Dukes and Lee were a cabaret duo of Ronnie Duke who was an English musician, dancer and comedian
and Ricki Lee (born Audrey Tomlinson) who was an English singer.
They originated from
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
and were popular on the
cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
circuit in the 1960s and 1970s.
Career
Ronnie Duke was born in
Rotherham
Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...
,
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
in late 1931. He trained as a dancer in his youth at the Parkgate school in Rotherham, and took part in dance competitions across the north of England as a teenager.
After leaving school at 14, he became a professional entertainer with a touring act called Britains Dead End Kids which included the
Patton Brothers
The Patton Brothers, comprising Jimmy Elliott (20 August 1931 – 26 July 2019) and Brian Elliott (born 13 December 1933), were an English comedy double act and the two older brothers of Barry and Paul Elliott, the Chuckle Brothers. They began t ...
.
After two years of national service he returned to show business but suffered a severe leg injury which prevented him from dancing for 13 months. During this time he added more comedy to his act and developed his cabaret show in the working men's clubs of the South Yorkshire area.
In 1953, he met Audrey Tomlinson, aka Ricky Lee, who was singing opera songs at the time, he persuaded her to move to more modern songs and they formed an act together and two years later they were married.
As the act evolved his piano playing mother-in-law Violet Tomlinson also joined the stage show and became the butt of many of his jokes.
Their appearances on the ITV variety show ''
The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club
''The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club'' was a British television variety show produced by Granada Television from 1974 to 1977. It was set in a fictional working men's club in the North of England and was hosted by comedian Colin Crompton ...
'',
led to a headlining making spot for Dukes and Lee at the
Royal Variety Performance
The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...
on 10 November 1975 hosted by
Bruce Forsyth
Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was a British entertainer and presenter whose career spanned more than 70 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the ITV series ''Sunday Night ...
at the
London Palladium
The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...
.
Their act was self described as an extravaganza and in later years became a family affair with their oldest son playing drums and their younger son playing bass. Their act billing often self described the pair as a king of comedy and queen of song.
Lee was the star of Episode 1 on Series 16 of ''
This Is Your Life''.
Personal life
Dukes married Lee (born in Attercliffe, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England as Audrey Tomlinson) at Sheffield Cathedral on 28 April 1955 and remained married to her until his death. They had three children, all of whom appeared on the ''
This Is Your Life'' feature.
Dukes had briefly quit show business in 1964 with a farewell show at The Willow in Kinsley, even being presented with a silver tray and a cheque for £100. The intent was to take over and run The Center Spot Hotel in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
.
He briefly quit performing again in June 1978 after suffering a third heart attack at a performance in Batley Variety Club causing the postponement of the summer season at the
Opera House Theatre, Blackpool
The Opera House Theatre is a theatre in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is located within the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, Winter Gardens, a large entertainment complex in the town centre and originally opened in 1889, although it has been re ...
.
However, later that year he felt his health had improved and returned to join the rest of the family in October 1978 at a night-spot in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. Dukes said another reason for his return was the "ridiculous" figure of £300,000 the Inland Revenue has asked him to pay.
The couple's eldest son Dean Duke is currently a professional drummer playing with
Paul Carrack
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
.
Deaths
Duke died of a heart attack while performing at Behan’s West Park
in
Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...
on the 7 June 1981 aged 49. His wife and sons Dino and Perry were performing with him that evening in the backing group the Trackers. As Lee was finishing a song, he stepped on stage but fell backwards and died a couple of hours later.
He had briefly retired three years earlier after suffering from heart issues but financial problems had forced him to go back on tour.
He was buried on 16 June 1981, in All Saints Church in
Cawthorne
Cawthorne is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. The village was once a centre of the iron and coal mining industry; today it is part of an affluent commuter belt west of Barnsley. A ...
,
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham.
In N ...
in a specially constructed vault in the churchyard extension.
Lee carried on as a solo act for a number of years including appearing in an episode of British Comedy series
Hi-de-Hi!
''Hi-de-Hi!'' is
a BBC television sitcom shown on BBC1 from 1 January 1980 to 30 January 1988.
Set in 1959 and 1960 in Maplins, a fictional holiday camp, the show was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who also wrote ''Dad's Army'' and ...
but died on 30 April 1986, in
Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...
at the age of 52.
Discography
* ''The Dukes and Lee Roadshow'' (1975) –
EMI Records
EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...
* ''Spinning Wheel'' (1974) – Midland Management
* ''What Christmas Means to Me'' (1977) –
Damont Records
References
{{Reflist
External links
Dukes and Lee at UK Cabaret
1981 deaths
1986 deaths
British cabaret performers