September 03 - The Duke Of Rock And Roll

Kris Wheeler and Wayne Franklin are producing a documentary on bass player Duke Bardwell. The film intercuts the story of Duke's ill-fated stint in the TCB Band with current performances by Duke that illustrate why many think he should've been a star in his own right. You can participate in this project through Kickstarter.


Synopsis: The Story

As a child, Duke Bardwell heard one song by Elvis Presley and knew he wanted to be a musician. He was moved by the raw emotion and unabashed sentimentality of the ballad “Old Shep.” As Duke puts it, “That song about that old dog made me cry.” From that moment on, his destiny was set. But sometimes, Destiny has a cruel sense of humor.


Duke Bardwell is one of the greatest unheralded voices in the history of American music. A naturally gifted singer, Duke became the front man for The Greek Fountains, an R&B horn band that quickly evolved into the mold of the bands coming across the pond as part of the British Invasion.
He developed his songwriting skills playing bass for folk pioneer Tom Rush. In that world, Duke rubbed elbows with legendary singer-songwriters like Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell and James Taylor.
His greatest shot at fame was lost with the collapse of what should have been one of the seminal bands of the ‘70s: Cold Gritz and The Black-Eyed Peas. An interracial Louisiana supergroup, Gritz scored an unprecedented recording contract with Lou Adler, then the hottest producer in the business. But it wasn’t to be.
Duke moved to Los Angeles. There he teamed up with former Greek Fountain and Tom Rush bandmate Casey Kelly to open for Loggins and Messina. Duke shared a duplex with Loggins, and he and Kenny challenged and influenced each other as writers and musicians. Loggins, of course, went on to be one of the biggest names in pop music of the ’80’s. Duke didn’t.
Duke soon found himself standing in the presence of The King. He landed a gig as bass player for Elvis’ TCB Band. But there’s danger in meeting one’s heroes.


Two men: one who should’ve been famous, the other more famous than any who came before or since — this is the story of Duke & The King.


Elvis Gift Set


MGM Entertainment announced the (re)release of 'The Elvis Giftset' 4 DVD set on DVD Release Date: November 11, 2011

(Source: ElvisNews / Kickstarter / Amazon)