Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctive long dreadlocks, eyeliner and outfits he describes as "hobo chic". Nowadays, he performs mostly out of makeup and desires to be more like his true self. His live performances have a theatrical style inspired by

Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic compositio ...

and music hall, and often incorporate

78s A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...

played on an old-fashioned

gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

, or sound effects from a

transistor radio A transistor radio is a small portable radio receiver that uses transistor-based circuitry. Following the invention of the transistor in 1947—which revolutionized the field of consumer electronics by introducing small but powerful, convenient ...

. He is most often accompanied by percussionist "Temperance Society" Chip Bailey, who plays cheese graters and egg whisks, a

Stumpf fiddle {{Use mdy dates, date=January 2020 The pogo cello is a percussion instrument in the idiophone family. This instrument can be heard in the skiffle bands of England, jug bands from the United States, as well as some blues, bluegrass, folk and rock ...

and a Shruti box, as well as the more typical drums and cymbals. Other musicians who perform with Wilson from time to time include Paul Pilot (guitar), Réa Curran (trumpet, backing vocals, accordion),

Ben Castle Ben Castle (born 1973) is a British jazz musician, the younger son of television presenter and entertainer Roy Castle (1932–1994) and his wife Fiona (born 1940). He placed first in the Jazz category of the 2003 International Songwriting Com ...

(clarinet, saxophone), Ben Hales (bass guitar), Gareth Williams, "Professor" Ger Eaton (keyboards), Dan Donnelly (mandolin, backing vocals) and Serge Archibald III (saxophone, "ethereal background sounds", vibes). His albums include ''

Adventures in Gramophone ''Adventures in Gramophone'' is an album by the Northern Ireland based artist Duke Special. It was released on Hag Records in 2005 and collects all twelve tracks from two previous EP releases - '' Lucky Me'' and ''My Villain Heart''. It was n ...

'' (2005), ''

Songs from the Deep Forest ''Songs from the Deep Forest'' is an album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Duke Special. In May 2006, it was released as a limited edition set of six 7" vinyl discs and then re-released as a single CD in October of the same year. It was no ...

'' (2006), both of which were nominated for the

Choice Music Prize The Choice Music Prize (), known for sponsorship reasons as the RTÉ Choice Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded to the best album from a band or solo musician who is born in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland or holds an Irish pa ...

, '' I Never Thought This Day Would Come'' (2008), ''

Little Revolutions ''Little Revolutions'' is a 2009 compilation album by Duke Special, collecting 18 rarities, including b-sides, covers and live recordings. It is available on its own or as part of the '' 5 Nights at the Empire Belfast Box Set''. Track listing # ...

'' (2009), ''

The Silent World of Hector Mann ''The Silent World of Hector Mann'' is a 2010 album by Duke Special, featuring songs inspired by the fictional silent film star Hector Mann from Paul Auster's 2002 novel '' The Book of Illusions'', who starred in twelve films before disappearing ...

'' (2010), ''

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrica ...

'' (2010), ''

Under the Dark Cloth ''Under the Dark Cloth'' is the sixth studio album by Northern Irish recording artist Duke Special. It was self-released on 29 November 2011. It is the result of an invitation by the Department of Photography of the Metropolitan Museum of Art ...

'' (2011), ''

Oh Pioneer ''Oh Pioneer'' is the seventh studio album by Northern Irish recording artist Duke Special Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a r ...

'' (2012), ''

Look Out Machines! ''Look Out Machines!'' is a studio album by Northern Irish recording artist Duke Special Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a rom ...

'' (2015) and ''Hallow'' (2017).

Background

Wilson was born in

Lisburn Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with th ...

and grew up in

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Its cathedral is said to be th ...

and Holywood with his mother, father and three sisters. Wilson's grandmother, Mary Groves, taught his mother and her brothers and sisters to play the piano. This tradition of playing the piano was passed on to Wilson's three sisters and eventually to him also. He attended Down High School,

and later Sullivan Upper School in Holywood. After leaving school and a brief stint with a community arts project in Swindon, England he returned home and played piano for Brian Houston (a Belfast songwriter influenced by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in ...

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American Country music, country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later s ...

and

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

) under whom Wilson apprenticed, picking up a hunger for performing and a knack of winning over an audience in the process. Several band mutations on the musical journey followed and saw Wilson front other acts composed of Belfast musicians but he was yet to hit his stride. He currently resides in Belfast. Peter Wilson has three children; Ben Dornan Wilson, Shay David Wilson and Oscar Peter Wilson.

Solo work

In 2002, he went solo, adopting the name Duke Special, and began building up a following as a live performer. He released three EPs on Medieval Haircut Records, the first two of which, '' Lucky Me'' and '' My Villain Heart'', were collected as an album, ''

'', released by Hag Records in 2005. The album was nominated for the 2006

. In 2006, he signed to

V2 Records V2 Records (or V2 Music; V2 being an abbreviation for Virgin 2) is a record label that was purchased by Universal Music Group in 2007 and sold to IASin 2013. In the Benelux, V2 operates separately from PIAS, as the label bought itself out from ...

and released a second album, ''

''. He featured on Later... with Jools Holland alongside

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues and jazz. A m ...

and

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...

the following November and the album was nominated for the 2007 Choice Music Prize. Duke Special was nominated for three 2007

Meteor Music Awards A Meteor Ireland Music Award was an accolade bestowed upon professionals in the music industry in Ireland and further afield. They had been bestowed each year since 2001, replacing the IRMA Ireland Music Awards held in the 1990s. Promoted by ...

, for best Irish male, best newcomer, and best album for ''Songs from the Deep Forest''. In 2007, he headlined a concert with the Ulster Orchestra at Belfast's Waterfront Hall, "Orchestral Manoevres". The concert was supported by Julie Feeney and Foy Vance, who sang on "This Could Be My Last Day". 2007 also saw him perform at

Greenbelt festival Greenbelt Festival is a festival of arts, faith and justice held annually in England since 1974. Greenbelt has grown out of an evangelical Christian music festival with an audience of 1,500 young people into its current form, a more inclusive ...

, Glastonbury, Guilfest, Summer Sundae, Haldern Festival and the Electric Picnic. Additionally in 2007, he performed as part of the

BBC Electric Proms The BBC Radio 2 Electric Proms (formerly the BBC Electric Proms) was an October music festival in London run by the BBC for five years, 2006–2010. On 31 January 2011, the BBC announced that the event would be discontinued with immediate effec ...

, supporting former Kinks lead singer

Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voc ...

, and he supported

Crowded House Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later ...

during ten tour dates, culminating with a concert at

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in December. Duke Special's third album, '' I Never Thought This Day Would Come'', was released in Ireland in October 2008 on Universal, who had acquired V2 in 2007. In August 2008, he appeared on the

BBC Northern Ireland BBC Northern Ireland ( ga, BBC Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ''BBC Norlin Airlan'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Northern Ireland. It is widely available across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ire ...

television show ''

Sesame Tree ''Sesame Tree'' is an adaptation of the American children's television series, ''Sesame Street'', which was made entirely in Northern Ireland. The series was produced by Belfast based production company, Sixteen South and Sesame Workshop. The fi ...

'' with his band, having also written the theme music for the show. Later in 2008, he won the Meteor Music Award for Best Irish Male. In 2009, he played on the O2 stage at Oxegen and between September and December 2009 appeared on stage at the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

in London as part of a new production of

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a ...

's play

, for which he wrote music for a number of songs. The production was directed by Deborah Warner and starred

Fiona Shaw Fiona Shaw (born Fiona Mary Wilson; 10 July 1958) is an Irish film and theatre actress. She is known for her roles as Petunia Dursley in the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2001–2010), Marnie Stonebrook in the fourth season of the HBO ser ...

in the title role. In January 2010, he launched a campaign on Pledge Music (see

Fan-funded music Fan-funded music is crowdfunding for music. Often, fan-funded music occurs in conjunction with direct-to-fan marketing. Fans of music have the option to donate and collectively raise money with the goal of jump-starting the career of a given musica ...

) whereby fans pledged for items to help fund the promotion and touring of his triple CD, ''The Stage, A Book & The Silver Screen'' (comprising ''Mother Courage and Her Children'', ''The Silent World of Hector Mann'' and ''Huckleberry Finn''). On 11 September 2010, Duke Special played at the

Last Night of the Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Ha ...

for the BBC at Hillsborough Castle. In January 2011, he presented a documentary on the life and songs of Belfast's

Ruby Murray Ruby Florence Murray (29 March 1935 – 17 December 1996) was a Northern Irish singer. One of the most popular singers in the British Isles in the 1950s, she scored ten hits in the UK Singles Chart between 1954 and 1959. She also made pop chart ...

and released ''

Duke Special Sings the Songs of Ruby Murray Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

''. In March 2011, he performed songs based on the photographs of

Alfred Stieglitz Alfred Stieglitz (January 1, 1864 – July 13, 1946) was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his 50-year career in making photography an accepted art form. In addition to his photography, Stieglitz was kno ...

Edward Steichen Edward Jean Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) was a Luxembourgish American photographer, painter, and curator, renowned as one of the most prolific and influential figures in the history of photography. Steichen was credited with tr ...

and

Paul Strand Paul Strand (October 16, 1890 – March 31, 1976) was an American photographer and filmmaker who, along with fellow modernist photographers like Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston, helped establish photography as an art form in the 20th century ...

at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 100 ...

in New York. These songs were subsequently released in November 2011 as the album ''

'' performed alongside The RTÉ Concert Orchestra, conducted by David Brophy, with leader Joanne Quigley and arranged for orchestra by Michael Keeney. In July 2012, Duke Special released ''

'' on his own label, Adventures in Gramophone, with the help of digital distributor

AWAL AWAL (an initialism of Artists Without a Label) is a British music distribution company owned by Sony Music Entertainment. The company serves as an alternative to the traditional music label deal, offering deal structures to artists and indepen ...

. It was featured on iTunes, reaching No. 3 on the Singer / Songwriter chart in Ireland and No. 7 in the UK. He appeared at

Camp Bestival Camp Bestival is a British music festival, the "little sister" of Bestival, both organised by BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob Da Bank. It is held annually, in July, at Lulworth Castle in Dorset and is targeted at families with small children. In 2019 it had ...

, performing live sets in both and also debuting as a 78rpm record DJ, as a guest of the Shellac Collective. In 2013, he collaborated with Celtic supergroup

Clannad Clannad () is an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal by siblings Ciarán, Pól, and Moya Brennan and their twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Duggan. They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history, including ...

, appearing on the album ''Nádúr'' and performing on Irish television chat show ''

The Late Late Show ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' and on

Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 week ...

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also featuring. The st ...

show. On Friday 6 December 2013, he finished a year-long residency of six concerts at Belfast's Empire Hall with 'A Victorian Christmas', performing Christmas songs solo with featured guests. In July 2017, his official website announced an upcoming album named ''Hallow'', based on the poetry of

Michael Longley Michael Longley, (born 27 July 1939, Belfast, Northern Ireland), is an Anglo-Irish poet. Life and career One of twin boys, Michael Longley was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to English parents, Longley was educated at the Royal Belfast ...

, with songs from the album to be featured in an October tour of venues in Ireland.

Discography

Early work

*''

Bathroom Floor ''Bathroom Floor'' is an album record by the Northern Ireland based artist Booley, now known as Duke Special. The record was released on Medieval Haircut Records in 2000. Track listing #"Bathroom Floor" #"Tesco Queen" #"Alright" #"My Little G ...

'' as Booley (Medieval Haircut/ICC, 1999) *''Garçon Pamplemousse'' as Benzine Headset (Medieval Haircut, 2001)

Albums

*''

'' (Hag, 2005) (collects the EPs ''Lucky Me'' and ''My Villain Heart'') *''

'' (Izumi – Vinyl / V2 – CD, 2006 / V2 Special Edition CD, 2007) *'' I Never Thought This Day Would Come'' (Universal, 2008) *''

'' (Reel to Reel Recordings, 2010) *''

'' (2011) *''

'' (Adventures in Gramophone, 2012) *''

'' (2015) *''Hallow'' (2017)

Compilations

*''

'' (Reel to Reel Recordings, 2009):) *'' Little Revolutions Two'' (Reel to Reel Recordings, 2011)

EPs

*'' Lucky Me'' (Medieval Haircut Records, 2002) *'' My Villain Heart'' (Medieval Haircut Records, 2004) *'' Your Vandal'' (Hag Records, 2005) *''

Huckleberry Finn Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884). He is 12 ...

'' (Reel to Reel Recordings, 2009) *''Duke Special Sings the Songs of Ruby Murray'' (Charity three-Track EP, 2011)

Live albums

*'' Orchestral Manoeuvres in Belfast'' (V2, 2008)

Singles

Freewheel Freewheel mechanism In mechanical or automotive engineering, a freewheel or overrunning clutch is a device in a transmission that disengages the driveshaft from the driven shaft when the driven shaft rotates faster than the driveshaft. An ov ...

" (Hag / Izumi Records, 2005) *"

Portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this ...

" (V2, 2006) *"Last Night I Nearly Died (But I Woke Up Just in Time)" (V2, 2006) *"Wake Up Scarlett" (V2, 2006) (iTunes download only) *"Freewheel" (V2, 2007) IRE No. 15 *"Last Night I Nearly Died (But I Woke Up Just in Time)" (V2, 2007) *"Our Love Goes Deeper Than This" (V2, 2007) (featuring

Neil Hannon Edward Neil Anthony Hannon (born 7 November 1970) is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter. He is the creator and front man of the chamber pop group The Divine Comedy, and is the band's sole constant member. Hannon wrote the theme tunes for t ...

and

Romeo Stodart The Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band consisting of two brother-and-sister pairs, from Hanwell in west London. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their debut album titled '' The Magic Numbers'' on 13 June 2005. Their follow-up ...

, download only) *"No Cover Up" (V2, 2007) *"Sweet Sweet Kisses" (Universal Music, 2008) *"1969" (Visual Independent Productions, 2013)

Other contributions

*''One'' (Myrrh, 2000) – "Peace Has Broken Out" – ''duet with

Moya Brennan Moya Brennan (born Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin on 4 August 1952), also known as Máire Brennan, is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist. She is the sister of the musical artist known as Enya. She began performing pr ...

'' *''Acoustic 07'' (V2, 2007) – "This Could Be My Last Day" *''Ceol '09'' – "Tochailt Uaighe go Róluath" (a version of "Digging an Early Grave" in the Irish language) *Theatre production of

Mother Courage and her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrica ...

2009 at the

*Music from BBC TV's ''

'', 2008–2011

References

External links

*
Punch of a Friend – The Art of Duke Special
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke Special Pianists from Northern Ireland Singer-songwriters from Northern Ireland People from Lisburn People educated at Sullivan Upper School Living people 1971 births