BLUESMAN DUKE ROBILLARD AND HIS BAND SET TO ROLL AT READING BLUES FEST

By Susan L. Peña

Duke Robillard will bring his seven-piece band to Reading Blues Fest, sharing the stage with John Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band, who will open the evening co-bill on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the DoubleTree by Hilton Reading Grand Ballroom.

Robillard said his part of the of the double-header will include songs from his latest album, “Roll With Me” (2024), and some new material from his upcoming album, which is expected to launch in February.

Born in Harrisville, R.I. in 1948, Robillard has been startlingly productive during his career, which began in 1967 when he and pianist Al Copley started Roomful of Blues.

Since then, Robillard has released about 20 albums as a soloist and band leader, and hundreds of others as a guest artist with everyone from Pinetop Perkins to Bob Dylan.

Robillard, who is a guitarist, singer and songwriter in genres including roots rock, blues, jump and R&B, has won numerous W.C. Handy Awards and accolades from audiences all over the world.

Despite living in a remote part of Rhode Island -- not exactly known for being a blues mecca --Robillard’s love affair with the genre began early.

“Before I actually played a guitar, I had decided that was what I was going to do with my life, at 6 years old,” he said. “I loved music since I was born. My first memory was listening to Big Band on the radio in my mother’s kitchen, sitting on the floor in diapers.”

But what sealed the deal for him was hearing Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and all the 1950s blues-influenced rock ‘n’ rollers on TV. From then on, he was determined to follow in their footsteps. He started by sneaking into his older brother’s room to listen to his albums and figure out songs on the brother’s guitar, when no one was around to hear.

“I got addicted immediately,” he said. But there was an obstacle: His mother was “mortified” by the whole concept of rock ‘n’ roll and refused to let him have a guitar.

When he reached eighth grade, Robillard came up with a plan. He would convert an old acoustic guitar, given to the family by an uncle, into an electric one, and enter it in the school’s science fair, with help from his less-strict father. They took off the neck, bridge and tail piece, and glued them onto a board cut in the shape of a Fender Telecaster like his idol James Burton’s. They bought an electric pickup and glued it onto the guitar, and Voila! An electric guitar that won second place in the fair! Surely no one would take that from him!

From then on, he practiced on the instrument, and improvised an amplifier with his brother’s tape recorder, pointing the speaker out the open window in the hope that someone would hear him. Miraculously, someone did: “One day a guy was walking by and heard me playing, and he came up the driveway and knocked on the door and asked my mother who was playing the guitar and if he could talk to me. He asked if I could join his band.”

Soon the band was playing at C.Y.O. dances and churches in the area, and soon Robillard was able to ditch the homemade electric guitar for a real one. After he graduated from high school, he and Copley started Roomful of Blues. Almost 60 years, five Grammy nominations and seven BMAs later, the band is still performing, with many alumni having gone on to stellar careers of their own.

Robillard left the band in 1979, and after a gig with the Legendary Blues Band (guesting on their “Red, Hot ‘n’ Blue” album in 1983), his own Duke Robillard Band took off, performing and recording throughout the ‘80s. In 1990, he joined The Fabulous Thunderbirds, replacing Jimmie Vaughan (brother of Stevie Ray). Now he’s back to leading his own band.

“When I was a kid, I didn’t think I’d leave Rhode Island,” Robillard said. “But I’ve been all over the world. At first, with Roomful of Blues, I didn’t like traveling. But when we went to Europe and other places and had audiences waiting for us and realized that people in all these places wanted to hear our music, I was amazed!

“With my first solo album, I toured (Scandinavia), and we sold out every concert. They love this music. It made me realize that it wasn’t just important to me; it’s important to people all over the world. Now I travel a lot.”

The Robillard band is made up of drummer Mark Teixeira, bassist Marty Ballou, pianist Bruce Bears, saxophonists Doug James and Mark Earley, and guitarist/vocalist Chris Cote. All except Cote, the newest member, have been playing with Robillard in various groups for at least 20 years.

For complete information on the Reading Blues Fest 2025, and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.readingbluesfest.com/