Duke Robillard

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script type="text/javascript" src="http://hb.lycos.com/hb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ratings.lycos.com/ratings/lycosRating.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[//><!]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-start.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-middle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-end.js"></script> <noscript> <img src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/img/common/ot_noscript.gif?rand=239888" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="728" height="90" src="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=728x90&section=209094"></iframe>  </noscript> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=125 BGCOLOR="#AAAAAA" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03c467d1euxmic.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Kristi Singer</b></FONT><B>     </b><B>|     </b><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kristi Singer"><U><B>home</b></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id177.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dana Glover"><U>Dana Glover</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id209.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Danny Wood"><U>Danny Wood</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id232.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dark Star Orchestra"><U>Dark Star Orchestra</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id244.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Daryle Singletary"><U>Daryle Singletary</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dave Matthews Band"><U>Dave Matthews Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id164.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="David Collins"><U>David Collins</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id227.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Deana Carter"><U>Deana Carter</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id141.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dezerays Hammer"><U>Dezeray's Hammer</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id176.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Down from the Mountain"><U>Down from the Mountain</U></A>   |   <B>Duke Robillard</b>   |   <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dysfunktion"><U>Dysfunktion</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=190 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writing Samples"><U><B>Back to Articles</b></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=355 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> Duke Robillard</div> <bR> <div> <B>Blues Fest headliner Duke Robillard keeps busy</b></div> <div> By Kristi Singer</div> <div> <I>Star-News Correspondent</I></div> <div> Published July 24, 2003</div> <bR> <bR> <div> When Duke Robillard was a child, he heard an "expressive form of music" that just grabbed him. He didn't know what it was or why he liked it. He didn't know he had gotten his first taste of the blues.</div> <bR> <div> "It had a lot of feeling," Mr. Robillard said of the music during a phone interview from his Providence, R.I., home studio. "I just enjoyed the sound of it and hunted (it) out, after I was first exposed to it, where it came from and all its roots and tributaries. It's something that's kept me interested in music throughout my whole career."</div> <bR> <div> He began his professional music career in 1967 when he formed Roomful of Blues. He's been named the W.C. Handy Awards' "Best Blues Guitarist" in 2000 and 2001 and shared studios and stages with the likes of Bob Dylan, Jay McShann, John Hammond and others. He's cut two albums with the Legendary Blues Band and, in 1990, replaced Jimmy Vaughan in the Fabulous Thunderbirds.</div> <bR> <div> Because of his accomplishments and talent, he's been called a "legend" in the blues community, but, well, Mr. Robillard just laughs about that.</div> <bR> <div> "To me the word legend means that you're out, but it's a compliment," he said. "I've certainly been doing it a long time, so I don't mind the title. I don't really sit around and think about how people consider me."</div> <bR> <div> But he does sit around his studio and think about his music. He was rearranging his studio during the interview and explained how he now does all of his recordings and production in-house.</div> <bR> <div> "It's nice to be able to work downstairs and lay down guitar tracks in my bathrobe and not worry about going out," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Mr. Robillard built his studio about three years ago and said he's "stockpiling" material.</div> <bR> <div> He's recorded three of his own albums -- Living With the Blues, Exalted Lover (releasing in August) and a yet-to-be-titled jazz album. Mr. Robillard's latest release, More Conversations In Swing Guitar with legendary jazz guitarist Herb Ellis, hit stores in April.</div> <bR> <div> "When I originally had the concept for the album, I wanted to do it with a lot of my favorite guitarists and we ran into a few problems because of their management," Mr. Robillard said. "I had started with Herb Ellis because he accepted the offer and we were going to cut two songs originally. But we had so much fun playing together that we actually cut two albums instead of two songs."</div> <bR> <div> The two albums -- 1999's Conversations in Swing Guitar and More Conversations in Swing Guitar -- were recorded in only two days about five years ago. His upcoming release, Exalted Lover, has more of a bluesy, rootsy, R&B feel than More Conversations, Mr. Robillard said.</div> <bR> <div> "They are totally different kinds of records, which is why they're being released in the same year, because one is for a jazz guitar audience and the other is for more of a mainstream blues and mainstream audience," Mr. Robillard said.</div> <bR> <div> Exalted Lover will include duets with Pam Tillis.</div> <bR> <div> "She told me that she loves to sing jazz and used to sing jazz quite a bit and if I needed someone for an album that she would love to do it," Mr. Robillard said. "So I immediately took her up on the offer."</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I>For more on Duke Robillard, log on to www.dukerobillard.com.</I></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>