Duke Special

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Duke Special

Duke Special, real name Peter Wilson, is an alternative rock musician based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based singer-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 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.

Background

Wilson was born in Lisburn and grew up in Coleraine, Downpatrick and Holywood with his mother, father and three sisters. With the exception of his father, it was a musical family. Wilson and his sisters were taught piano by their grandmother, a music teacher, and sang traditional Irish songs in churches and community centres. He attended Sullivan Upper School in Holywood, and briefly considered a career as a community worker.

He played in a band called 65dBA (later dBA) in Swindon, England, before returning to Belfast and forming The Booley House with guitarist Andrew Mitchell. They released a single, "Time is Right" (1996), and an album, Lemonade (1997), on local labels. In 2000, performing solo under the name Booley, he released the album Bathroom Floor, and performed a duet with Clannad's Máire Brennan, "Peace Has Broken Out", on the compilation album One. He formed a new band, Benzine Headset, and released an album called Garçon Pamplemousse in 2001, which included an early version of the song "Freewheel".

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, but lost out to Julie Feeney's 13 Songs. 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, but again lost out, this time to The Divine Comedy's Victory for the Comic Muse. He was nominated for three 2007 Meteor Music Awards, for best Irish male, best newcomer, and best album for Songs from the Deep Forest, but lost out in all three categories.

He has supported acts such as Van Morrison 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 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.

Discography

Singles

EPs

Albums

External links

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