George Duke: A brief biography of the fusion musician
He straddled both the jazz and pop world during his career
Last updated 11th Jan 2022
Fusion keyboardist, composer and record producer George Duke straddled both the jazz and pop world during his nearly 50-year career.
How did George Duke become famous?
Whilst still studying at university in San Francisco, he was hired as part of the house band at Half Note alongside hailed vocalist Al Jarreau, which was at the start of a lifelong friendship. The house band went onto back names such as Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins.
Following a spell of touring, George was spotted by Cannonball Adderley and Frank Zappa, with whom he both played during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
His fame took off during the mid-1970s, which would eventually lead to him becoming the musical director for Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Tribute concert, which took place in 1988 at Wembley Stadium, London.
Which are George Duke's most famous albums?
George Duke recorded his first album, a hard bop record, The George Duke Quartet Presented by the Jazz Workshop 1966 of Francisco, which was released through the Saba label, at the age of 20. Yet, it would be another four years before the release of his next record Save the Country in 1970.
In the mid-1970s, George Duke recorded a series of jazz and jazz-funk classics such as Faces in Reflection (1974) and The Aural Will Prevail (1975), whilst in the later 1970s, he went on to experiment with different styles by including elements of funk, disco and soul into his works, including Reach For It (1977), Follow the Rainbow (1977) and his most famous work, A Brazilian Love Affair (1979).
Which other artists did George Duke work with?
From the late 1970s onwards, he also became an established producer for an array of artists such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson and Anita Baker, to name just a few.
His work as a producer Dianne Reeves would lead to accolades in the early 2000s, with Grammy awards for his work on In The Moment: Live in Concert (2000) and The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan (2001).
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