"Sir Duke" is a song composed and performed by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

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 pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

, the influential jazz legend who had died in 1974. The lyrics also refer to Count Basie,

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...

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 jazz composer, bandleader, and pianist who had influenced him as a musician. Wonder had already experienced the death 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 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

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'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, and "

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", 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'', was 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." '' New York Times'' critic John Rockwell said that it's "not Wonder's most compelling song, but nice that it should be so popular."

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

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

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 Songs based on real people 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