There was likely no one as influential on Sonny Rollins’ career as his partner of over 45 years, Lucille. Sonny Rollins met Lucille Pearson in Chicago. They became a couple in 1957 and married in 1965. She was critical in providing Rollins with career guidance and support for almost five decades.
During Sonny’s Bridge sabbatical, she supported the couple with a steady paycheck. He wrote of the Bridge “I could have just stayed up there forever. But Lucille was supporting us, and I had to go back to work. You can’t be in heaven and on earth at the same time.” The New York Times (2015)
After Sonny’s second sabbatical ended in 1971, Lucille became his full-time manager and a decade later began producing many of his albums. In 1975, Sonny wrote and recorded the song “Lucille,” which appears on the album ‘Nucleus.’ Lucille even plays cowbell on a few songs from ‘Reel Life’ (1982) and ‘Sunny Days, Starry Nights’ (1984). Lucille Rollins died on November 27, 2004, at age 76. Sonny titled the album ‘Sonny, Please’ (2006) for a phrase Lucille used to say to him all the time. Recorded after her death, Sonny said "The album is a tribute to her. She's still part of everything I do." Lucille was the love and light of Sonny Rollins’ life.