Duke Special facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Duke Special
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Duke Special performing in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter Wilson |
| Born | 4 January 1971 Lisburn, Northern Ireland |
| Genres | Alternative rock, baroque pop, chamber pop, folk, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Medieval Haircut, Hag, Izumi, V2, Universal Ireland, Reel to Reel, Adventures in Gramophone |
Duke Special is the stage name for Peter Wilson, a talented singer and songwriter from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was born on January 4, 1971. He is known for his unique piano-based songs and his warm, distinct voice.
In the past, Duke Special often wore special outfits, eyeliner, and had long dreadlocks. He called his style "hobo chic." Today, he usually performs without makeup, aiming to show more of his true self. His live shows are very theatrical, like old-fashioned Vaudeville or music hall performances. He sometimes plays old 78 records on an antique gramophone or uses sound effects from a transistor radio.
Duke Special often performs with his percussionist, Chip Bailey. Chip plays unusual instruments like cheese graters, egg whisks, a Stumpf fiddle, and a Shruti box, along with regular drums. Other musicians sometimes join him, playing guitar, trumpet, accordion, clarinet, saxophone, bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin, and more.
His albums include Adventures in Gramophone (2005), Songs from the Deep Forest (2006), I Never Thought This Day Would Come (2008), Little Revolutions (2009), The Silent World of Hector Mann (2010), Mother Courage and Her Children (2010), Under the Dark Cloth (2011), Oh Pioneer (2012), Look Out Machines! (2015), and Hallow (2017).
Contents
Early Life and Musical Start
Peter Wilson was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. He grew up in different towns like Coleraine, Downpatrick, and Holywood. His grandmother, Mary Groves, taught his mother and her siblings to play the piano. This love for piano playing was passed down to Peter and his three sisters.
He went to Down High School and later Sullivan Upper School. After school, he spent a short time working on an arts project in England. Then he came home and started playing piano for Brian Houston, another songwriter from Belfast. Peter learned a lot from Brian, including how to perform and connect with an audience. He played in other bands before starting his solo career.
Today, Peter lives in Belfast and has three children.
Duke Special's Solo Career
In 2002, Peter Wilson began performing as Duke Special. He quickly gained fans by playing many live shows. He released several short music collections called EPs. Two of these, Lucky Me and My Villain Heart, were later combined into his first album, Adventures in Gramophone, released in 2005. This album was nominated for the Choice Music Prize, a big music award in Ireland.
In 2006, he released his second album, Songs from the Deep Forest. He even appeared on a famous TV music show called Later... with Jools Holland. This album was also nominated for the Choice Music Prize. Duke Special was nominated for three Meteor Music Awards in 2007, including Best Irish Male.
In 2007, he performed a special concert called "Orchestral Manoevres" with the Ulster Orchestra at Belfast's Waterfront Hall. He also played at many large music festivals like Glastonbury and the Electric Picnic. That same year, he supported famous musicians like Ray Davies (from The Kinks) and the band Crowded House on their tours.
His third album, I Never Thought This Day Would Come, came out in 2008. He also wrote the theme music for the BBC Northern Ireland children's TV show Sesame Tree. In 2008, he won the Meteor Music Award for Best Irish Male.
In 2009, Duke Special performed at the Oxegen music festival. He also spent several months performing in a play called Mother Courage and Her Children at the Royal National Theatre in London. He wrote music for the songs in the play. In 2010, he used a system called Pledge Music, where fans could help fund his music projects by pledging money for special items.
In September 2010, Duke Special played at the Last Night of the Proms for the BBC, a very important concert, at Hillsborough Castle. In 2011, he made a TV show about the life of another Belfast singer, Ruby Murray, and released an EP of her songs. He also performed songs inspired by famous photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. These songs later became his album Under the Dark Cloth, performed with The RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
In July 2012, Duke Special released Oh Pioneer on his own record label. This album did very well on iTunes, reaching high spots on the music charts in Ireland and the UK. He also performed and even DJ'd old 78rpm records at the Camp Bestival music festival.
In 2013, he worked with the famous Irish band Clannad on their album Nádúr. He also performed with them on TV and radio shows. In December 2013, he finished a year-long series of concerts in Belfast with a special 'Victorian Christmas' show.
In 2017, he released an album called Hallow, which was based on the poems of Michael Longley. In November 2023, Duke Special released Blood for Ghosts. This album features 10 songs based on old sheet music he found in a library in Monaco.
Music Albums
Early Work
- Bathroom Floor as Booley (1999)
- Garçon Pamplemousse as Benzine Headset (2001)
Studio Albums
- Adventures in Gramophone (2005)
- Songs from the Deep Forest (2006)
- I Never Thought This Day Would Come (2008)
- Mother Courage and Her Children (2010)
- The Silent World of Hector Mann (2010)
- Under the Dark Cloth (2011)
- Oh Pioneer (2012)
- Look Out Machines! (2015)
- Hallow (2017)
- A Note Let Go (with Ulaid) (2017)
- Blood for Ghosts (2023)
Compilations
- Little Revolutions (2009)
- Little Revolutions Two (2011)
EPs (Extended Plays)
- Lucky Me (2002)
- My Villain Heart (2004)
- Your Vandal (2005)
- Huckleberry Finn (2009)
- Duke Special Sings the Songs of Ruby Murray (2011)
Live Albums
- Orchestral Manoeuvres in Belfast (2008)
Singles
- "Freewheel" (2005)
- "Portrait" (2006)
- "Last Night I Nearly Died (But I Woke Up Just in Time)" (2006)
- "Wake Up Scarlett" (2006)
- "Freewheel" (2007)
- "Last Night I Nearly Died (But I Woke Up Just in Time)" (2007)
- "Our Love Goes Deeper Than This" (2007) (featuring Neil Hannon and Romeo Stodart)
- "No Cover Up" (2007)
- "Sweet Sweet Kisses" (2008)
- "Condition" (2012)
- "1969" (2013)
- "Nail On The Head" (2015)
Other Music Projects
- One (2000) – "Peace Has Broken Out" – a duet with Moya Brennan
- Acoustic 07 (2007) – "This Could Be My Last Day"
- Ceol '09 – "Tochailt Uaighe go Róluath" (an Irish version of "Digging an Early Grave")
- Music for the theatre play Mother Courage and her Children (2009)
- Music from the BBC TV show Sesame Tree (2008–2011)
