Saying Goodbye to George Duke

A genius, an inspiration, a friend
Music • Views: 22,340

This is a really difficult post for me to write. George Duke, one of my most important musical mentors, a real genius in every sense of the word with a heart as big as his talent, the guy who gave me my real start in the music business, has died at the age of 67 after battling chronic leukemia.

When I was growing up and learning to play guitar in Hawaii, George Duke was one of my heroes. It was a dream come true to play in his band, and I’ll always be grateful to him for his supportive attitude — and the way he pushed us all to play the best we could.

It’s a very unhappy day, dear readers. I’m heart-broken. But to celebrate George’s life, here’s a video from 1978 of the George Duke Band in the studio, recording the follow-up album to “Reach For It,” titled “Don’t Let Go.” (That’s me playing guitar.)

So long, George. You were the greatest.

YouTube

Band:
George Duke - keyboards, vocals (January 12, 1946 - August 5, 2013)
Charles ‘Icarus’ Johnson - guitar
Byron Miller - bass
Sheila E - drums/percussion
Leon ‘Ndugu’ Chancler - drums
Napoleon ‘Nappie’ Murphy Brock - sax, vocals
Josie James, Muffy Hendrix - vocals

As recorded for album: George Duke - Don’t Let Go (1978) goo.gl

Snippet from: “George Duke: A Preview” goo.gl

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Last updated: 2023-04-04 11:11 am PDT
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