Billy Dukes is a Senior Editor and Executive Producer at Taste of Country, where he has over 11,000 articles to his name. His media background includes jobs as music director at WQDR 94.7 in Raleigh, N.C.; writer for Recoil Magazine, a monthly out of Grand Rapids, Mich.; and writer for the Kalamazoo Gazette in Kalamazoo, Mich. The Western Michigan University graduate followed a girl to Raleigh in 2006 and wisely married her one year later. In 2014, they moved to Nashville, where they now live with their three sons. In his free time, Billy enjoys playing and watching baseball, cycling and home renovation.
Billy Dukes
Jeff Beck Will Join Brian Wilson on Tour
Jeff Beck will team up with Brian Wilson for an 18-date tour this fall. The run begins on Sept. 27 in Florida before working up the East Coast and then zigzagging across the country for a final date on Oct. 27 in Akron. Wilson's fellow Beach Boys Al Jardine and David Marks will also join him onstage.
Roger Waters Responds to Star of David Controversy
Roger Waters is fighting back after being called "an open hater of Jews." In an open letter to fans, the Pink Floyd singer refutes Rabbi Abraham Cooper's claims following Waters' use of the Star of David on a pig during a July 18 show in Belgium.
Bill Ward Opens Up About His Black Sabbath Reunion No-Show
For original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward, there's a simple explanation as to why he didn't record or tour with his bandmates. "I was offered a contract, and I couldn't sign it," he said in a recent interview. He refutes suggestions that he wasn't physically up to the task.
Man Sets World Record With 813-Piece Drum Set
Mark Temperato's drum kit weighs two-and-a-half tons and includes 813 individually assembled pieces that the Lakeville, N.Y., resident can reach without taking a step. That's a world record, according to the folks at Guinness, who know about such things.
ZZ Top Perform As Quintet for First Time
Earlier this month, ZZ Top performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival and wanted to do something for the festival's founder, Claude Nobs. Nobs -- a good friend of Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard and Dusty Hill -- died in January at the age of 76.
Ian Anderson Says His Next Album Will Be Folk-Prog-Metal Hybrid
Ian Anderson promises new music in 2014. And while he knows what direction the project will take (it's a concept album), details -- like whether or not it will be a solo record or a Jethro Tull LP -- are still up in the air. Either way, Anderson says it will be a folk-prog-metal hybrid.
The Kinks Reveal ‘Muswell Hillbillies’ Reissue Details
The Kinks's 1971 'Muswell Hillbillies' album was a critical success, but a commercial flop. The album -- their ninth -- will be reissued this fall with an abundance of bonus tracks. The original album included 12 songs; the reissue will contain 25.
Jimmy Page’s Acoustic Guitar Sells for $39,000
An acoustic guitar played by Jimmy Page sold for more than $39,000 at an auction recently. The instrument was among a handful of pieces of rock memorabilia sold at Bonhams last week.
Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert Blu-Ray to Include Previously Unavailable Performances
In 1992 the surviving members of Queen invited friends and fellow musicians to pay tribute to the late Freddie Mercury. The concert included performances from over a dozen top rock and pop artists of the day, from David Bowie to Guns N' Roses to Metallica and Def Leppard. Later this summer 34 different performances from that night will be available on 'The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert: The Defi
Black Sabbath Explore Themes of Greed, War and Religon in New ‘God Is Dead?’ Video
The images used to create the nearly nine-minute-long Black Sabbath video for 'God Is Dead?' come from a wide range of places. Little new footage was shot for the just-released clip. Instead director Peter Joseph borrowed from his previous works and archival Sabbath footage.
Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell Reveals Cancer Diagnosis
Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell revealed his cancer diagnosis this afternoon. Campbell says he has Hodgkin's Lymphoma and is two months in to the six months of prescribed chemotherapy. He'll tour with the band on the European and North American tours this June and July.
Black Sabbath Hint at More Music After ’13’
"Never say never." That's what Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler is saying about the prospect of more new music after '13' is released next Tuesday (June 11). Singer Ozzy Osbourne also says he'd like to cut more songs, but no one is making any promises.