An Interview With Duke Levine Of Bonnie Raitt’s Band & Formerly Of The J. Geils Band

Feature Photo courtesy of Duke Levine Scott Legato

Duke Levine was born to play guitar. In fact, once he picked it up, there was no backup playing. “I didn’t really think about that much; it’s just what I assumed I would do,” Levine tells ClassicRockHistory.com.

He explains, “I made a decision to join a full-time band instead of going to college, and my parents were very supportive… although I found out later that they might have been a little worried. [laughs]”

Levine’s passion meant that he wasn’t thinking about anything stopping him, just that he’d succeed at all costs. “I took it all seriously,” he insists. “I studied with a great jazz guitarist, Rich Falco, starting in high school and continuing on until I later went to music school. I think I was too young, though, to consider challenges; I just kinda dove in.”

It paid off. Since breaking into the session world, Levine has worked with Otis Rush, toured with Aimee Mann, Roseanne Cash, Peter Wolf, and The J. Geils Band, and has been a member of Bonnie Raitt’s band for years.

Additionally, he’s got a steady solo career, releasing records as his touring and session schedule allows. All in all, Duke Levine has had a hell of a career. “I don’t think I really have any significant regrets,” he says. “I tend to be forward thinking.”

I don’t dwell too much on past accomplishments or missteps,” he continues. “Maybe that keeps me from reflecting on what might have happened. That, and the fact that I feel incredibly lucky for what’s come my way in the music world.”

Levine has a busy year ahead. He’s excited for the future and beaming with pride when recalling what’s accomplished thus far. “I think I’m proud when I hear from folks who tell me that music from my own records has had a positive effect on them,” he says. “Especially when it has helped them get through a trying time in their life.”

“And I’m proud that I’m able to make a living playing music with artists and musicians that I have a lot of love and respect for,” he says. “Proud, and really lucky!”

What are your earliest memories of music in your life, and what drew you to the guitar?

I had three older brothers who were already playing guitar when I was a kid. When I was 10, my brother Rick had a full-time country-rock band that rehearsed at our house every day. He was also into playing finger-picking acoustic, and he had a nice J50. I think when I first picked up his guitar, I thought I could play because it was in an open tuning.

So, there was always a guitar around, and my brothers got my sister and me started with basic chords and stuff. And they had a great record collection, too, so I was turned on to a lot of music I still love – Beatles, The Band, Rolling Stones, Merle Haggard, Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, Doc Watson, Butterfield Blues Band, and more.

Besides bringing me to some of my brother’s band’s gigs, my folks brought me to see Doc & Merle Watson early on, maybe I was 10 or 11? I also got to see a Dead show at Boston Music Hall and Jackson Browne & David Lindley duo at Passim, a 100-seat folk club in Cambridge, when I was 12, in 1973.

How did the scene you grew up in impact your outlook on life and as a musician?

I started playing in a band at age 12, and we stayed together and gigged until we all got out of high school. The last couple of years, we had a school bus, PA, lights, and a crew. So, I was lucky and learned so much from that experience without even realizing it. After high school, I joined a full-time band for the next four years.

My hometown scene in Worcester, MA had some heavy musicians, and it was a time (late 70s/early 80s) when many local scenes were thriving, especially compared to now. So, it didn’t seem that far-fetched that if you were a musician, you could make a go of it.

One of our hometown bands became Joe Cocker’s touring band for many years. There were some stellar jazz players, blues musicians, and rockers. Good old days!

Once you got into session work, what did your toolkit look like?

I started doing sessions more after I finished music school at New England Conservatory. There was a really healthy singer/songwriter scene here in Boston/Cambridge, and most of them hired producers to make full band records. So, although Boston has never been a music biz center, there was a bunch of work here at the time.

At first, in the early ‘90s, for guitars I had my ’63 Strat, a ’66 Mustang set up for slide, my Martin 00028, an old Harmony acoustic arch top for acoustic slide, and a ’58 LP Special. For amps, I had a Boogie MKIII combo and a ’66 Vibrolux, and just the usual Tube Screamer and various Boss effects.

You did an album with Otis Rush. How did that happen, and what was he like?

Man, Otis was great! He was really kind and generous both on and off stage. And he played and sang his ass off, just incredible. I got to do a couple of European tours with him. That album was a live recording of a gig we did in Berlin. I now realize that the show was the first time I ever played with him.

What can you tell us about recording with Aimee Mann and then touring with her?

I got asked to play on a Christmas record Aimee was doing. My longtime friend and bandmate/bass player, Paul Bryan, was producing, and our other buddy, Jay Bellerose, played drums on it, so I felt pretty much at home. And I was happy to meet and play with keyboard great Patrick Warren.

I was a fan of Aimee but had never met her. She was great, just a pro in all ways, and she and Paul created a nice vibe on the session. We rehearsed for a couple of days at Jay’s and made the bulk of the record in about a week, I think.

I joined up for her live X-mas shows that year. A handful of dates on the East and West Coasts also included live comedy bits from Fred Armisen, John C. Reilly, Paul F. Tompkins, and Morgan Murphy. We did stuff from the record and some of her other great songs, too.

You toured with Rosanne Cash. How did you get the gig, and what was your rig like?

I did a few shows with Rosanne, subbing for John Leventhal. I’ve been a fan of John’s work for years, so I was excited about it but also daunted, knowing I’d have to learn all his great guitar parts. She was doing the entirety of her latest record, The River and The Thread, for the first set, and then some of her classics for the second.

My longtime friend/guitar-playing partner Kevin Barry was in her band, along with Dan Reiser and Zev Katz, a couple of other pals, so that always helps when jumping into something cold like that. The extent of rehearsing was running some stuff in soundcheck at the first gig.

What can you say about Rosanne as a performer, and what was the key to preparing for that gig?

Rosanne is a true artist. I had been a fan since her King’s Record Shop record and kept up with her later work as well. It’s so cool to be involved with someone who is making a really considered, deliberate presentation, never mind an incredible songwriter like herself.

She’s a confident and riveting performer, obviously invested in what she’s singing. What more could you ask for? To prepare, I learned the songs and guitar parts as best I could, and then just played them a lot. A bonus for doing a gig like this is how much you can learn from a masterful guitarist/arranger like John.

The live arrangements were the same as the record, so that helps. So, I’ll play along to the record, but one of my checks to see if I really know the song and arrangement is to play the whole thing by myself. This is a good way of knowing where your blind spots may be.

You were the touring guitarist for the J. Geils Band for a long time. Were you a fan going in, and what was the audition like?

Well, I got involved in the J. Geils Band shows because I was already in Peter Wolf’s band, and the Geils guys were cool with him bringing me in. They were adding a second guitar, so I played with Jay. I still play with Wolf and his band, going on 25 years now. I think I did the Geils shows for about six years; the band would do around four to six weeks of shows every year. So, never a full-time gig or anything. But yes, I was a fan; it was really fun to play with those guys.

How did you create a touring rig for J. Geils, and what was your overall approach to songs like “Love Stinks,” “Angel in the Centerfold,” and “Freeze-Frame”?

I just used what I thought would be right. A simple setup: an early ’64 Tuxedo Bassman head and a 2×12 Vox cabinet. For effects, a couple of overdrives, Tremolo, and one Delay. I played a Custom Shop R9 Les Paul and my ’63 Tele. While Jay was still in the band, I was covering whatever he wasn’t doing or beefing up some of his parts.

It was a bit of a needle to thread, as Magic Dick on the harp is at times much like a rhythm/second-guitar player. And then for their last couple of runs without Jay, I took over the main guitar spot. Keyboard player Seth Justman was the MD and arranged all the parts on their records, so I worked with him on what to do. It was fun because it’s all very much arranged, and great to see how they made that all work as a band.

What led you to stop touring with the J. Geils Band and start working with Bonnie Raitt?

So, the Geils band wasn’t really an issue at that point. But I was still working closely with Wolf on his shows and records. The amount of touring that Bonnie was offering and the fact that she is an iconic artist who anyone would be lucky to play with made the decision to join pretty easy.

How has your rig evolved with Bonnie, and what does she expect from you as a player, given that she’s a hell of a player herself?

I’ve used a few different amps. At first, I used a ’63 AC30 head with my Blockhead JTM45 and Vox 2×12 cab. As all amps/cabs are offstage (band is on IEMs), I soon switched to a 1×12 cab. I used my Marshall 2204 JMP head for one touring year and have now kind of settled on my Blockhead JTM45 head with a Creamback 65 in the cab.

For effects, I used a King Tone Heavy Hand, Jam Pedals Boomster and Harmonious Monk, Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay, Source Audio Nemesis Delay, Foxrox Octron 3, and Retro Sonic Chorus. Bonnie mostly wants everything to feel great and appropriate for the song. There are always some key/signature riffs or parts that have to happen.

But beyond that, she trusts that you’ll play the song “right,” and it doesn’t have to be exactly the same night to night. And she is the best example of that; she improvises her guitar solos and takes chances at every show, really inspiring. And same with her incredible singing, she’s invested fully and won’t usually sing something the exact same way twice.

With Bobbie, which songs are the most exciting to tackle, and what’s kept you working with her?

Well, for songs, it’s always a kick to get to play someone’s iconic songs with them, sometimes just surreal. So, “Angel from Montgomery,” which she asked me to play mandolin on, and “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” The exciting part for me lies in how important it is to not screw any of it up.

Not meaning mistakes, necessarily, but just being respectful and creating something appropriate that’s going to add something without being a distraction. And since Bonnie is completely inhabiting those songs every time she performs them—even in rehearsals—the stakes are pretty high.

Where does your rig stand today, and how does it change when you’re working on your solo material?

Well, I’ve been using my ’63 AC30 head and 2×12 cab for my Super Sweet Sounds Of The ‘70s shows lately. For some gigs, I’ll use my ’66 Vibrolux, and for quiet/duo shows, I might use my ’66 Princeton Reverb. My pedalboard lineup changes a little depending on the gig.

Mostly, it’s Jam Pedals Harmonious Monk, and Waterfall, Mad Professor Royal Blue OD and Deep Blue Delay, King Tone Heavy Hand, Catalinbread Belle Epoch Deluxe, which Mike at AnalogMan just modded for me with a volume trim pot, or AMT ADG 1 Delay. Sometimes a Jam Pedals Rattler for high-gain stuff. For SSS70s shows, a ‘70s orange logo EHX Small Stone, my favorite phaser.

What’s something about you as a person and musician that you’d like fans to understand?

Umm, let’s see… I’ve got a crossword puzzle jones, usually three a day, plus Spelling Bee. I play guitar every day. If I’m not doing a session or gig, I’m practicing, working on my own music, or prepping for one of the above.

What’s next for you?

I’m just finishing up rehearsals for a run of shows with Peter Wolf & The Midnight Travelers. Then, I start up touring with Bonnie after that. I’ll try to fit in more shows with my Super Sweet Sounds of The ‘70s project, as we just released a record. And later this year, I’ll record some more of my original music.

Duke Levine & The Super Sweet Sounds Of The '70s

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