Whether it's a song, a style, an idiom or an image, Duke Robillard will render it with mastery,
power, nuance and an unerring grasp of its essence.
" One of the great players"---BB King
"Robillard is a soloist of stunning force and originality."--- The New York Times
"Most everything Duke Robillard has done as a guitarist during the past four-plus
decades...bears witness to his musical intelligence and his dedication to his craft."--- Downbeat
"A guitarist's guitarist, prolific producer, and master of all things blues, Duke Robillard walks the
tightrope between traditionalism and experimentation...He's a master of many styles who moves...
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Whether it's a song, a style, an idiom or an image, Duke Robillard will render it with mastery,
power, nuance and an unerring grasp of its essence.
" One of the great players"---BB King
"Robillard is a soloist of stunning force and originality."--- The New York Times
"Most everything Duke Robillard has done as a guitarist during the past four-plus
decades...bears witness to his musical intelligence and his dedication to his craft."--- Downbeat
"A guitarist's guitarist, prolific producer, and master of all things blues, Duke Robillard walks the
tightrope between traditionalism and experimentation...He's a master of many styles who moves
forward while maintaining a firm grounding in the past."--- Blues Revue
Born Michael John Robillard on October 4, 1948, in Woonsocket, R.I., Duke has carved out one
of blues' most illustrious legacies, while also trodding some lofty related territories as a guitarist,
vocalist, songwriter, bandleader, studio sideman, producer, label operator and educator.
After showing an early affinity for music and guitar, he founded Roomful Of Blues with pianist Al
Copley in Westerly, R.I., in 1967. By adding horns, Roomful announced itself emphatically as
the prototypical jump blues band, and became a New England legend and a fixture beyond, as
did Duke himself.
By the time Duke left Roomful after a dozen years, he was firmly established in the upper
echelon of contemporary blues guitarists. Duke went from Roomful to a stint with rockabilly
revivalist Robert Gordon and then to the first iteration of the Legendary Blues Band, composed
primarily of then-recent Muddy Waters sidemen.
The Duke Robillard Band debuted in 1981, re-emerging as The Pleasure Kings with their
eponymous 1984 album on Rounder. It and its sequel, 'Too Hot To Handle' ; burnished Duke's
songwriting portfolio; the 1987 jazz outing 'Swing' (with saxophonist Scott Hamilton)
underscored his versatility and remains a highlight.
Continuing his solo career, Duke replaced Jimmie Vaughan with The Fabulous Thunderbirds in
1990. He cut his own much-awaited straight blues album 'Duke's Blues' in 1993 for Canadian
imprint Stony Plain, leading eventually to a rewarding, continuing and prolific alliance, along with
releases during the ensuing years on Point Blank/Virgin and Shanachie, as well as instructional
videos. He has also launched his own labels with Jesse Finkelstein, Blue Duchess/Shining
Stone.
GRAMMY Nominations for Best Traditional Blues Album for 2010 Stomp! The Blues Tonight
and 2006 Guitar Groove-a-Rama.
The Blues Music Awards (formerly W.C.Handy Awards) have named Duke Robillard 'Best
Blues Guitarist'; four years out of five (2000,2001,2003,2004) making him the second most
honored guitarist for that award! He was also nominated in that category in 2005, 2007 2008.
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