<back - DUKE ROBILLARD -  Duke Robillard's guitar playing has spanned the worlds of Rock 'n Roll, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, and Swing since he began with the legendary Roomful of Blues in 1967. Duke, who founded Roomful, left after 13 years to venture on his own. While making solo albums and touring the world, Duke's also been a member of the Kim Wilson's Fabulous Thunderbirds and the Legendary Blues Band. He's also played on albums by Bob Dylan, Ruth Brown, Johnny Adams, Kim Wilson, Sax Gordon Beadle, Jay McShann, Herb Ellis, Pinetop Perkins, John Hammond Jr, Jimmy Witherspoon, Snooky Pryor, Jerry Portnoy, Ronnie Earl, and many more.

Duke has continued to diversify his projects to showcase his producing skills. After co-producing and playing on John Hammond's 'Found True Love', which was nominated for a Grammy, Duke produced and played on Jimmy Witherspoon's 'Spoon's Blues' (his last recording) along with tenor sax great Scott Hamilton. In 1996 he produced and played on Hootie's Jumpin' Blues by piano legend Jay McShann. 2002 also found Duke being nominated again for the Best Blues Guitarist Award at the WC Handy Awards after taking that title for 2000 and 2001. Duke was also presented with the Canadian Maple Blues International Artist of the Year award in Toronto. Just as remarkable have been the projects he has produced (and played on) for Stony Plain Records, including 2 albums with the late Jimmy Witherspoon, 3 with Kansas City piano king Jay McShann, comeback CDs for Billy Boy Arnold and Rosco Gordon, a swinging confection with the Canadian band The Rockin' Highliners, and a superb album of guitar duets with the Jazz legend Herb Ellis.  As if this growing catalogue was not enough, he has found time to share studio gigs with Bob Dylan (the Daniel Lanois-produced Time Out of Mind sessions), Ruth Brown, the late Johnny Adams, John Hammond Jr., Pinetop Perkins, and Ronnie Earl, among many others. He now has his own 24-track studio in his home, and he has become deeply involved in graphic design and photography as well as record production. Duke Robillard is a Bluesman in command of a full range of creative talents unique in the Blues, and rare in the music industry as a whole. Currently Duke has released on Stony Plain Records his tribute to his idol and main influence T-bone Walker entitled Blue Mood. If anyone can do justice to T-bone Walker's music, it would be Duke Robillard, hands down. Also just released by Stony Plain is the New Guitar Summit, featuring Duke with friends Jay Geils and Gerry Beaudoin. MP3- Don't Treat me like That |