las Vegas, Charlotte, and parts of Florida) and is developing California coverage. Communities aren’t charged by the agency; artists contribute a small fee when booked. To inquire about availability—or to be considered as a performer—visit musicforseniorsusa.com.