Sammy Duke

"Our jaws are still dropped from the incredibly talented @sammydukemusic performance this morning!" - CP24 Breakfast Weekend

"This is troubadour prog-rock...and it pushes the envelope..." - No Depression

"We have to talk about the chimes. Sammy Duke deftly plays the instrument with his elbows but there's much more to him than just his unorthodox playing of this instrument. In fact, in addition to chimes, Duke plays the guitar, bass synthesizer and percussion (with both feet.) And if you're still not convinced, Duke's bluesy voice will get you." - Del Cowie, CBC Music

"...Canada's highest-profile one-man-band..." - Cashbox Magazine Canada

You’d never be able to mistake Sammy Duke for anyone else once he starts performing onstage – he’s the gentle giant playing upwards of eight instruments at the same time!

The friendly, unstoppable one-man-band that is Samuel “Sammy Duke” Dlugokecki is proficient at 13 musical instruments, and is a master of the cajon hand drum. As a solo artist, he simultaneously plays guitar, sings, beats on a drum, plays bass synthesizer pedals with his foot, plays percussion with his other foot, and an occasionally liberated hand – or elbow, as in the case of his famed “elbow chimes.” Even in one of his other steady gigs, as a chosen sideman for Alysha Brilla, Sammy plays bass, cajon, shakers, and tambourine, all while singing harmony. 

Almost as impressive, at his own shows, is his self-deprecating charm and wit onstage, entrancing and comforting audiences of all kinds – with the occasional slice of dark humour thrown in, just for fun. Not to mention his infectious, extremely lively energy. As a solo artist, he’s performed at the first-ever Skylight Festival, the Summer Lights Festival, Taste of the Kingsway, Night/Shift, Contra Artufex, and Altekrea, and played nationwide in a multitude of venues.

No wonder Velvet Rope magazine called him an “amazing and diversified talent,” while The Ontarion celebrated his “indomitable stage presence.” Coral Andrews of 98.5 FM CKWR says, “His lyrically thoughtful world-folk-rock fusion sound… is similar to the soft-voiced spiritual richness of Craig Cardiff and Bruce Cockburn, melded with the breathy vocals of late father-son songsmiths Tim and Jeff Buckley.”  

Sammy played on both of Alysha Brilla’s JUNO-nominated albums (In My Head and Womyn, both nominated for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year), and he’s appeared, both solo and with Brilla, on Rogers TV, Breakfast Television, CBC Radio One, and CP24 Breakfast Weekend, who – after his performance – tweeted "Our jaws are still dropped from the incredibly talented @sammydukemusic performance this morning!"

He’s also a man of conscience, who’s played numerous fundraisers and justice events, including David Suzuki's Soupstock, The Terry Fox Run, CBC Sounds of the Season, Lifeline Syria, International Justice Mission, World Vision, and Chippewas Solidarity. Sammy also teaches classes for children and adults with special needs, in his hometown of Kitchener-Waterloo. And he undertook a 24-date school tour with Brilla in Kelowna, BC, bringing messages of social equity to youth across the Okanagan Valley.

Sammy launched his debut original music EP, Glass Demons, in March of 2017. Recorded at Catherine North, in Hamilton, Glass Demons was mixed and mastered by Dan Hosh, whose client list includes City and Colour, Whitehorse, Elliott BROOD, and Arkells. Sammy released his follow up full length album, Terminus in July of 2018, recorded in Kitchener at Small Dog Studio with Ian Graham - an off the grid, solar-powered recording studio.

The first single "Save It" from Terminus is a  mid-tempo grabber, propelled by a steady acoustic guitar strum, the hook of a haunting and wordless voice in each chorus, Duke’s rich, warm vocals and a fascinating lyrical conceit: inspired by Plato’s allegory of the cave (we only see flickers and shadows of reality, from the firelight reflecting on the cave wall), the song creates a modern analogy in our own disconnect from Nature, as we stare at our many screens instead (cellphones, laptops, tablets, and especially our TV screens on the wall). It’s all on the surface, and we’re trapped in or own shells, acting as if – in our approach to Nature – we truly could "save it for the weekend." Save It debuted on CBC Radio One Fresh Air in Toronto.

The way Sammy writes, sings, plays and performs, you can bet he’ll be remembered for bringing joy, beauty and truth into the world with his music.