Angelo Lucchesi

“Jack Daniel’s First Salesman”

Angelo Lucchesi was a short, heavy man with one arm, a big smile, and an even bigger heart. He didn’t drink alcohol, but he became the first salesman for Jack Daniel’s whiskey. Instead of using flashy sales tricks, Angelo helped the brand grow through friendships and storytelling.

Angelo was one of thirteen children born to Italian immigrants Anthony Lucchesi and Maria Bisio in Memphis, Tennessee. His father owned a successful grocery store. One day, when Angelo was five years old, he wandered into the shop while sausage was being made. Children weren’t supposed to be there, and something terrible happened—his arm got caught in the grinder. He was rushed to the hospital with the grinder still attached. Luckily, the machine acted like a tourniquet and kept him from bleeding to death. Sadly, doctors couldn’t save his arm.

Despite the accident, Angelo lived a full life. He went to Christian Brothers High School and later graduated from St. Bernard Catholic School in Alabama. For a while, he even trained to become a Benedictine monk. But two years in, he changed his mind and returned to Memphis to work as a store clerk.

At 24, Angelo became a salesman for Southern Host, a liqueur similar to Southern Comfort. One day, while working, he met a man named D.E. “Hap” Motlow, the president of Jack Daniel’s. Angelo didn’t know who he was and thought nothing of the meeting. A couple of weeks later, Angelo traveled to Nashville on a business trip. He booked a room at the Andrew Jackson Hotel—not realizing it was Hap Motlow’s permanent residence. When he arrived, the hotel was full, despite his reservation. The clerk offered him a couch in the lobby for the night. With no other choice, Angelo curled up with a blanket, a ham sandwich, and a Coke. That night, Hap returned to the hotel and recognized Angelo. When he found out Angelo was sleeping in the lobby, he said, “Send the kid up to my room with a cot.” Angelo always said, “He never got rid of me after that.” The two became close friends, traveling together until Angelo got married.

Although they were friends, Angelo didn’t start working for Jack Daniel’s right away. In 1953, when Southern Host was merging with another company, Angelo realized he might lose his job. He called Hap to ask for football tickets, and when Hap asked if he needed anything else, Angelo replied, “How about a job?” Hap wasn’t sure at first, but after the game, he told Angelo to come back to Nashville. On October 1, 1953, Angelo became the first official salesman in Jack Daniel’s history.

At the time, Jack Daniel’s only made about 100,000 cases a year, and Angelo’s sales territory was small—just Memphis, Chattanooga, and Nashville. But Angelo had a gift for making friends, and that would help him more than any sales pitch.

One of his most famous friends was singer Frank Sinatra. Angelo remained a devout Catholic and went to mass every day. A man named Mike Figlio, whose uncle worked for Sinatra, used to drive him. In 1967, Figlio told Angelo that Sinatra was upset because he couldn’t find any Jack Daniel’s at a club in New York. Angelo reached out to Hap Motlow and then to Winton Smith, the company president. A couple of weeks later, Frank Sinatra called Angelo personally and said, “Paisano, I love you. You're my friend for life.” From then on, they were close. Angelo made sure Sinatra always had Jack Daniel’s—whether he was at home or flying around the world. Although it wasn’t his official job, this friendship helped Jack Daniel’s grow quickly. Sinatra would tell audiences that Jack Daniel’s was “nectar of the gods.” Back then, celebrities supported products because they loved them, not because they were paid. Sinatra’s bond with the brand was all thanks to Angelo.

Over the years, Angelo became known as “Jack Daniel’s Godfather,” not because he was in the mafia, but because he had strong Italian connections. When Jack Daniel’s wanted to expand in Chicago, Hap asked Angelo to take the lead. With help from his brother’s friend, Angelo met with several distributors—many of whom were tied to the mob. Angelo handled it with charm and kindness, sealing deals with a handshake and a drink.

But working in the liquor business took a toll on Angelo. He developed a drinking problem and eventually told the Motlows he couldn’t stop. Instead of firing him, they helped him go to treatment. After that, he never drank again. Still, he continued to sell a product he didn’t drink—often joking that opening a bottle with one hand was just too hard. By the time Angelo retired, Jack Daniel’s had grown from 100,000 cases a year to about 17 million. His friendship with Sinatra introduced the brand to other celebrities like Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, Dinah Shore, and many more. When Tennessee began allowing liquor by the drink in the 1960s, sales soared.

Angelo also gave back to the community. He supported many charities, including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Sinatra Children’s Center for abused kids. He helped sponsor the Sinatra Celebrity Golf Tournament to raise money for the center. Paul Varga, a leader at Brown-Forman (which now owns Jack Daniel’s), once said that the company’s values were shaped by people like Angelo. Today, they give an award in his name to salespeople who show his spirit and dedication. He also became the first speaker for Brown-Forman’s responsible drinking program.

In 2010, for his 90th birthday and retirement, Jack Daniel’s honored Angelo with a special 90-proof bottle that had his name on it. It was the same strength as the whiskey Sinatra drank. Angelo joked he would have to sell all the bottles himself—but they sold out fast. Distributors across the country knew who he was. He also had a theater named after him at the Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg. They called him a “Lynchburg Legend,” ranking just below Jack Daniel himself and Lem Motlow.

In all, Angelo worked with Jack Daniel’s for 60 years. He was known as one of the kindest, most genuine people you could meet. He helped turn a small-town whiskey into a global brand, mostly by telling its story and making friends. In his later years, he traveled as a brand ambassador, sharing the history of Jack Daniel’s with the world.

Angelo Lucchesi died of natural causes on December 6, 2013, just 18 days before his 93rd birthday. He was buried in Memphis, Tennessee, where his journey began. He was married to his wife Cecelia for 54 years, and they had three daughters and a son. His legacy lives on in every bottle of Jack Daniel’s—and in every story told about the man behind the smile.