Duke Robillard

Last updated
Duke Robillard
Duke Robillard.jpg
Robillard in 2006
Photograph by Louis Ramirez
Background information
Birth nameMichael John Robillard
Born (1948-10-04) October 4, 1948 (age 75)
Woonsocket, Rhode Island, U.S.
Genres Blues, blues rock, rockabilly, jump blues, swing
Occupation(s)Musician, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1967–present
Labels Stony Plain, Rounder, Black Top, Point Blank, Flying Fish, Columbia
Website www.dukerobillard.com

Michael John "Duke" Robillard (born October 4, 1948) is an American guitarist and singer. He founded the band Roomful of Blues and was a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Although Robillard is known as a rock and blues guitarist, he also plays jazz and swing.

Contents

Career

Duke Robillard performing in May 2012 Duke Robillard in May 2012.jpg
Duke Robillard performing in May 2012

He played in bands as Mike "Honey Bear" Robillard and worked for the Guild Guitar Company. In 1967, he and Al Copley founded the band Roomful of Blues. [1] [2]

He spent over ten years with Roomful of Blues before departing in 1979, becoming the guitarist for singer Robert Gordon and then a member of the Legendary Blues Band. [3] He started the Duke Robillard Band in 1981, eventually adopting the name Duke Robillard and the Pleasure Kings, with whom he toured throughout the 1980s and recorded for Rounder Records. He became a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1990 to replace Jimmie Vaughan. [2] [3]

Although he was a member of bands, Robillard simultaneously pursued a solo career in which he toured and recorded solo albums in other genres, such as jazz and blues. He formed a duo with jazz guitarist Herb Ellis and the swing trio New Guitar Summit with Gerry Beaudoin and Jay Geils. He explored jump blues in A Swingin Session with Duke Robillard, returned to his rhythm and blues roots in Stomp! The Blues Tonight, and covered blues songs from the 1940s and '50s in Low Down and Tore Up. Briefly in 2013, he was the guitarist for Bob Dylan's tour. [3] [4]

Awards and honors

Discography

As leader/co-leader

  • Duke Robillard & the Pleasure Kings (Rounder, 1984)
  • Too Hot to Handle (Rounder, 1985)
  • Swing (Rounder, 1987)
  • You Got Me (Rounder, 1988)
  • After Hours Swing Session (Rounder, 1990)
  • Turn it Around (Rounder, 1991)
  • Temptation (Point Blank, 1994)
  • Duke's Blues (Point Blank, 1994)
  • Dangerous Place (Point Blank, 1997)
  • Stretchin' Out Live (Stony Plain, 1998)
  • New Blues for Modern Man (Shanachie, 1999)
  • La Palette Bleue (Dixie Frog, 1999)
  • Conversations in Swing Guitar with Herb Ellis (Stony Plain, 1999)
  • Explorer (Shanachie, 2000)
  • Living with the Blues (Stony Plain, 2002)
  • More Conversations In Swing Guitar with Herb Ellis (Stony Plain, 2003)
  • Exalted Lover (Stony Plain, 2003)
  • Blue Mood: The Songs of T-Bone Walker (Stony Plain, 2004)
  • The Duke Meets the Earl with Ronnie Earl (Stony Plain, 2005)
  • Guitar Groove-a-Rama (Stony Plain, 2006)
  • Duke Robillard's World of Blues (Stony Plain, 2007)
  • A Swingin' Session with Duke Robillard (Stony Plain, 2008)
  • Stomp! The Blues Tonight (Stony Plain, 2009)
  • Tales from the Tiki Lounge with Sunny Crownover (Blue Duchess, 2010) [6]
  • Passport to the Blues (Stony Plain, 2010)
  • Low Down and Tore Up (Stony Plain, 2011)
  • Wobble Walkin' (Blue Duchess, 2012)
  • Independently Blue (Stony Plain, 2013)
  • Calling All Blues (2014) (Stony Plain)
  • The Acoustic Blues & Roots of Duke Robillard (Stony Plain, 2015)
  • Blues Full Circle (Stony Plain, 2016)
  • Duke Robillard and His Dames of Rhythm (M.C. Records, 2017)
  • Ear Worms (Stony Plain, 2019)
  • Blues Bash! (Stony Plain, 2020)
  • Swingin' Again with Scott Hamilton (Blue Duchess, 2021)
  • They Called It Rhythm & Blues (Stony Plain, 2022)

With Roomful of Blues

  • Roomful of Blues (1978)
  • Let's Have a Party (1979)

With The Fabulous Thunderbirds

  • Walk That Walk, Talk That Talk (1991)
  • Wrap It Up (1993) compilation

With New Guitar Summit (Duke Robillard/Jay Geils/Gerry Beaudoin)

  • New Guitar Summit (Stony Plain, 2004)
  • Live at the Stoneham Theater (Stony Plain, 2004)
  • Shivers (Stony Plain, 2009)

As sideman or guest

With Al Basile

  • Blue Ink (2004)
  • Down on Providence Plantation (2005)
  • Groovin' in the Mood Room (2006)
  • The Tinge (2008)
  • Soul Blue (2009)
  • The Goods (2010)
  • At Home Next Door (2012)

With Joe Beard

  • For Real (AudioQuest, 1998)
  • Dealin' (AudioQuest, 2000)

With Gerry Beaudoin

  • Minor Swing (1994)
  • Swing Cafe (2005)

With Eddy Clearwater

  • Cool Blues (1998)
  • Reservation Blues (2000)

With Al Copley

  • Royal Blue (1991)
  • Good Understanding (1994)

With Ronnie Earl

  • Soul Searchin' (1988)

With Sax Gordon

  • Have Horn, Will Travel (1998)
  • You Knock Me Out (2000)

With Scott Hamilton

  • Blues, Bop & Ballads (1999)
  • Across the Tracks (2008)
  • Remembering Billie (2013)

With Jay McShann

  • Hootie's Jumpin' Blues (1997)
  • Still Jumpin' the Blues (1999)
  • Goin' to Kansas City (2003)

With Jerry Portnoy

  • Poison Kisses (1991)
  • Home Run Hitter (1995)
  • Down in the Mood Room (2002)

With Jimmy Witherspoon

  • Spoon's Blues (1995)
  • Jimmy Witherspoon with the Duke Robillard Band (2000)

With others

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fabulous Thunderbirds</span> American blues rock band

The Fabulous Thunderbirds are an American blues band formed in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay McShann</span> American blues/jazz bandleader, pianist and singer

James Columbus "Jay" McShann was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and Ben Webster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Witherspoon</span> American jump blues singer

James Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herb Ellis</span> American jazz guitarist (1921–2010)

Mitchell Herbert Ellis was an American jazz guitarist. During the 1950s, he was in a trio with pianist Oscar Peterson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stony Plain Records</span> Canadian independent record label

Stony Plain Records is a Canadian independent record label, which specializes in roots music genres such as country, folk, and blues. The label has released more than 300 albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Earl</span> Musical artist

Ronnie Earl is an American blues guitarist and music instructor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Geils</span> American guitarist (1946–2017)

John Warren Geils Jr., known professionally as J. Geils or Jay Geils, was an American guitarist. He was known as the leader of The J. Geils Band.

The Edmonton Blues Festival is an annual blues music festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, which was first held in 1999. The festival runs for three days in mid-August at the Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park. In 2008, the festival was the recipient of the 'Keeping The Blues Alive Award' from the Blues Foundation, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Due to renovations that will close Hawrelak Park until 2026, the festival is moving to Edmonton's RE/MAX Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmie Vaughan</span> American blues rock guitarist and singer

Jimmie Lawrence Vaughan Jr. is an American blues rock guitarist and singer based in Austin, Texas. He is the older brother of the late Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Foley</span> Musical artist

Sue Foley is a Canadian blues guitarist and singer. She has released 15 albums since her debut with Young Girl Blues (1992). In May 2020, Foley won her first Blues Music Award, in the 'Koko Taylor Award ' category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Copley</span>

Al Copley is an American blues pianist and singer, plus arranger and co-founder of Roomful of Blues. After 16 years with Roomful, Copley relocated to Europe in 1984, and back home to the US in 2010.

The Long Beach Blues Festival, in Long Beach, California, United States, was established in full in 1980, and was one of the largest blues festivals and was the second oldest on the West Coast. It was held on Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend. For many years it was held on the athletic field on the California State University, Long Beach campus. The 2009 festival, the 30th annual, was held at Rainbow Lagoon in downtown Long Beach. The Festival went on hiatus in 2010, and has not been held since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian blues</span>

Canadian blues is the blues and blues-related music performed by blues bands and performers in Canada. Canadian blues artists include singers, players of the main blues instruments: guitar, harmonica, keyboards, bass and drums, songwriters and music producers. In many cases, blues artists take on multiple roles. For example, the Canadian blues artist Steve Marriner is a singer, harmonica player, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Hamilton (musician)</span> American jazz saxophonist

Scott Hamilton is an American jazz tenor saxophonist associated with swing and straight-ahead jazz. His eldest son, Shō Īmura, is the vocalist of the Japanese rock band Okamoto's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roomful of Blues</span> American jump blues and swing revival big band

Roomful of Blues is an American jump blues and swing revival big band based in Rhode Island. With a recording career that spans over 50 years, they have toured worldwide and recorded many albums. Roomful of Blues, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, "Swagger, sway and swing with energy and precision". Since 1967, the group’s blend of swing, rock and roll, jump blues, boogie-woogie and soul has earned it five Grammy Award nominations and many other accolades, including seven Blues Music Awards. Billboard called the band "a tour de force of horn-fried blues…Roomful is so tight and so right." The Down Beat International Critics Poll has twice selected Roomful of Blues as Best Blues Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Blues Festival</span> American annual music festival

The San Francisco Blues Festival was active from 1973 until 2008, and was located in San Francisco, California. It was the one of the longest running blues festival in the United States.

<i>Walk That Walk, Talk That Talk</i> 1991 studio album by The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Walk That Walk, Talk That Talk is a 1991 studio album by Texas based blues rock band The Fabulous Thunderbirds and the first without guitarist Jimmie Vaughan. He was replaced by Duke Robillard and Kid Bangham for the recording. The album marks a return to the straightforward blues-rock sound of their early material, abandoning the overly commercial production of their previous three albums.

Chris Flory is an American jazz guitarist.

Gerry Beaudoin is an American jazz guitarist and former member of the New Guitar Summit with Jay Geils and Duke Robillard.

Douglas James Schlecht, known professionally as Doug James is an American blues and rhythm and blues baritone saxophonist, songwriter, arranger, record producer and audio engineer. In a career spanning 50 years, James has played on many albums, including those recorded by Roomful of Blues, Duke Robillard, Jimmie Vaughan, Joe Louis Walker, Colin James, Pat Benatar, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and many others. In addition, James has released four albums bearing his name.

References

  1. Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. [Great Britain]: Carlton. p. 159. ISBN   1-85868-255-X.
  2. 1 2 Yanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists. San Francisco: Backbeat. p. 166. ISBN   978-1-61713-023-6.
  3. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Duke Robillard". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  4. "Bob Dylan changes guitarist mid-tour". Uncut . July 3, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  5. Brian D. Holland (2007-11-09). "A Bluesy World: An Interview with Duke Robillard". Premierguitar.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  6. "Duke Robillard | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 April 2017.