Sweet Cheeks & Taste The Night

In the early years Duke played original Rock/R&B instrumentals, which featured their signature dual lead-guitar sound when Don Maracle joined in the band in 1974. The band was playing clubs in the Upstate NY area and gradually expanded their territory. With the release of Sweet Cheeks, their first album (1978), Duke started touring with national acts. Some of the bands they toured with during their 13 year career included; ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, David Bowie, Bob Seeger, Robert Palmer, BB King, Toto, Sea Level, Huey Lewis and the News, Reo Speedwagon, Foreigner, Blue Oyster Cult, The Charlie Daniels Band, The Outlaws, John Lee Hooker, and countless others. Two additional albums were recorded on the Mercury Record label, Taste the Night (1979), and Band in Blue (1980). SWEET CHEEKS: Duke Jupiter's 1st album (1978) was produced by Chuck Leavell, formerly with The Allman Brothers, who, at that time, had a band called Sea Level. Chuck really hit the big-time when he became the keyboard player for the Rolling Stones, as well as pianist on many projects including Eric Clapton's Unplugged CD. Duke's 1st album has a Southern influence mixed into their classy rock sound. Maybe because it was recorded at Capricorn Studios in Macon, GA, had some of the Allman Bros. Band members on it, the Muscle Shoals Horn section, or maybe it was the grits... TASTE THE NIGHT: Duke Jupiter's 2nd album (1979) with Mercury Records, was recorded in NYC and produced by Glen Kolotkin. Glen's engineering discography is a who's who of the 60s and 70s era including artists such as: Santana, Janis Joplin, Journey, Barbara Streisand, and Jimi Hendrix'.