Rick Witter & The Dukes
Rick & the Dukes at Dundee Doghouse 2007
Background information
Origin	York, England
Genre(s)	Alternative Rock, Indie
Years active	2005-present
Website	rickwitter.com
Members
Rick Witter Rob Wilson Stuart Fletcher Matt Lunn

Rick Witter & The Dukes are a British alternative rock band from York, England.

Band Members

• Rick Witter (Vocals)
• Rob Wilson (Guitars)
• Stuart Fletcher (Bass Guitar)
• Matt Lunn (Drums)

History

In August 2005, former Shed Seven front man, Rick Witter, announced details of his new band, Rick Witter & The Dukes, along with a week of low key live shows in Scotland. The initial plan for The Dukes was to mix playing brand new material together with a few old Shed Seven songs in an effort not to alienate Witter's existing fanbase from the days with his former band.

Two sold out hometown shows at Fibbers, in York, followed the handful of Scottish dates in December of the same year. The same month also saw the first airing of Dukes material online, as four song excerpts began streaming on a newly created Rick Witter & The Dukes myspace page (which was later to become the band's official website). The four short demo clips included the tracks; He Was The Boy Who Waited So Long He Forgot What He Was Waiting For, Pull Together, The Devil Will Be Waiting For You and The Other Way Around. A full demo version of the latter was made available for fans to download for free a short time after.

By April 2006, The Dukes had announced a full 18-date UK tour, as well as making a further full demo, The Sky Falls Down, available to download for free. In July 2006, the band began recording sessions for their self-financed debut album with producer, Will Jackson, initially slated for release in late 2006. Yet, as 2006 came to a close, it was then announced that the release date would be put back to February 2007. However, having recently written a new song, Forever Gone, in late January, the album release was again delayed to ensure the new song's inclusion in the final tracklisting.

The Year Of The Rat

The much anticipated Rick Witter & The Dukes debut album, The Year Of The Rat, was finally released on Monday 16th April 2007 via Hookline And Singer/Notting Hill Music. Initial copies of the album came in the form of a special limited edition, presented in an embossed metal tin with card slip case and fold out lyric poster, and limited to just 1000 units.

To celebrate the album's release, the band announced a special one-off gig aboard a boat on York's River Ouse, known as the Ouse Cruise, as the band played a set consisting entirely of their own material to just 70 fans.

Discography

Albums

• The Year Of The Rat (2007)

External links

• Official Website
• RickWitter.net