Duke Robillard

Duke Robillard used to be a guitarist's guitarist-a treasure and a secret to be kept by the brothers and sisters of the six-string. But that's changed. It's not that Robillard's lost his virtuosic command. In fact, on his new album, Dangerous Places (Pointblank), his guitar points to nearly every spot on the stylistic compass of popular African American roots music. What's different now is that Robillard's not just playing for guitarists anymore. His two previous CDs, stoked by the big-label clout of Pointblank/Virgin Records and subsequent touring, have earned the 40-something native Rhode Islander a swelling international following after 30 years in the trenches. And those ranks grew even more with the release of Bob Dylan's next Daniel Lanois-produced album, which features Robillard's stringing. "I grew up playing the roots of rock'n'roll, then discovered R&B and jazz," says Duke, "and I like to touch on all of those, because musically that's who I am. It's all American music, and it stems from the blues." And, no matter what the flavor, it's all Duke's blues. Duke Robillard on guitar, Martin Richards on drums, Dennis Taylor on sax, Doug James on baritone and tenor, and John Packer on bass, make up the band.

  -- CW Duke Robillard