Wilmer & the Dukes

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Wilmer and the Dukes (originally Wilmer Alexander Junior and the Dukes) were an American R&B band in upstate New York in the 1960s. Though they produced only a handful of singles and one album, they performed regularly, and had a dedicated following. One reviewer said, "In Geneva, there were two kinds of kids. Those who went to 'Wilmer' and those who didn't." They are fondly remembered by many of the college alumni from that area, and their music continues to be played today. They were also a major influence on other rising musicians such as Eric Bloom, the lead singer of Blue Öyster Cult, and they may have been the inspiration for "Otis Day and the Knights", the 1960s fictional band in the 1978 movie Animal House. The group disbanded in 1974, but came back together for some benefit concerts in 1988, and has continued playing since then, with the last remaining of the original members, Ron Alberts, retiring in 2004. With replacement members, the new version of the band continues to perform as of 2007, as The Legendary Dukes.[1]

1 History
2 Local venues
3 Recording history
4 Discography
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

The band originated in 1957 in Geneva, New York, formed by Wilmer Alexander Jr. (born c. 1943), Ron Alberts, and Ralph Gillotte. Except for Wilmer, all of the members were white, which made the band stand out even more in some of the all-black clubs that they first played in. The Alexanders lived on Wadsworth Street in Geneva, and the band used to practice at one of the garages owned by the Felice Trucking Company on Kirkwood Ave.

Wilmer sang and played saxophone, and the band was managed by Ebo Alberts, the father of the drummer, Ronnie Alberts, and the bassist, Monte Alberts. The guitarist, Doug Brown, was from the South and played Stevie Cropper-style. Ralph "Duke" Gillotte was the keyboardist and additional vocalist.

They were primarily a cover band, playing other people's material, such as by Steve Miller and The Rolling Stones. Other music was from Sam and Dave and there were also sax-based hits such as those originated by Junior Walker and the All-Stars. One of their most popular covers was Lee Dorsey's "Get Out of My Life Woman" (a song that was covered by dozens of other bands as well).

[edit] Local venues

The band played from approximately 1961-1974 at various locations around Upstate New York, mostly on the college and bar circuit. Regular venues were The "Pittsford Inn" in Pittsford NY, "Club 86" in Geneva on Saturdays, and "Bristol Ski Lodge" in Canandaigua on Fridays. They were also regular guests at St. Bonaventure University, and known to play at the Gargoyle Park Pavilion in Olean.

One club which helped them reach legendary status was "The Inferno" in Williamsville, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. Every Wednesday night, long lines of fans formed through Glen Park and over the bridge on Glen Avenue, many waiting for hours to get into the sold-out Inferno. Wilmer & the Dukes would play such cover songs as "Reach Out" and "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by the Four Tops, "Shotgun" & "Road Runner" by Junior Walker & the All Stars, and "Baby Let Me Bang Your Box" by Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts. The crowd would be in a frenzy by the time Wilmer & the Dukes closed each set with "Reach Out". Other legendary acts they opened for included Wilson Pickett and Sly & the Family Stone. Another of their venues was a bowling alley, Clover Lanes in Rochester. The lanes would be covered over with a temporary wooden stage, Wilmer and the Dukes would play an opening set, and then a national act such as Tommy James and the Shondells, Freddie and the Dreamers, or The Association would be the headliner.

It was at the "Holiday Bar and Grille" in 1963 that they were first heard by Eric Bloom, local college student and future lead singer of "Blue Öyster Cult". He became a loyal fan of the band, attending over 100 performances, and stayed close with them for years. In 1967, his own student band "Lost and Found" opened for the Dukes when they played at his campus, Hobart College, and they also came to perform at his fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon.

[edit] Recording history

The band's first single was an original dance track by guitarist Brown called "Give Me One More Chance", and was released in the spring of 1968. It got heavy play on stations in upper New York state and upper Pennsylvania, and was a top 40 hit in several East Coast markets -- and also, oddly, in Phoenix, Arizona and Bakersfield, California. [2]. However, nationally the record only peaked at #78 in Cashbox (in June), and as #80 in Billboard (in July). "Give Me One More Chance" was also a chart hit in Toronto, Canada (less than 100 miles from Buffalo, New York). Picked up by AM rock station 1050 CHUM in Toronto, the single reached #18 on the CHUM chart in June, 1968.[3] At this time, the band was known as Wilmer Alexander, Jr., and the Dukes.

A 1968 follow-up single, "Heavy Time", failed to chart. However, the single's b-side, the Jagger/Richards composition "I'm Free", did chart in the top 30 on radio stations in both Syracuse and Rochester. This same song would much later be a hit for the Soup Dragons.

The band's one album (credited to Wilmer and the Dukes) was released in 1969 by Aphrodisiac Records, out of Buffalo. Estimates are that it sold over 600,000 copies, achieving gold status.^{[citation needed]} The album featured "Give Me One More Chance", "Heavy Time" and "I'm Free", as well as the band's final single, "Living In The USA", written by Steve Miller. Released in the summer of 1969, "Living In The USA" was another regional hit for the band in upper New York state (and also a top 40 hit in Detroit) [4], but the song only made it to #114 on the Billboard charts, and failed to break out nationally beyond these markets.

Their manager later brought them to Detroit, but their work never really caught on outside of the lower Great Lakes region. Still, although the original members never recorded after 1969, their live shows were a consistent draw in upper New York state, and Wilmer and the Dukes gigged steadily in and around Rochester and Buffalo until they broke up in 1974.

In 1988, the group reformed for a series of sold out benefit concerts to help pay some medical bills for the ailing Wilmer. Thereafter, various members have continued touring as The Legendary Dukes, who are active as of 2007, which marks 50 years since the group's origin. The original organist, Ralph Gillotte, passed away in 1999. Ron Alberts retired in 2004. However, the group continues with new members, and has toured as far as Houston, Texas, and Kansas City.^[1] The Legendary Dukeshave recorded two more CDs since the reformation of the band. The 1994 "Committed To Soul" (on Forevermore Records) has a slightly "softer" edge to it. While the self produced 2004 release "See The World From The Side Of The Road", returns to the harder, energy laden sound of the original band with current line-up adding a decidedly more modern approach to it.

[edit] Discography

Wilmer and the Dukes, 1969, Aphrodisiac Records, APH6001 (included brass arrangements by a young Gap Mangione)
Wilmer and the Dukes (Original recording remastered), 1999, Forevermore Records, ASIN B000005D6L

Songs: