Duke Special
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| Duke Special | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter Wilson |
| Born | 1980 |
| Origin | Lisburn, Northern Ireland |
| Genre(s) | Alternative Folk Soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals Piano Accordion |
| Years active | 2002 - present |
| Label(s) | Medieval Haircut Records Hag Records Izumi Records V2 |
| Website | Official site |
Duke Special, real name Peter Wilson, is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly-accented voice, he has a distinctive look, with his long dreadlocks, eyeliner and outfits he describes as "hobo chic". His live performances have a theatrical style inspired by Vaudeville and music hall, and often incorporate 78s played on an old-fashioned gramophone, or sound effects from a transistor radio. He is most often accompanied by percussionist "Temperance Society" Chip Bailey, who plays cheese graters and egg whisks, a Stumpf fiddle and a Shirdi drone box, as well as the more typical drums and cymbals. Other musicians who perform with Wilson from time to time include Paul "Pilot" Wilkinson (guitar), Réa Curran (trumpet, backing vocals, accordion), Ben Castle (clarinet, saxophone), Ben Hales (bass guitar), "Professor" Ger Eaton (keyboards) and Serge Archibald III (saxophone, "ethereal background sounds", vibes).
He has released two albums, Adventures in Gramophone (2005) and Songs from the Deep Forest (2006), both of which were nominated for the Choice Music Prize. He is married to an artist and has three sons.
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[edit] Background
Wilson was born in Lisburn and grew up in Coleraine, Downpatrick and Holywood with his mother, father and three sisters. Wilson's grandmother, Mary Groves, taught his mother and her brothers and sisters to play the piano. This tradition of playing the piano was passed on to Wilson's three sisters and eventually to him also. He attended Down High School, Downpatrick and later Sullivan Upper School in Holywood.
After leaving school and a brief stint with a community arts project in England he returned home and played piano for Brian Houston (a Belfast songwriter influenced by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash and Elvis) under whom Wilson apprenticed, picking up a hunger for performing and a knack of winning over an audience in the process. Several band mutations on the musical journey followed and saw Wilson front other acts comprised of Belfast musicians but he was yet to hit his stride.
In 2002 he went solo, adopting the name Duke Special, and began building up a following as a live performer. He released three EPs on Medieval Haircut Records, the first two of which, Lucky Me and My Villain Heart, were collected as an album, Adventures in Gramophone, released by Hag Records in 2005. The album was nominated for the 2006 Choice Music Prize. In 2006 he signed to V2 Records and released a second album, Songs from the Deep Forest, which was nominated for the 2007 Choice Music Prize. He was nominated for three 2007 Meteor Music Awards, for best Irish male, best newcomer, and best album for Songs from the Deep Forest.
He has supported acts such as Van Morrison, Crowded House and Snow Patrol, and in 2006 toured Ireland with the Beautiful South and Europe with the Divine Comedy. In 2007 he headlined a concert with the Ulster Orchestra at Belfast's Waterfront Hall, "Orchestral Movements". The concert was supported by Julie Feeney and Foy Vance, who sang on one of Duke Special's songs, "This Could Be My Last Day". 2007 also saw him perform at Greenbelt festival, Glastonbury, Guilfest, Summer Sundae, Haldern Festival and the Electric Picnic among others and support Bell X1 on 2 dates; in Malahide Castle, Dublin and also as part of the Live at the Marquee series of concerts in Cork. In 2007 he performed as part of the BBC Electric Proms, supporting former Kinks lead singer Ray Davies. In 2008 he won the Meteor Music Award for Best Irish Male.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
- "Freewheel" (Hag / Izumi Records, 2005)
- "Portrait" (V2, 2006)
- "Last Night I Nearly Died (But I Woke Up Just in Time)" (V2, 2006)
- "Wake Up Scarlett" (V2, 2006) (iTunes download only)
- "Freewheel" (V2, 2007)
- "Last Night I Nearly Died (But I Woke Up Just in Time)" (V2, 2007)
- "Our Love Goes Deeper Than This" (V2, 2007) (featuring Neil Hannon and Romeo Stodart, download only)
- "No Cover Up" (V2, 2007)
[edit] EPs
- Lucky Me EP Medieval Haircut Records 2002
- My Villain Heart EP Medieval Haircut Records 2004
- Your Vandal EP Hag Records 2005
[edit] Albums
- Adventures in Gramophone (Hag, 2005) (collects the EPs Lucky Me and My Villain Heart)
- Songs from the Deep Forest (Izumi - Vinyl / V2 - CD, 2006)
- Songs from the Deep Forest Special Edition (V2, 2007)
