Sir Duke
Encyclopedia
"Sir Duke" is a song composed and performed by Stevie Wonder
, from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life
. Released as a single in 1977, the track topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
and Black Singles charts, and reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart
, his joint biggest hit there at the time.
The song was written in tribute to Duke Ellington
, the influential jazz
legend who had died in 1974. The lyrics also refer to Count Basie
, Glenn Miller
, Louis Armstrong
and Ella Fitzgerald
.
The artists, apart from Stevie Wonder, who perform on the original version were: Raymond Pounds (drums
), Nathan Watts
(bass
), Mike Sembello
(lead guitar
), Ben Bridges (rhythm guitar
), Hank Redd (alto saxophone
), Trevor Laurence (tenor saxophone
), Raymond Maldonado (trumpet
), and Steve Madaio (trumpet
).
Wonder re-recorded the song for the 1995 live album Natural Wonder
.
, a jazz
pianist
who had an influence on him as a musician. Wonder had already experienced the passing of two of his idols (Dinah Washington
and Wes Montgomery
) after attempting to collaborate with them.
After Ellington died in 1974, Wonder wanted to write a song acknowledging musicians he felt were important. He later said, "I knew the title from the beginning but wanted it to be about the musicians who did something for us. So soon they are forgotten. I wanted to show my appreciation." Later tributes included "Master Blaster" in 1980 (dedicated to Bob Marley
) and "Happy Birthday", which pleaded for commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr.
on his birthday.
Wonder pays tribute to "some of music's pioneers" in the song: "There's Basie
, Miller
, Satchmo
, and the king of all, Sir Duke
/ And with a voice like Ella
's ringing out / There's no way the band can lose".
added a French cover version of the song, "La musique c'est le monde des fous" (Music is the world of madmen), with lyrics by Claude Lemesle, to his live set in 1977. A studio version was released posthumously.
In the early to mid-1990s, "Sir Duke" was played during the NBA's New York Knicks
games at Madison Square Garden
. It is featured in the Derrick Comedy
sketch "Progressions of a Mad Hatter". The song was played at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
after the Presidential nomination acceptance speeches of John Kerry
and John Edwards
.
It was used for the theatrical trailer for the Will Smith
romantic-comedy movie, Hitch
.
In 2008
, "Sir Duke" was used in a TV commercial for Lee Jeans.
It was used for the theatrical trailer for the 2010 comedy, "Lottery Ticket
".
The song was remade and is included on the album Space Age Blues, the second album from Devon Allman's Honeytribe
.
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life is the 13th album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, released September 28, 1976, on Motown Records. It was the culmination of his "classic period" albums. An ambitious double LP with a 4-song bonus EP, Songs in the Key of Life became among the best-selling and...
. Released as a single in 1977, the track topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and Black Singles charts, and reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, his joint biggest hit there at the time.
The song was written in tribute to Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, the influential jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
legend who had died in 1974. The lyrics also refer to Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
, Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
, Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
and Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
.
The artists, apart from Stevie Wonder, who perform on the original version were: Raymond Pounds (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), Nathan Watts
Nathan Watts
Nathan Lamar Watts, born 1954 in Detroit, Michigan is an American session bass guitar player, best known for his work with Stevie Wonder from the 1970s to the present...
(bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Mike Sembello
Michael Sembello
Michael Sembello is an American musician and songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Career:Sembello was born and raised in Philadelphia. He studied with jazz great Pat Martino and began his career as a professional musician by becoming a session musician, working increasingly with...
(lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
), Ben Bridges (rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
), Hank Redd (alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
), Trevor Laurence (tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
), Raymond Maldonado (trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
), and Steve Madaio (trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
).
Wonder re-recorded the song for the 1995 live album Natural Wonder
Natural Wonder
Natural Wonder is a live album by American musician Stevie Wonder, released in 1995 and recorded in Osaka, Japan. It is an edited version of a televised concert Wonder performed with the Tokyo Philharmonic.-Disc one:# "Dancing to the Rhythm" *– 7:07...
.
Background
Wonder wrote the song as a tribute to Duke EllingtonDuke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
who had an influence on him as a musician. Wonder had already experienced the passing of two of his idols (Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
and Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
) after attempting to collaborate with them.
After Ellington died in 1974, Wonder wanted to write a song acknowledging musicians he felt were important. He later said, "I knew the title from the beginning but wanted it to be about the musicians who did something for us. So soon they are forgotten. I wanted to show my appreciation." Later tributes included "Master Blaster" in 1980 (dedicated to Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
) and "Happy Birthday", which pleaded for commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
on his birthday.
Wonder pays tribute to "some of music's pioneers" in the song: "There's Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
, Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
, Satchmo
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
, and the king of all, Sir Duke
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
/ And with a voice like Ella
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
's ringing out / There's no way the band can lose".
Critical reception
Steve Halvonik, staff writer of The Daily Collegian, called the piece "pompous", describing it as "the big brassy salute to Duke Ellington" and "the most engaging song on the album." He praised its "up-beat tempo, punchy horn lines and syncopated rhythm" and pronounced it the "brightest album" of the year.Charts
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
2 |
In media
Franco-American singer Joe DassinJoe Dassin
Joseph Ira Dassin , more commonly known as Joe Dassin, was an American singer-songwriter best known for his French songs of the 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:...
added a French cover version of the song, "La musique c'est le monde des fous" (Music is the world of madmen), with lyrics by Claude Lemesle, to his live set in 1977. A studio version was released posthumously.
In the early to mid-1990s, "Sir Duke" was played during the NBA's New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
games at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. It is featured in the Derrick Comedy
Derrick Comedy
Derrick Comedy is an Internet sketch comedy group from New York University. The group has a large YouTube following and was mentioned in Rolling Stone in July 2007. Their video "Bro Rape" has garnered over 8 million views...
sketch "Progressions of a Mad Hatter". The song was played at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention
The 2004 Democratic National Convention convened from July 26 to July 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts, and nominated John Kerry and John Edwards as the official candidates of the Democratic Party for President and Vice President of the United States, respectively, in the 2004...
after the Presidential nomination acceptance speeches of John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
and John Edwards
John Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
.
It was used for the theatrical trailer for the Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
romantic-comedy movie, Hitch
Hitch (film)
Hitch is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and starring Will Smith. The film, which was written by Kevin Bisch, co-stars Eva Mendes, Kevin James, and Amber Valletta. Smith plays a professional matchmaker who makes a living teaching men how to woo women...
.
In 2008
2008 in television
The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2008. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel launches.-January:-February:-March:-April:-May:-June:-July:-August:...
, "Sir Duke" was used in a TV commercial for Lee Jeans.
It was used for the theatrical trailer for the 2010 comedy, "Lottery Ticket
Lottery Ticket (film)
For the common Lottery, see Lottery. For other uses, see Lottery .Lottery Ticket is a comedy film starring Bow Wow, Brandon T...
".
The song was remade and is included on the album Space Age Blues, the second album from Devon Allman's Honeytribe
Honeytribe
Honeytribe is an American blues rock band formed in Saint Louis, Missouri. The founder and bandleader is Devon Allman, son of Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band, who is the lead guitarist, vocalist, and frontman. The other members are George Potsos on bass, and Justin Hanson on...
.
Cover versions
- Jazz trio CodonaCodonaCodona was a free jazz and world fusion group which released three self-titled albums on the ECM label in 1978, 1980 and 1982. The trio consisted of Don Cherry, Collin Walcott, and Nana Vasconcelos....
recorded the song in a brief medley with two Ornette ColemanOrnette ColemanOrnette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
songs on their debut album CodonaCodona (album)Codona is the first album by the jazz trio Codona which featured sitarist and tabla player Collin Walcott, trumpeter Don Cherry and percussionist Naná Vasconcelos recorded in 1978 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(1979) - In 1995, saxophonist NajeeNajeeJerome Najee Rasheed , known professionally as Najee, is an urban jazz saxophonist and flautist.He attended New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he studied with George Russell and Jaki Byard....
covered the song from his Stevie Wonder tribute album "Songs from the Key of Life." - MysteryGuitarMan aka Joe PennaJoe PennaJoe Penna , known online as MysteryGuitarMan, is a Brazilian guitarist, animator, and filmmaker. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.-YouTube:...
also made a cover for his YouTube channel. - Austin, Texas pop-rock band Two Guy Trio covered the song on their 2002 album Your Rock 'n' Roll Birthday.
- Filipino singer Ogie AlcasidOgie AlcasidHerminio Jhay Alcasid, Jr., more popularly known as Ogie "Eric Ordoñez" Alcasid , is a Filipino singer, songwriter, composer, television presenter, comedian, parodist, actor, and entrepreneur.-Recording career:...
covered the song from the 2003 compilation album, The Best of Crossover Presents. - The a capella group Blue Jupiter performed a cover of this song on their 2002 album Ear Candy.