Born in 1942 in Phoenix, Arizona, United States to the Choctaw Native American Nation, in his early twenties Lucas was a musician in New York but giving up alcohol drove him to leave for Central America where he took up photography and worked for advertising agencies. In the early- to mid-1960s Lucas became a member of the Baháʼí Faith and contributed songs such as "Mount Your Steeds, O Heroes of God!" and "World Citizen", among other songs on an LP record re-released as a CD "Fire &amp; Snow". He also spoke at least one Baháʼí Conference (see links below). Lucas returned to American West and took up filmmaking after surviving the 1972 earthquake in Managua, Nicaragua.