Blast Off! A 2026 rocket of badass blues from Duke Robillard launches February 20th….and YOU are gonna love it! At 77, Duke Robillard is one of the living legends of the contemporary blues. A native of Rhode Island, Duke co-founded the Roomful of Blues band in the late 1960’s, was a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds in the 1980’s and has charmed audiences worldwide as a bluesman with his own band during a career that has spanned over almost 60 years! Duke is a singer, songwriter, guitar player, band leaders, and producer of some of the finest music in the blues genre.
For the Blast Off recording by Duke Robillard and His All Star Band , Duke surrounded himself with some familiar faces, added a new voice, and brought in some fantastic talent in the horn section. Duke (lead guitar), Bruce Bears (keyboards), Marty Ballou (bass) and Mark Teixeira (drums) form the core of the band with second guitarist Chris Cote handling most of the vocal duties. Doug James and Mark Earley kick out some badass sax, Jeff “Doc” Chanonhouse blows the trumpet on “You Rascal You,” and special guest Billy Novick does some amazing work on clarinet and alto sax!
Duke Robillard has always loved the rhythm & blues and both swing music and jazz from the 1930’s and 40’s and it is reflected in the new upbeat recording. “The King” is an instrumental right off the floor of a Count Basie orchestra performance and “I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead (You Rascal You) is a fitting tribute to my hometown hero, Louis Armstrong. “Play Boy Hop” is another instrumental that will transport you back to the R&B music of the 1950’s. Some more personal favorites on the 12 song album are the Duke’s performance of the Tom Waits tune “Lowdown”, a Duke original “Feel My Cares”, and another funky instrumental entitled “Galactic Grease”.
All the songs are produced by Duke Robillard and it matters! The responsibility for the overall sound of a recording belongs to the producer and I challenge you to listen to three contemporary blues recordings including Blast Off and tell me that the Duke isn’t a badass producer! The songs are bright and vibrant and it’s like the trumpet, clarinet, sax, guitars, keyboards, bass, and drums are right in your living room!! That is no accident; it takes talent and hard work to bring that special sound to your ear!
If you want to grab your favorite beverage of choice then kick back and venture to that special musical place where you can truly relax, there is no better Blast Off than the new recording from Duke Robillard and His All Star Band….strap in…enjoy the ride!
Album Info
Duke Robillard and His All Star Band – Blast Off (2026 Nola Blue Records)
- When I Get Lucky – Floyd Dixon, El Camino Music Publishing
- I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead (You Rascal You) – Sam Theard, EMI Mills Music Inc.
- Feel My Cares – Duke Robillard, Blue Duchess Music
- Lowdown – Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan, Jalma Music
- Play Boy Hop – M. Brunner, Screen Gems-EMI Music Ltd.
- Confusion – Allen Toussaint, Sony/ATV Publishing
- Blast Off! – Duke Robillard & Marty Ballou, Blue Duchess Music
- Stand By Me – Eddie Jones, Sony/ATV Songs LLC
- The King – Count Basie & Jon Hendricks, Wc Music Corp.
- Warm and Tender Love – Bobby Robinson & Irral Berger, Warner-Tamerlane Pub.
- Galactic Grease – Duke Robillard, Marty Ballou & Mark Teixeira, Blue Duchess Music
- Look a There Look a There – Hudson Whittaker, Boot House of Tunes
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Ben Vee started out spinning songs on terrestrial radio and at nightclubs back in the 1970’s in his home state of Louisiana. After a career in the construction business, he returned to DJing in 2011. He now hosts two shows each week on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com and writes about the blues for BMFR at http:/www.bluesbeats.com and on his own blog at http://www.benveeblues.com from his home in Connecticut.
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