Biography

Introduction

Duke Special, real name Peter Wilson, is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly-accented voice, he has a distinctive look, with his long dreadlocks, eyeliner and outfits he describes as "hobo chic". His live performances have a theatrical style inspired by Vaudeville and music hall, and often incorporate 78s played on an old-fashioned gramophone, or sound effects from a transistor radio. He is most often accompanied by percussionist "Temperance Society" Chip Bailey, who plays cheese graters and egg whisks, a Stumpf fiddle and a Shirdi drone box, as well as the more typical drums and cymbals. Other musicians who perform with Wilson from time to time include Paul "Pilot" Wilkinson (guitar), Réa Curran (trumpet, backing vocals, accordion), Ben Castle (clarinet, saxophone), Ben Hales (bass guitar), Gareth Williams, "Professor" Ger Eaton (keyboards), Dan Donnelly (mandoline, backing vocals) and Serge Archibald III (saxophone, "ethereal background sounds", vibes).

He has released three albums, Adventures in Gramophone (2005), Songs from the Deep Forest (2006), both of which were nominated for the Choice Music Prize, and I Never Thought This Day Would Come (2008). He is married to an artist and has three sons.

Background

Wilson was born in Lisburn and grew up in Coleraine, Downpatrick 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, Downpatrick and later Sullivan Upper School in Holywood.

After leaving school and a brief stint with a community arts project in England he returned home and played piano for Brian Houston (a Belfast songwriter influenced by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash and Elvis) 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.

In 2000, Wilson performed live at The Vatican as a guest of Moya Brennan. It led to him recording a duet with Brennan on the official World Youth Day album for that year, and on 2001's New Irish Hymns album by Brennan, Margaret Becker and Joanne Hogg.

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, Adventures in Gramophone, released by Hag Records in 2005. The album was nominated for the 2006 Choice Music Prize. In 2006 he signed to V2 Records and released a second album, Songs from the Deep Forest, which was nominated for the 2007 Choice Music Prize. He was nominated for three 2007 Meteor Music Awards, for best Irish male, best newcomer, and best album for Songs from the Deep Forest. A third album, I Never Thought This Day Would Come, was released in Ireland in October 2008 on Universal, who had acquired V2 in 2007.

He has supported acts such as Van Morrison, Crowded House and Snow Patrol, and in 2006 toured Ireland with the Beautiful South and Europe with the Divine Comedy. 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 one of Duke Special's songs, "This Could Be My Last Day". 2007 also saw him perform at Greenbelt festival, Glastonbury, Guilfest, Summer Sundae, Haldern Festival and the Electric Picnic among others and support Bell X1 on 2 dates; in Malahide Castle, Dublin and also as part of the Live at the Marquee series of concerts in Cork. In 2007 he performed as part of the BBC Electric Proms, supporting former Kinks lead singer Ray Davies. In 2008 he won the Meteor Music Award for Best Irish Male.

He has also appeared in the Northern Ireland children's television show, "Sesame Tree" with his band, having also written the theme music for the show.

Between September and December 2009 he will be appearing on stage at the Royal National Theatre in London as part of a new production of Bertolt Brecht's play Mother Courage and Her Children, for which he has written a number of new songs. The production is directed by Deborah Warner and stars Fiona Shaw in the title role.

Discography

Early Work

Time Is Right EP as Booley House (1996)
Lemonade as Booley House (Contraflow, 1997)
Bathroom Floor as Booley (Medieval Haircut/ICC, 1999)
Garçon Pamplemousse as Benzine Headset (Medieval Haircut, 2001)

Albums

Adventures in Gramophone (Hag, 2005) (collects the EPs Lucky Me and My Villain Heart)
Songs from the Deep Forest (Izumi - Vinyl / V2 - CD, 2006 / V2 Special Edition CD, 2007)
Orchestral Manoeuvres In Belfast (V2, 2008)
I Never Thought This Day Would Come (Universal, 2008)

EPs

Lucky Me EP Medieval Haircut Records 2002
My Villain Heart EP Medieval Haircut Records 2004
Your Vandal EP Hag Records 2005

Singles

"Freewheel" (Hag / Izumi Records, 2005)
"Portrait" (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)
"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 and Romeo Stodart, download only)
"No Cover Up" (V2, 2007)
"Sweet Sweet Kisses" (Universal Music, 2008)

DVDs

5 Nights at the Empire Belfast Box Set (V2, 2008)

The Making of "I Never Thought This Day Would Come" (V2, 2009)

Other contributions

One (Myrrh, 2000) - "Peace Has Broken Out" - duet with Moya Brennan
New Irish Hymns (Kingsway, 2001) / In Christ Alone (USA title - Worship Together, 2002) - backing vocals under real name Peter Wilson - Margaret Becker, Máire Brennan, Joanne Hogg
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)