#98 Detroit Guitar Legend Duffy King

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Jeff Dwoskin 0:16

Oh, right. Alan, thank you so much for that amazing introduction. You get the show going each and every week and this week was no exception. Welcome, everybody to Episode 98 of live from Detroit, the Jeff Dwoskin show. As always, I am your host Jeff Dwoskin. Great to have you back for what's sure to be a rockin episode how racking you ask. So rockin that's how rockin we got Detroit guitar legend Duffy king with us. That's right guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer, producer, part of the supergroup Alan Hewitt and one nation. He's been nominated for Grammy Awards Billboard Magazine Awards World Music Awards 20 Detroit Music Award nominations, including six wins, he was a guitarist for Tommy Lee's solo project. He's got lots of great stories to share about his new album with Alan Hewitt and one nation and also his solo projects and a bunch of great musical chat as well excited to share my conversation with Jaffe king with you and that's coming up and just a few minutes. I loved all the feedback on last week's episode with Tammy pesca tally and the week before that with Rocky Laporte to amazing comedians a lot more funny stuff coming up, but that's the beauty of this episode with Duffy King got lots of stuff to laugh at now you're gonna have a lot of stuff to groove to with his solo stuff, definitely check out the show notes. I'll remind you at the end of the episode are Duffy kings solo album and his work with Alan Hewitt. It's great, great stuff next week is episode 100. It's gonna be a fun episode to get ready January 31 100th episode with special guests Ronnie Cox. That's right, Ronnie Cox from deliverance Total Recall Beverly Hills Cop one and two Robocop we discuss it all that's going to be in Episode 100. Okay, admittedly, this might be a little over the top, I'm gonna have to talk to my sound engineer guy. But the point is, we're super excited for this huge episode, Episode 100. Coming up next week. We're so thankful for all of you joining us week after week and being on this fun ride with us. Huge thanks to you. And we're looking forward to celebrating this together. And now it's time for the social media tip.

This is the part of the show where I share a little bit of my social media knowledge reveal a little 411 I picked up on the street been involved with the social media world for quite some time. So I'd love to share a quick tips that you can then Google and learn more about so we can all raise our social game together. Today's tip takes us back to the world of Twitter spaces. Big news now is that both iOS and Android users can record their spaces. Twitter spaces is a great way for you to harness your community on Twitter, and they can hear your voice and you can have conversations and set speakers and have very focused conversations. Now you can record them regardless of what platform you're on. And then share them and they remain public for 30 days helps you grow your audience and anyone can now listen in being able to record is I think what's key to Twitter spaces and what was missing from the original clubhouse. What is fabulous about the fireside app when there's a record of what you discussed, then the value that you're creating during that time can be shared later and not lost in the moment that you're sharing it originally. So check that out. Enjoy record, it's a great first step to creating your own podcast or your own media empire. Let me know tweet at me at Jeff Dwoskin show and tell me what you think. And that's the social media tip. I do want to thank everyone in advance for their support of the sponsors. When you support the sponsors you're supporting us here live from Detroit the Jeff Dwoskin show and that's how we keep the lights on today's interview sponsor is master class entertainment category tired of seeing all your friends mastering the air guitar Have you been passed over time and time and time again for your high school air band or air choir? You got no skills kid? Well, it's time to become king of the air guitar masterclass.com Extra 30 days or now you'll be shredding air with the best of them at masterclass calm air guitar edition you'll learn how to pick the right music to pretend you're playing Learn how to stand so it looks like you're holding a real guitar, not just air, you'll learn the right strumming techniques faking frets and the finer points of lip syncing and just 30 days you'll go from impressing nobody to being the person everyone is talking about at the party and we mean everyone. Right? The shame of that commercial is there was air guitar playing the whole time. You just couldn't hear it. Because air guitar Okay, I think it's now time for me to share my conversation with Duffy King with you get ready for guitar a singer songwriter, composer producer from Detroit Duffy King, enjoy.

Alright everybody, I'm excited to introduce you to my next guest, guitar legend from Michigan.

Duffy King is with us ladies and gentlemen. Duffy, Welcome to the show.

Duffy King 5:59

Guitar legend. Well, I guess I would be my own mind. In my own mind, as the Moody Blues have a song that we do called Legend of the mind. So I guess that's appropriate.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:13

Let's start with the exciting news. You got a new album down here it and one nation. This is your second album together, you got a couple of new singles and you got a new album. 2021 Tell us a little bit about that.

Duffy King 6:26

Definitely very exciting. And the album is like fantastic. This particular album was recorded. We started in 2020, we decided to release it 2020 ones henceforth the name a little later than we hoped. But that's how things go. Especially when everyone's separated with COVID. We're from all over the country. And so having to put it together from afar was a challenge. It was great in its own way. I mean, we were able to have some time to focus into it. And then we'd have to record our parts and send around to each other. And, and is that okay, like that all changes, you know, change this, instead of it being immediate on the spot, the takes, it had to be rotated around to everybody. So it took a little longer to do it that way. It turned out great. And we're definitely excited to be able to go out and play. Well, I mean, we didn't know, up until recently whether it was even available to happen.

Jeff Dwoskin 7:21

It's interesting, because I watched the we're one nation video, and you're all for in different places you do a good job, kind of I'll put a link to it in the show notes. So anyone can check it out. It's a great song. What's it like working that way, though, when you're not in the studio together? I know nowadays, though, with technology, even pre COVID. I mean, that's all that's possible, right? You could just call someone up in California and go, Hey, I need you to do some drums for me real quick,

Duffy King 7:46

absolutely, in in that regard, it's great, because it does enable a lot of people to get together when they normally wouldn't be able to because of distance and stuff like that. So in that regard, it's better, you can get a hold of so many other musicians and everyone's pretty much got a studio nowadays, all of a sudden, you're able to collaborate with musicians you may not have been able to collaborate with. So that's the upside. The downside is you're like really alone on an island. You're not getting that interaction of things. So you have to like really get in your head, try to get in your head that you're playing with the band and with people around you to give you some you know, because you feed off that energy. Right, right. Right. But producers and stuff in the studio, even if you're doing overdubs, you still get a kind of energy gone. You know, when you're by yourself, you got to manufacture that energy and vibe. So that that's the difficult part of it.

Jeff Dwoskin 8:39

Yeah, I think comedians had that, that issue to doing zoom shows and trying to keep it absolutely without feeding off the audience. It's difficult, like you said, you get to work with all these different musicians now I work with, it's how I was able to start my podcast call up certain people, you know, like famous people and they're like, Well, yeah, man, I guess I could do that. Or I could take a nap I guess.

Duffy King 9:04

I mean, I my last solo album, I had the song, I had an idea for it. And I happened to run across on Facebook via YouTube, this amazing upright bass player. And the song was kind of modern flamenco bass. And he did this video of him playing upright bass and then he plays rhythm on the pace while he's player. It was amazing tracking down and said, Hey, I have the song I want you to play on it's gonna be perfect. And turns out he lives in Tel Aviv. This is pre way pre COVID Anyway, so I was already doing that kind of adventure of recording. So I was able with that technology able to send him this song he played and sent it back and I sent it back a couple times a good you know, and it was great. And I love that aspect of it for sure.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:47

That is really cool. That is one aspect of technology. That is wonderful. So there you go. It was an international recording

Duffy King 9:54

International. Absolutely. Yeah, you you're

Jeff Dwoskin 9:57

huge in Tel Aviv, here hadn't

Duffy King 10:02

heard the song or nap over there. But he was awesome. The song turned out amazing. I caught up with him on my last tour just prior to COVID he was playing in New York City on a night off that I had he was playing in down in the village at this club and I was able to go and hang out with saw, you know, a connection was made there as well. So it was just very cool.

Jeff Dwoskin 10:20

That is really awesome. Yeah, I when I when I do the podcast, it's fun, because I'll call people go, Hey, I have this idea. Can you just record this and then send it to me? And then I'll do that too. So technology is so much fun you can play with Alright, so you got this cool new album out. But then let's let's go back in time for a minute. Right. So you've been nominated for Grammy Awards, Billboard magazine, World Music Awards. You've won Detroit Music Awards. I've been to that. Yeah. Alright. So there's your legendary Saturday. So let's talk about like little Duffy King. Gotta get turned on your your family was very musical. Yes, absolutely. So your mom and your brothers?

Duffy King 10:55

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I grew up with it. My mom was a singer, right. I mean, she could stand toe to toe with like at the time, Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, those types of singers. And she was performing all over not only the Detroit area, but in Chicago, in this was before I was born, she had a record deal offered to her. My older brothers and sisters are way older than me. And they were like 123, you know, right next to each other. She had a major label, they wanted to put her on record deal and send her out on tour. And she says that I can't, can't do that. I've got three little kids at home, I can't do it. And so she opted to be a mom, I guess, which is cool. But when I came along, I remember her singing in nightclubs and stuff like that. And then my both my older brothers went into music. And they were one of the first white acts signed to Motown Records. So I grew up watching as a real little kid watching them playing their bands, and put out records. And fact Stevie Wonder played on their Motown album. So you know, that was what I had exposure to as a very young up and coming musical hopeful

Jeff Dwoskin 12:05

few brothers still make music now.

Duffy King 12:07

My oldest brother? Yeah, he still does it on his own. Just put stuff out all the time on his own. Yeah. out of his home studio.

Jeff Dwoskin 12:14

So did you get to meet Stevie Wonder?

Duffy King 12:16

I did not. But it was it was pretty cool being like, you know, seventh grade and have an album that Stevie Wonder played on, you know, and tell all my friends. That's pretty cool.

Jeff Dwoskin 12:27

It's really cool. Did they record at Motown?

Duffy King 12:30

Yeah, in Detroit. Yeah. And that's how they met. They met Stevie happened to be in the studio when they were recording and said, Man, I really dig. He happened to be walking through the studio, one of the suit and just dug what he heard. And then, you know, said, Hey, man, can I play on your song? Yeah, of course.

Jeff Dwoskin 12:50

In what trajectory of Stevie Wonder's career was he's to

Duffy King 12:53

I'm going to say that was right when he was putting out his that segment of albums and see Innervisions 72 ish, I'm guessing 1972. So you look at those albums. Around that time, he put out three or four that were just like, it was a run of albums that you just can't, you know, believe Talking Book Innervisions fulfilling this first finale, I think it's Yeah, that's amazing. Yeah. And that was fun. He played on there. Yeah,

Jeff Dwoskin 13:23

it mattered if he wasn't famous yet. Sometimes. It's cool. Like, I was just actually talking to someone like, I was like, Oh, I love playing with comedians, opening for comedians who then become famous, because it doesn't matter when you knew him. Yeah.

Duffy King 13:35

Oh, see me. I think Stevie was pretty famous from the time he was 15. So he came out of the gate as little Stevie Wonder's, you know, harmonica and stuff. And then he, Yeah, amazing stuff. But yeah, being exposed to that kind of stuff as a young, really young kid was like, extremely impactful, obviously.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:56

So did you guys with your brothers, did you hang out in the Motown Studios did you get to meet any of the other Motown acts,

Duffy King 14:02

I was too young. I was really little, I was really young, wasn't able to, to, but I was their guitar player started showing me stuff when I was about 12 years old. I'm just starting, you know, 12 1314 he would sit down with me he I mean, he ended up being the guitar player for the BGS on Saturday Night Fever and all this stuff and then went on with in played with all kinds of other people as well. So I was mentored by him. So that was like very cool. That is really cool. Yeah, yeah,

I would say you're like good musical touched by musical royalty. I was lucky. I was lucky man. And he gave me him and my brothers they gave me when they signed their Motown record deal. They get a bunch of equipment. They went and bought and they including some tires and stuff at any rate, Joey Mercia who was the guitar player, I've got progressed to the point where I started out you know, on a cheap, electric cheap, you know, it was a cheapo guitar as you should. He finally said that I progressed enough that I needed a really good guitar. So for my birthday, they gave me this beautiful Gibson guitar that they had, you know, purchase with the record advance royalties for from Motown. And they gave me. So that was his idea, actually. So it's really cool. Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 15:17

There was no brother rivalry there. They were very encouraging.

Duffy King 15:21

Absolutely. No, they were super encouraging. Both my brothers were always showing me guitar stuff. And then as we got older, we played together as the King brothers,

Jeff Dwoskin 15:31

right? Because King trio would have been taking, yeah.

Duffy King 15:36

Yeah, at the Kingston Trio. But we would do these that we'd get because my one brother live ended up living in LA, the other one lived in Miami, we get together every summer and have a family reunion. And then we have these big rock bashes. And that became a thing for quite a while. So it was really, it was always cool, man.

Jeff Dwoskin 15:54

So now are they jealous of you?

Duffy King 15:56

Ah, no, no, no, do it Dwayne. He's supportive. My brother Nick, unfortunately, passed away in a car accident a number of years ago. So,

Jeff Dwoskin 16:04

so sorry,

Duffy King 16:06

but he'd be super, super ecstatic at everything I'm doing. I know that for sure.

Jeff Dwoskin 16:12

For sure, man. I'm so sorry to hear that. You get the fancy guitar? Where do you go from there?

Duffy King 16:17

Yeah, I mean, I immediately start trying to make a band and you know, junior high school and then, and once I got to high school, I was, you know, accomplished enough to where I could play. Most things that were out there as far as commercial music was put that way, all kinds of or anything because my brother's had a huge impact with me from r&b, funk, and then some rock and then I delved into rock on my own. So I was playing with guys a lot older than me, you know, cover bands playing all kinds of music. And I was playing in bars when I was 16. I wasn't old enough to be in, my mom would have to sign off or take me and hang out while I was playing. And had another, you know, had a band, we started writing our own music. So at an early age, I was right into it headfirst, you know, really? And that's all I've ever done.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:04

Is this where you got to know Alan, I'd heard you tell us indeed. Yeah. You guys are in competing bands. Yeah. In the TASKI, Michigan?

Duffy King 17:12

Uh huh. Yep, absolutely. Yes. Yes, indeed. And we met as we put these, kind of like mini Woodstock festivals together out in lots of fields around up here. And then we got to a big field and get a couple of hay wagons are put together, you know, a stage out of four by eights and whatever we could put underneath them. And all the bands are just chip in with all their gear and make a big PA system. And we'd have these concert festivals with all the local bands around. And that's where I first met Alan recognize his band was great and recognize his talent in particular, we just became buddies. And then he went off to Berklee School of Music. And I went to Central Michigan for a couple years, I moved to Detroit because I knew that I had to get into a city where there was a music scene, a band happened to be looking that I was unhappy to be looking for a drummer, Alan played drums at the time. Now he plays keyboards, but at Berkeley, you know drummers? Well, I think most any music program or drummer has to take candle because technically it's percussion instrument. You know, he was already writing songs on the piano, but he was mostly a drummer. And he I called him up when I heard he was back up here, his mom's from Berkeley, and I said, Hey, we need a drummer in this band. He came down Detroit. And then from that, on our whole lives on and off, we've been in bands together, made bands together, recorded together and stuff like that literally our whole lives.

Jeff Dwoskin 18:37

When did Allen start playing with the Moody Blues?

Duffy King 18:40

I think it was 2009 I believe, I think because I remember when you first start playing with them. And he came through Detroit and you know, got a hold of me and got me you know, passes and all that stuff. I think that was 2009.

Jeff Dwoskin 18:53

In your story. Where did you go next? You have the band in Detroit. You got it. And as a drummer, where did that take you? We ended

Duffy King 19:00

up touring all over the place. And we ended up in Florida, kind of vague on how we chose Florida. I don't know. We just want to not live in Michigan. I know. There was somewhat of the music scene happened at down there. Like you know you had a couple of big studios and production companies because of like the BGS. And Eric Clapton had done a huge album there. Joe Walsh did this. So there was a kind of a big music scene going on there. We ended up getting an apartment together in the Fort Lauderdale area, actually. And we put a band together. And that was with a mindset of doing mostly original music, getting a record deal. We did that for a couple few years. And we were almost signed to electro records and then other things happen. It didn't it didn't work out and then he ended up going to LA or Chicago first and then LA. Then I came back to Detroit, kind of based out of Detroit for a good part of my life. I lived in New York City for a while and then Phoenix really Put my roots in Detroit and got involved heavily in the Detroit music scene.

Jeff Dwoskin 20:03

Would you consider yourself I mean, outside of the band work? Are you considered as a session player? Is that the right way to say and

Duffy King 20:10

yeah, yeah, I actually have done yeah, I became a lot a big session player for a while, especially in Detroit with all the auto commercials. So I was able to do a lot of those. And you've heard me tons of times, you didn't know it. But so I got into the commercial thing, a lot playing sessions. That was great. That kind of fizzled out. I don't have enough once in a while, I'll get a call still from one of the production companies that I used to work with and to do something I now I can do it out of my own studio, same thing. Just send them we send the tracks back and for

Jeff Dwoskin 20:44

in addition to the commercial work, you've worked with a lot of famous people Yeah,

Duffy King 20:47

yeah. Yeah. Like I played on Tommy leave album. Public service is called with methods of mayhem played on this German pop star named Titus Rhine, played on of course played with John Lott from the Moody Blues on his past couple of records. And then I've toured done a lot of higher gun touring stuff as well with like, you know, did some stuff with Martha Reeves, temptations, John Lott kind of all over the map. I'm a higher gun in a lot of regards, but I do my own stuff. You know, I have my own records that I've put out and, and then with the one nation,

Jeff Dwoskin 21:24

of course, gets your personal recordings as well. I happen to spend the day listening to your album acoustically speaking, Oh, wow. How do you get to be one of these hired guns like today? This is timely go give me Duffy.

Duffy King 21:39

No. Well, usually it usually comes through a recommendation, Tommy Lee, that was strictly, I guess we could call it would be a cattle call. They put out I saw thing that they were looking for people to put tracks on this album. And I just sent them I guess you'd call it real resume, whatever. And they liked it in the same thing. Like when I toured the world for Gibson guitars, as a what they call a clinician. And so I would go all over the world to either these trade shows the one of the big ones being like a Nam show these big trade shows where every year they bring out their new products. And I perform at those and show off their new products. Or I would go around to music stores and give these what they call clinics demonstrating their guitars and whatever products they have. So I did that for a couple years for Gibson. And I went all over the world doing that. And same thing. I got that through an ad in a actually my brother Dwayne was living in Nashville, and the local music paper it had Gibson guitars Gibson is based in Nashville looking for clinician, and I had he knew I'd done some of that for Yamaha guitars before I just sent them my demo tape and bio and they flew me down. I kind of didn't audition and got that gig. So that's good enough.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:58

That's got that's got to be a big deal though. Right? I mean, it is just hanging out. No, anybody? No, you're

Duffy King 23:04

right. There was I found out there was 400 people that submitted for that submitted demo tapes and videos and resumes to that. So that was a pretty big thing from all of them. Yeah, that was a big deal actually being chosen for that.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:16

It's gonna be a huge honor. Yeah. Because they're not gonna put that in anyone's hands. Oh,

Duffy King 23:20

no, no, it was great. You know, sometimes it's just a quirk of seeing something or having someone give you some information turning you on to a lead or other times it's a recommendation a friend goes Hey, any you know anyone that plays guitar or whatever, then you'll get a recommendation from a friend.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:37

Yeah. How did you get connected with John Lodge? And he's with the Moody Blues also right so directly through Alan So Alan hooked Yeah,

Duffy King 23:45

yeah. Because Alice plan on the Moody Blues. And then when in So Alan plays with with John too, as well. So it's kind of like I mean, we do pretty much all Moody Blues songs. I mean, there's, you know, all these bands are kind of fragmenting a bit and then utilizing. And so Alan just called me in, we're already doing the one nation thing. So he called me to do that. Most often. Things come through referrals of friends. And I do the same when I'm putting something together because broad based cattle call auditions are brutal. They're brutal to do and so you're more, you know, apt to go on friend recommendations, at least for the you know, to whittle it down to a few people to listen to as opposed to trying to listen to a whole bunch of people, especially in person auditions, where they're literally lined up outside. It's a tough way to go on both sides, but

Jeff Dwoskin 24:37

you just got a shirt that said I'm definitely King. That way they would have just known while you were in line. Oh, yeah. We got a ringer here. We got a ringer.

Duffy King 24:50

Yeah, there's lots of ringers I was up for

Jeff Dwoskin 24:54

do you know Adrian Balu is no I do not. Well, he was he was

Duffy King 24:57

I mean in his own right. He's a great guy. guitarist, artists and but he was known best known for being a vocalist with King Crimson in and so there was a audition for a big, big band that we both had and neither one of us got it. At first, I was bummed that I didn't get it, you know. But when I found out he didn't get it, I didn't feel so bad. Someone told me so call me say Don't feel bad. Adrian Belew didn't get giddy.

Jeff Dwoskin 25:24

That's funny, too. Being someone who kind of works with a lot of people is almost like, it's kind of like being an actor. Like you're telling you that when you're telling me these stories, it's like when I hear these acting go, we went off for this role I didn't get the role is bracing at the roll. So it's always like trying to kind of get yourself in there.

Duffy King 25:42

Absolutely. I could definitely see the correlation of that. Absolutely. Absolutely.

Jeff Dwoskin 25:48

That's interesting. So what's it like when you're touring with like Jai Mahajan? You're only playing Moody Blues songs? Is he tuning as himself?

Duffy King 25:55

Moody Blues is John Lodge, or sometimes they do. John lodge from Liberty blues depends on the promoter and stuff like that. But usually

Jeff Dwoskin 26:03

the Moody Blues together right now. No, they're not. No, they're not okay.

Duffy King 26:07

Justin kind of does his own thing yet. So they were the two front guys, Justin, John. So they were like, and so they're each doing kind of their own thing.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:16

They seem to be amicable if you look at the website in terms of them. Because that but yeah, I'm asking. I looked at their website. The tour was like had it broken down by the different individuals. I was just curious. Yes,

Duffy King 26:27

they share. You're right, they share under the Moody Blues moniker. You can go to the Moody Blues website. And under that moniker, you can see each guy's individual tour stuff. Yeah, you are correct. And it

Jeff Dwoskin 26:38

is and that's cool. They must get along pretty well. Yeah,

Duffy King 26:41

yeah. Yeah. I mean, I know there's who knows that, you know, but at least they're not in like all these battles like journey and the list goes on and on how they've had these massive court battles over the names and stuff like that and usage of the name, right, possibly material. I don't know. It's so that's good. I think maybe they just say, Okay, you guys, you know, you just do what you want to do. I'll do what I want to do. And let's just, you know, not do that nasty thing.

Jeff Dwoskin 27:09

When I talked to Mark Farner, he gave me all this.

Duffy King 27:11

Oh, there was another one right. That was brutal there. Yeah. Yeah. That was a brutal one. He's seeing it.

Jeff Dwoskin 27:18

Yeah, it's it's unfortunate, very unfortunate. So ultimately, before we get to Alan Hewitt, One Nation we'll get to one thing. So you did tour with Martha Reeves temptation. So you went back to the you got some Motown roots

Duffy King 27:30

got the Motown? Absolutely, absolutely. Um, no, I absolutely. And I have to thank my brothers enjoy Mercia for implanting that in me and, of course, kind of infused into me and I played on a Grammy nominated album by a band called witness where I was doing another session in a studio and a producer happened to be walking by the studio and heard me playing and it was a rhythm and blues funk song and he had to he said he had to come in and listen to who was doing. He admit he got it first he goes, I was surprised to see that you were white. And so you know, but but that that happened to me a lot. I played in a lot of bands, routes, you only like that, you know. And that's because of really being infused and loving funk and rhythm and blues, Motown type music, and I got deep into it. So that's where I had tons and tons of sessions and gigs and stuff just because of

Jeff Dwoskin 28:27

that. Alright, so let's get back to the big news. Your new album with Alan Hewitt and one nation. First of all, how come you didn't go? Hey, Alan, how about this is one nation.

Duffy King 28:37

Okay, wow. That was another? No, no. Actually, the label kinda I think one of that because one nation was formed with some other guys initially, it was called just one nation. And that kind of didn't pan out. But there was some murkiness possibly involved with the name. So henceforth, you know, they put downs name out front to try to maybe get around some of that aspect of it. So they wouldn't be on, you know, once again, some would get their nose bent out of shape, and then trying to get on the court or whatever. I mean, I think that the recognizability of Alan's name because of his tenure with not only with the Moody Blues, but you know, with Earth Wind and Fire and stuff like that, you know, it might just help lift the the name recognition up there a bit.

Jeff Dwoskin 29:27

I think it'd be even better and he wouldn't be king. Ah, the CIA, so this is this would be great for you, right? Because I mean, I mean, just in terms of oh, here I am now I'm working with my old friend Ellen Hewitt. Yeah, it's kind of like a coming full circle on that. Yeah, that was done or anything like that, but just right where you are right now. That must be so amazing, and so much fun. And there must be such great synergy. There's four of you right now in this version. Yeah. David C. Johnson and Billy ashba. I pause it cuz I usually no of course yes. Yeah, yeah. Give me your answer. That was good. Billy as Rob also with the Moody Blues, it's like you're practically in the mood like by like, just

Duffy King 30:17

by Yeah, by was that a degrees of separation? What does that suffer? Yeah, two degrees of separation, whatever that

Jeff Dwoskin 30:24

is. Whatever that was. Oh, we Billy also played with Pat Benatar and in sync. Yeah. Okay, that's, that's fun. And then David C. Johnson. The Neville Brothers and Aaron Neville quintet. Very cool. All right. So this is an insane lineup. Very cool. I listened to music. You're listening to the first album? You're on the first album. Yeah. It's great. I love I love it. It's one of the things I love about doing this podcast is like meeting new people and getting introduced to things that albums, movies, anything that I didn't know and then do becoming a new fan. I'm a new fan. So I love it. Awesome. And I've listened to the two singles that one nation were one nation and wrote the name of it. So I wouldn't forget one step closer. One Step Closer, right, there it is, right. So listen to this thing goes one step closer. We're one Asian videos fun, great. Well done during the comments, to mesh that all together. When you guys are all together the four of you? Do you guys just do stuff off the two albums or because of all the eclectic backgrounds that you guys bring into it? Are you like, are you going into Moody Blues sang that's a

Duffy King 31:31

good, that's very good. And we thought about all that. We're going to do the full new album, pulling some of our guess what we judged to be our favorites off the first album, and yes, we are going to do a few moody songs. And we're gonna throw a little Moody Blues in there because a lot of people that are gonna be coming to see us are Moody Blues fans and we're gonna give them a little taste of some movies. Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 31:58

You should open your own show as a Moody Blues. Yeah, no, I,

Duffy King 32:07

we just thought we'd you know, we'd have a little segment where we do some movie stuff. Yeah. And and Yeah, could we take it in and do some Neville Brothers and some? Well, we definitely wouldn't. I guess as a joke, we could pick a little bit of instinct thing and go into and we may who knows we might bust into a little instinct thing and then a Pat Benatar something for like four bars or something? I don't know. So fine, just to represent everybody.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:34

That's super awesome. What about any of your like solo stuff? You guys probably all have I know you do. But like I'm sure they do to you guys playing of your individual tunes?

Duffy King 32:43

No, no, we were that this is this is definitely the band stuff. And try you know, Alan's got a bunch of albums. I've got a couple that's for our own full. Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:52

I only asked you sometimes like whenever I would see Crosby Stills Nash, right. Absolutely. They would take a break and they crash to come out. Yeah. Crosby's Yeah. Yeah,

Duffy King 33:01

absolutely. And I've seen a let's see why No, the Eagles like Don Henley will do some of his songs. Joe Walsh will do some of his songs. And when Glenn Frey was alive they would do something they would segment off and do a little bit of each so I guess you know if we ever get big enough to where we weren't doing such a thing I guess maybe we'll

Jeff Dwoskin 33:25

Jaffe I don't know if you missed my intro guitar legend

Duffy King 33:31

ah legend of the mind is a matter of fact that's a like I said that's a Moody Blues song that we are going to be doing in our one nation tour set

Jeff Dwoskin 33:41

I'm telling you you do do a Moody Blues cover man fee kings blues name and after you go Alan this I got

Duffy King 33:52

Ah, very good. Yeah, definitely tribute bands are making money that's for sure. Right?

Jeff Dwoskin 34:01

You guys got you got the credit. is a very cool. So I want to talk about your individual work. Talk about some of the I mentioned I listened to acoustically speaking. Cool, cool.

Duffy King 34:13

Obviously, that's very different from what anything else that you may have heard from me or one nation or it's got a lot of Latin jazz in it. And along with some other little more eclectic, I guess acoustic guitar stuff. That's why I decided to do all acoustic because uh, when I was living in Phoenix, when I moved out there getting into the music scene, I just was playing solo a lot in solo acoustic guitar stuff. And the more I got doing that, the more repertoire I started building up in that genre. And then always being a jazz fan, Latin jazz, in particular, through in particular, Chick Korea, who's a fusion than fact one nation has a lot of influence from Return to forever but I got into chicks others stuff, which was very Latin jazz bass. So I just started gravitating toward writings and stuff like that and wanted to make an album of that most of the compositions were done while I was living in Arizona, that was just a different side project that has taken me through a few years here. And before that, I did a, a solo acoustic and not a solo guitar kind of jazz Christmas album. Once again, touring and playing with various people in the jazz field, love jazz. So I just kind of did that. And then before that, I did a bunch of like pop rock stuff. And I had a record that was played all over, especially regionally, Detroit, Chicago and stuff like that, and was like flat out rock. My latest record I'm working on solo right now is more of a blues rock funk thing, got a lot of great musicians. It's all Detroit musicians playing on it. Hopefully, we'll see how, you know, it progresses here, depending on my touring schedules and stuff like that. That's with heavy touring schedules, you know, that puts things like that on the back burner. And then what came to the front burner this time was Alan Hill and one nation, we need to get it done. I remember when we signed our deal. We've been pecking away at the album over the past year. And then Alan said, we signed the deal in late I think it was like latter part of June. And he says we have to deliver the album by July 18. I'm like what that's like calling so we just like really cranked down. I mean, we we did have all the songs packed and hence skeletons, sell them partly finished. But we really, really had to hunker down and finish it. But I'm hoping to finish my new album in the next year here, you know, coming

Jeff Dwoskin 36:43

here. Alright, and hopefully more Grammy Award. wins and billboard wins. Yeah. Your regular the Detroit Music Awards. Yeah. I had a web company in the late 90s and used to do the website for the Detroit Music Awards. So they would give us a table and exchange for money. But it was cool, because I remember we were there when Glenn Frey was actually there one. Yeah, I was there that year. I didn't get to meet him or anything. But it was within one foot of him. So there's that remember, Kid Rock was there? He performed like Josey was there so I mean, that's yeah, frame you can go that's how far back it was decades. Michael Moore was the host of one of them. Yeah, picture with him actually standing outside. This is probably Roger and me timeframe or Yeah, right. Before?

Duffy King 37:29

That was? Yeah. Yeah. No, I've been to a number of them. I mean, they have been nominated many, many, many times in many different categories, actually. Everything from rhythm blues to really blues, instrumentalist, vocals to jazz album One, siano six, six times. I think I won nominated 20 Sometimes. It's awesome.

Unknown Speaker 37:51

And if you were those, the ones I mentioned, we had him Yeah.

Duffy King 37:57

It was yeah, it was for sure. Um, as that is definitely through the, I think of 99 through 2010. Next, and then I moved to in 2011. I moved to late mid 2001. And I moved to Phoenix for a few years,

Jeff Dwoskin 38:12

and we could do it when we were in this.

Unknown Speaker 38:18

And 20 years later.

Duffy King 38:21

Oh my gosh, that's hysterical. That's

Jeff Dwoskin 38:27

definitely the sides definitely king.com your website. Where else can people keep up with you on the social medias

Duffy King 38:34

to Facebook pages Duffy King regular Facebook W King music, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, which I never go on. The main ones I haven't delved into Tik Tok. My kids are there fact ones becoming less girlfriend's becoming Tik Tok star.

Jeff Dwoskin 38:55

daughter had like a flash of fame. She had one tick tock it like millions she shot up 50,000 followers, but then that kind of TF kind of theater. Well, yeah, that's fun. That's awesome. That's so cool. And I'll put all those links in the show notes so everyone can cool gets here and check out your albums.

Duffy King 39:12

Yeah, check out my my my new video, which actually is a song from acoustically speaking. That is awesome. And I was just because of COVID. And all that I was delayed in making this video that I had the vision for from when I actually wrote the song. In Arizona, we lived at the base of Black Mountain in the high Sonoran Desert, therefore, you know, the song's title, somebody else. So Nora, and I had this vision of me climbing this mountain playing. And when it got to the top at the end, when I'm really stretching it up, you know, I'd have this drone going around the circles. And then finally, when we were able to be out at our place again, there and I was able to make this video happen, and it's awesome. As matter of fact, it is right now on the first ballot of the Grammys. For this video,

Jeff Dwoskin 40:01

well I'm gonna Oh, yeah. Yeah, sounds

Duffy King 40:06

pretty good. Yeah. So I'm hoping that obviously I mean, that's a long shot, but we'll see if it makes it to the main ballot. He's already asking.

Jeff Dwoskin 40:14

Yes, Duffy, I will go to the Grammys.

Duffy King 40:19

At any rate, that's just another cool thing that the video is awesome. Check it out on my YouTube channel, and

Jeff Dwoskin 40:25

I'll put links to everything. What definitely thank you so much. This was so much fun. I love love chatting with ya. Thanks, man. Cool, man.

Duffy King 40:33

Very cool. Thanks. Peace.

Jeff Dwoskin 40:35

All right, that was Duffy King. All right now you got a musical mark. You can check out Alan Hewitt and one nation their album 2021 and our previous album, evolution, catch those on Spotify and you can listen to Duffy King solo album acoustically speaking I'll put links in the show notes to those as well. As promised earlier in the show.

Well with the interview over that can only mean one thing. That's right. It's time for another trending hashtag when the family of hashtags and hashtag around up download the free always free never costs a penny hashtag round up app at the Google or Apple Play stores download the app and get notified every time a game starts. Never miss another game tweet along with us. And one day one of your tweets may show up on a future episode of live from Detroit. The Jeff Dwoskin show this episode's hashtag is #MotownAnything from musical hashtags, a weekly Game On hashtag ground up #MotownAnything, the ultimate Motown mashup take anything and give it a little Motown twist. This hashtag chosen of course, because of the conversation I had with John Fay about his brother's recording with Motown playing with Stevie Wonder, and him later touring with Martha Reeves and the temptations Motown royalty. Alright, let's check out some #MotownAnything tweets. Remember all these are retweeted at Jeff Dwoskin show show him some love give him a retweet a like a reply anything you want. Let them know you are grooving to their tweet. All right, here we go #MotownAnything: Oh Funk Brothers. Where are thou Motown? Philly cheese steak, Stevie Wonder Bread, Diana Ross and Rachel Fats Domino pizza. Hey, no mo town high enough sly in the Sorcerer's Stone. You look mob that's hashtag round up on the roof. Paul playing directly to us. Thank you, the Lionell King moonwalk like and Egyptians sacktual healing the Motown city madman the Commodores. 64 Stevie Wonder Woman. These are some amazing #MotownAnything tweets is another one super Freaks and Geeks Diana Ross and the Supreme Court Smokey Robinson and the bandit and finally our last hashtag Motown anything tweet as to us, Smokey Robinson. Oh, right. As always find them all at Jeff Dwoskin show tweet your own #MotownAnything tag us? I like it. Comment. I'll do something. But I need you to go first and tweet. Oh, that was fun. Don't forget to play along throughout the week on Twitter. Hashtag games are super fun. And I love reading them on the show and retweeting them at Jeff Dwoskin show.

Well with the hashtag game over that can only mean one thing. We're at the end of the show. How did episode 98 Come and go so quickly? I don't know. It was a rockin fun one. Thanks again to my special guest, Duffy King. And of course, thanks to all of you for coming back week after week. It means the world to me, and I'll see you next time.

Announcer 44:11

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Jeff Dwoskin show with your host Jeff Dwoskin. Now go repeat everything you've heard and sound like a genius. Catch us online at the Jeff Dwoskin show.com or follow us on Twitter at Jeff Dwoskin show and we'll see you next time.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai