"Sir Duke" is a song composed and performed by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

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 number two in the UK Singles Chart, his joint biggest hit there at the time. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No. 18 song of 1977. The song was written in tribute to

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

, the influential

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

legend who had died in 1974. The lyrics also refer to

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

, Glenn Miller,

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

and Ella Fitzgerald. Wonder re-recorded the song for the 1995 live album '' Natural Wonder''.

Background

Wonder wrote the song as a tribute to

, the

composer, bandleader, and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

who had influenced him as a musician. Wonder had already experienced the death of two of his idols (

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

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 me. So soon they are forgotten. I wanted to show my appreciation." 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". Wonder recorded other tributes to people he admired, including the 1980 songs " Master Blaster", dedicated to

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

, and " Happy Birthday", which pleaded for what would eventually become the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday in the United States.

Reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that "it's a tribute to jazz and roots, with a beat that lies somewhere between jazz and funk, and a horn section that dances on winged feet." '' Record World'' said upon its single release: "Already familiar from its radio play and already on The Singles Chart, it is shaping up as a major hit." ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' critic

John Rockwell John Sargent Rockwell (born September 16, 1940) is an American music critic, dance critic and arts administrator. According to ''Grove Music Online'', "Rockwell brings two signal attributes to his critical work: a genuine admiration for all ki ...

said that it's "not Wonder's most compelling song, but nice that it should be so popular."

Personnel

*Produced, written, arranged and composed by

*Vocals, Fender Rhodes electric piano, and percussion by Stevie Wonder *Trumpets by Raymond Maldonado and Steve Madaio *Drums by Raymond Pounds *Bass guitar by Nathan Watts *Lead guitar by Michael Sembello *Rhythm guitar by Ben Bridges *Alto saxophone by Hank Redd *Tenor saxophone by

Trevor Lawrence William Trevor Lawrence (born October 6, 1999) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Considered among the highest-touted college football prospect ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

List of cover versions of "Sir Duke"
at SecondHandSongs.com {{Authority control Stevie Wonder songs 1977 singles 1977 songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Commemoration songs Songs written by Stevie Wonder Motown singles Tamla Records singles Songs about jazz Songs about musicians Cultural depictions of Louis Armstrong Cultural depictions of Duke Ellington Cultural depictions of jazz musicians RPM Top Singles number-one singles American jazz songs Vocal jazz songs