Duke Robillard
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| Duke Robillard | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Michael John Robillard |
| Born | October 4, 1948  Woonsocket, Rhode Island, United States |
| Genre(s) | Blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1967-1990 (Roomful of Blues), 1990-1993 (Fabulous Thunderbirds), 1993-Present (Duke Robillard Band) |
| Label(s) | Stony Plain |
| Associated acts | Duke Robillard Band, Roomful of Blues, The Fabulous Thunderbirds |
| Website | [1]Duke's Official Website |
Michael John "Duke" Robillard (born October 4, 1948 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island) is an American blues musician. After paying his dues in various bands and even working for Guild guitars, he co-founded Roomful of Blues with pianist Al Copley in 1967. He has also been a member of the The Fabulous Thunderbirds which included Kim Wilson, replacing Jimmie Vaughan. Although an extremely competent guitarist in Jazz, Swing, Rock and Roll and modern electric blues forms, Duke is generally regarded as the foremost authority and guitar player keeping the blues style of T-Bone Walker alive and well.
In the summer of 2006, Robillard was chosen by the legendary Tom Waits to play in his band on a rare ten date tour of the Southern USA. Waits had not visited many of these cites in almost 30 years, and tickets for the Louisville, KY show (which Waits had not played since 1978) sold out in less than 10 minutes.
[edit] Awards
Duke has been nominated and has received numerous awards over his career. Awards include:
- 2007 Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts
- 2001 "Best Blues Guitarist" W.C. Handy Award
- 2000 "Best Blues Guitarist" W.C. Handy Award
Duke has also been nominated for:
- 2007 "Best Contemporary Blues Album" Grammy Award
