The Duhks are a Canadian
folk fusion band, formed in 2002 in
Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada. Featuring banjo, fiddle, guitar, percussion, and vocals, The Duhks blend folk music together with various
Canadian and
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
traditional styles, including soul, gospel, old-time country string, and
zydeco. The band also commonly plays
traditional Irish dance music, integrating Latin-influenced percussion as well as often Celtic- and Cajun-influenced fiddle-playing.
History
In 2002,
Appalachian-influenced
clawhammer banjo
Clawhammer, sometimes called down-picking, overhand, or frailing, is a distinctive banjo playing style and a common component of American old-time music.
The principal difference between clawhammer style and other styles is the picking direct ...
player Leonard Podolak founded The Duhks in Winnipeg with gospel- and soul-influenced singer Jessee Havey, fiddle player Tania Elizabeth, and Celtic-influenced guitarist Jordan McConnell—all Canadian musicians.
The name "Duhks" comes from
Scruj MacDuhk, Podolak's defunct previous band.
The Duhks' first album, ''
Your Daughters & Your Sons
''Your Daughters & Your Sons'' is the first studio album by The Duhks. Originally independent, the album is now released under the Sugar Hill Records label. The album focuses primarily on Irish folk music.
Track listing
# "The Green Fields of Gl ...
'' (2003), was nominated for a
Juno award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
, leading to a contract with
Sugar Hill Records
Sugar Hill Records is an American bluegrass and Americana record label.
It was founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1978 by Barry Poss and David Freeman, the owner of County Records and Rebel Records. Poss acquired full control of Sugar Hil ...
. A new percussionist,
Latin-influenced Scott Senior, joined the band, who then released their
eponymous
second album (2005), produced by
Béla Fleck, which won a Juno for Best Roots & Traditional Album by a Group. "Heaven's My Home," from their third album, ''
Migrations'' (2006)—produced by
Tim O'Brien—was nominated for the 2007
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
award for Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.
In March 2007, Jessee Havey left the band to pursue other interests and was replaced as the lead singer by Sarah Dugas. The group was joined in November 2007 by Sarah's brother, Christian Dugas, as a replacement for percussionist Scott Senior, who left to spend more time with his family. In October 2007, The Duhks Sustainability Project was launched to raise awareness about ways to live a more economically viable and ecologically sustainable lifestyle. The following year, the website FestivaLink released The Duhks' first live album as well as the first to feature Sarah Dugas as lead vocalist and Christian Dugas as percussionist; the album is a compilation of old and new songs, largely recorded at a post-
Earth Day
Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 b ...
benefit
Benefit or benefits may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Benefit'' (album), by Jethro Tull, 1970
* "Benefits" (''How I Met Your Mother''), a 2009 TV episode
* ''The Benefit'', a 2012 Egyptian action film
Businesses and organisation ...
in
Nederland, Colorado in April 2008.
''
Fast Paced World'' (2008), produced by
Jay Joyce, was the first official studio album to feature the Dugas siblings. It also received a Juno nomination for Best Roots & Traditional Album. In 2009, FestivaLink released The Duhks'
second live album, featuring several guest musicians and recorded primarily at that year's
MerleFest in
North Carolina.
On January 15, 2010, fiddler Tania Elizabeth announced that she would be moving on. She was temporarily replaced by fiddler
Casey Driessen. As of 2010, the whole band was on semi-hiatus, playing far fewer shows. In April 2011, the band announced on their website that this pace would continue, including some shows with former members Havey and Senior, as the Dugas siblings had begun recording and performing as an independent duo.
In January 2012, the band announced a reformation of the band featuring original lead vocalist Jessee Havey, fiddler Tania Elizabeth, Jordan McConnell on guitar, Scott Senior on percussion, and Leonard Podolak on banjo. This lineup did some reunion tours before McConnell, Senior, and Elizabeth left and Havey and Podolak went on to scout a new lineup. The band then did tours with a lineup consisting of new American members, including Rosie Newton (temporary fiddler, who toured with the band for a six-month period ending in the winter of 2014), temporary guitarist Jefferson Hamer, and permanent new percussionist Kevin Garcia. The band entered the studio in December 2013 after successfully using
crowdsource funding site
Indiegogo to raise money for the recording of a new album, originally planned for release in spring of 2014.
In June 2014, The Duhks officially released their new album, ''Beyond the Blue''. The touring lineup for that album cycle also included Québécois multi-instrumentalist Colin Savoie-Levac on guitar and Swedish fiddler Anna Lindblad on violin as of January 2015.
In the spring of 2016, the band announced on their Facebook page that they would no longer be touring, but proceeded to play a handful of shows in and around Winnipeg over the next few years featuring a lineup of original members Leonard Podolak, Jessee Havey, Jordan McConnell, and Scott Senior plus fiddler Jeremy Penner.
On March 30, 2022, The West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg announced a 20th anniversary reunion show by the original lineup for May 2022, with further dates at the
Telluride Bluegrass Festival announced shortly thereafter.
Members
Current
* Leonard Podolak – banjo and vocals (2002–2016, 2022)
* Jessee Havey – lead vocals (2002–2007; 2011–2016, 2022)
* Tania Elizabeth – fiddle and vocals (2002-2010, 2012–2014, 2022)
* Jordan McConnell – guitar (2002–2013, 2022)
* Scott Senior – percussion (2004–2007, 2011–2013, 2022)
Former
* Sarah Dugas – lead vocals (2007–2011)
* Christian Dugas – drum kit and percussion (2007–2011)
* Colin Savoie-Levac – guitar and bouzouki (2014–2016)
* Kevin Garcia – percussion (2013–2016)
* Anna Lindblad – fiddle/violin (2015–2016)
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
See also
*
List of bands from Canada
This is a list of bands from Canada. Only bands appear here; individual musicians are listed at list of Canadian musicians.
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See also
...
*
Scruj MacDuhk
References
External links
The DuhksOfficial Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duhks, The
Musical groups established in 2002
Musical groups from Winnipeg
Canadian folk music groups
Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Group winners
2002 establishments in Manitoba
Sugar Hill Records artists
Canadian Folk Music Award winners