Duke's news

• Duke's new CD Stomp the Blues Tonight! is here. Pre-order now and get it first! >>MORE
• Duke Robillard's Blues A Rama. Online Blues Guitar Lessons! >>MORE
• Duke presents this master class on DVD in playing blues guitar, Guitar Method Volume 1, which includes lessons for choosing chord voicings, experimenting with boogie and other rhythms, and using a variety of picking techniques! >>MORE
• Introducing Sunny and her Joy Boys: >>Duke's Store
• The production team of Producer Duke Robillard and recording engineer Jack Gauthier are available for productions in Roots music, Americana, Jazz, Blues, Acoustic Rock and more. >>MORE
• Duke's new soul jazz instrumental single of Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" is available as a download. >>MORE
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• Duke Robillard Band's drummer, Mark Teixeira, is now available for private drumming lessons! For info contact Mark at: mleedydrum@yahoo.com

Hello Folks, It's that time of year again already! It's been a tough year for many but I have been blessed with a good run of dates throughout the year and several highpoints including three recordings and the first of several instructional videos to come for my own company.

I would like to thank all my friends and fans for your support and friendship and for making it possible for me to continue making music and recordings in this, my forty second year as a working musician! I am truly thankful that I can continue my quest for perfection in my music.

This has been the most prolific year of my life starting with the March release of "Introducing Sunny and her Joy Boys" with the fabulous Sunny Crownover and Billy Novick (one of my all time favorite musicians) on board for that group. Look for upcoming dates in the area early in 2010. In May, Stony Plain also released what I consider to be my finest Blues album to date with "Stomp! The Blues Tonight!" with may of my long time friends and band mates plus Sunny Crownover singing up a storm on 6 tracks.

Last but certainly not least is "Tales from the Tiki Lounge" which is one of my favorite album projects I've ever recorded. It's truly a concept album initially conceived as a tribute to Les Paul and Mary Ford and the idea of a self engineered (for the most part) CD with me doing multiple guitar tracks and light percussion (with help from Mark Teixeria) and Marty Ballou the master bassist on all tracks.

I found many of my favorite female vocal tunes to run by Sunny during this project and I'm happy to say she loved them all and sang them with authority and feeling turning this project into a true exotic mood piece that can be enjoyed for several different occasions. I sincerely hope you check out this CD, the first release on my own "Blue Duchess" label.

And for the blues fans, there's a great blues tune written by Les and Mary called "I'm still in love with you" plus the blues classic by Lil Green "Romance in the dark" and don't forget Mae West's "Occidental Woman" which is the most exotic piece of oriental blues there could ever be (and probably the only one other than Tom Waits "Shore Leave") Check out the story on "Tales from the Tiki Lounge on the Gibson website. It's available now at my store and at cdbaby and Newbury Comic and will be available soon on Amazon.com.

As if that's not enough, The Duke Robillard Band has started work on their next blues album for Stony Plain Records which is aiming for a fall release in 2010. All blues, it's has a contemporary blues flair with lots of new originals by myself and Al Basile and a cover of Tom Waits "Make It Rain." More news on that soon.

Somehow I also found time to produce Joe Louis Walkers latest critically acclaimed CD "Between a Rock and the Blues" and Bryan Lee's "My Lady Don't Love My Lady" for Justin Time records. I also will be producing Little Stevie (Silver's) next CD in December at Lakewest Recording in West Greenwich, RI.

It's been a non-stop busy year and I suspect it will keep on at this pace for a long time to come. Lets hope so anyway!

I would also like to inform you of our show at the new Knickerbocker Cafe on Railroad avenue in Westerly, RI on New Years Eve! Music starts at 9 PM. We are also doing a guest set with Levon Helm at his Midnight Ramble show at his Woodstock, NY home this Saturday December 5th! And don't forget our special RI Blues masters reunion show at Lupo's on December 11th! featuring Greg Piccolo, Doug James, Al Copley, Preston Hubbard, Carl Querfurth, Mark Teixeira and yours truly. Don't miss that one! Oh yeah, Don't forget to mark down January 16 for "Sunny and her Joy Boys" at Parish Center for the Arts in Westford, MA. and also March 20th at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, MA.

February 5th will mark the official CD release party for "Tales from the Tiki Lounge" at Chan's in Woonsocket, RI there will be some surprises, giveaways and possibly even a special guest or two, so don't even THINK about missing this one! I'll be polishing up my Les Paul chops and and ready to swing and we'll be ready for a very special evening of blues, swing and exotic tunes! Be there or be square........ Until then have a happy and safe holiday season! See you all soon.

....... Yours truly, Duke

FOR GUITAR PLAYERS ONLY

I have some exciting news about a new guitar that is in limited production now but should soon be on the market everywhere. Providence guitar builder/luthier Otto D'Ambrosio has designed a new guitar called the El Rey model for Eastman guitars, the great carved top string instrument builders of China. Otto has built prototypes and worked hands on in Beijing with their craftsmen to develop this new instrument that I'm proud to say I am playing now as one of my many tools of the trade.

It's a totally hollow small bodied carved top archtop guitar that feels like a real jazz guitar and plays with the ease of a Les Paul (without the weight!). With a beautiful feeling neck, gorgeous body and finish, and Kent Armstrong American made electronics, this guitar is a modern masterpiece with incredible tone and playability. I believe it sets a new standard for jazz guitar with this exciting new design.for information contact www.dambrosioguitars.com

I would like to give a tip to all my guitar playing friends about an amplifier I am currently using. The the company is Louis Electric out of Bergenfield N.J. The owner, Louis Rosano makes amazing sounding custom amps based on the early Fender tweed 40 and 80 watt twins with several speaker configurations. Mine is called "The Duke" and its a killer!!! Its got an Eminence 12" Tonker and a 10" Delta Demon speaker and the amp produces tones as fat and sweet as you could ever dream up! Lots of sustain with warm yet bright tone that you just cant get out of most modern amps. Maybe its because they hand build and wind their own transformers.

Or maybe because they use only the best components available and hand wire each amp with care and precision. It could have something to do with the beautiful 100 year old solid pine cabinet with only a stain on it to increase its tonal potential. Or maybe its that Lou tweeks each amp to what you specificly want with exacting skill to get the sound you want at the volume you play at to give you just the right breakup when you want it.

Read more news about Duke Robillard and the Duke Robillard Band!

Contact the Rosebud Agency at 415-386-3456