Les Dudek
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Les Dudek
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| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|08|02}}
| birth_place = Naval Air Station, Quonset Point, Rhode Island, United States
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| genre = Blues rock, Southern rock
| occupation = Musician, singer-songwriter
| years_active = 1976–present
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| associated_acts = Steve Miller Band, The Dudek-Finnigan-Krueger Band, Stevie Nicks, Cher, Boz Scaggs, The Allman Brothers Band, Steppenwolf.
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Les Dudek (born August 2, 1952, at Naval Air Station, Quonset Point, Rhode Island, United States) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/les-dudek-mn0000818375/biography|title=Les Dudek : Biography|author=Greg Prato|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=2016-01-28}}
In addition to his solo material, Dudek has played guitar with Steve Miller Band, The Dudek-Finnigan-Krueger Band, Stevie Nicks, Cher, Boz Scaggs, The Allman Brothers Band, Maria Muldaur, Bobby Whitlock, Mike Finnigan, Jim Krueger and Dave Mason.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/les-dudek-mn0000818375/credits |title=Les Dudek | Credits |publisher=AllMusic |date=1952-08-02 |access-date=2016-01-28}}
Early years
Dudek's father Harold came from Campbell, Nebraska, and was a World War II veteran in the United States Navy. His mother Alma, of Brooklyn, was a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette. Les has one older sister, Sandy. The family is of Czech, German, Italian, and Russian descent. Six years after Les was born, his father retired from the Navy and the family moved to Auburndale, Florida, where he grew up. {{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
Musical career
The Beatles caught Dudek's ear at an early age. In 1962, at the age of ten, Les asked his parents for a guitar for Christmas. They bought him an acoustic guitar from Sears & Roebuck. His musical influences, along with The Beatles, were Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and The Ventures.{{cite web|url=http://www.lesdudek.com |title=Les Dudek |publisher=Lesdudek.com|access-date=2014-07-18}} He had built quite a reputation around the Florida area as a proficient guitar player, having started playing in local bands as a teenager. Those bands were "The United Sounds", "Blue Truth" and "Power". That reputation would place him in the studio with the Allman Brothers Band for the recording of the Brothers & Sisters album. He played guitar harmonies with Dickey Betts on the well-known song "Ramblin' Man" and acoustic guitar on "Jessica".{{cite web|url=http://www.lesdudek.com/bio/ |title=Biography |publisher=Lesdudek.com |date=1971-10-29 |access-date=2014-07-18}} In Alan Paul's book, One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band, Dudek claimed to have written the part in "Jessica" from when it modulated into G then eventually back to A.{{cite book|title=One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band|author=Alan Paul|author-link=Alan Paul (author)|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|isbn=978-1250040503|date=2015|page=N/K}}
His next stops were as a guitarist for Boz Scaggs and The Steve Miller Band. Dudek was invited to play with Journey,{{Cite web |author1=Jackson MaxwellContributions from Joe Bosso |date=2024-10-13 |title="I got a call – 'I'm putting a super band together, and I want you to be one of the guitar players.' The other guitarist was Neal Schon from Santana": How Les Dudek joined Journey "for two hours" |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/news/les-dudek-joined-journey-for-two-hours |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=guitarworld |language=en}} however, he had received an offer to record for Columbia Records as a solo artist and took that path instead. He recorded four solo albums for Columbia Records, Les Dudek, Say No More, Ghost Town Parade and Gypsy Ride. He had two minor hits with "City Magic" and "Old Judge Jones" which were played frequently on local radio stations in the Los Angeles, California area, where he lived at the time, having moved to West Hollywood in the mid-1970s.{{citation needed|date=December 2009}}
He later collaborated with Cher, Stevie Nicks, and with two other Columbia artists, Mike Finnigan and Jim Krueger, with whom he formed The Dudek-Finnigan-Krueger Band in 1978. A DFKB album was released by Columbia Records a year later.
Between the years 1979 and 1982, Dudek and Cher had a personal as well as professional relationship.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yo3uRrtrL7MC&q=cher+boyfreind+les+dudek&pg=PA45|title=Cher (Women of Achievement)|last=Berman|first=Connie|publisher=Chelsea House Pub|year=2001|isbn=9780791059074|pages=45–47}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/chers-many-men-123936485.html|title=Cher's Many Men|website=On Yahoo!|date=20 May 2016 }} Dudek wrote and performed some of the music for the 1984 movie Mask starring Cher, Sam Elliott, Eric Stoltz, and Laura Dern. He had a small part in the film as "Bone", a biker.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089560/fullcredits/|title=Mask (1985) : Full Cast & Crew|website=IMDb.com|access-date=2016-01-08}} Dudek also appeared in the TV movie, Streets of Justice (1985).{{cite web|title=Streets of Justice (1985 TV Movie) : Full Cast & Crew|url=http://IMDb.com|website=IMDb.com|access-date=2016-01-28}} He has worked for NBC, ABC, ESPN, Fox Sports, and E! Entertainment Television. He can be heard on many television series including Friends.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}
In 1985, Dudek played guitar with Stevie Nicks on her album Rock a Little, and undertook her subsequent tour.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/rock-a-little-mw0000195067/credits|title=Rock a Little : Credits|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=2016-01-28}}
In 1989, he did a brief stint with Canadian rock group John Kay & Steppenwolf as their guitarist. But problems developed between Dudek and Kay which led to him leaving the band after a month of touring.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}
Two more solo albums later, Deeper Shades of Blues (1994) and Freestyle, Dudek hit the road again with his own band, and has been performing songs from all his records, plus a few hits he has recorded with other artists.{{citation needed|date=December 2009}}
In 2013, he released another solo album, Delta Breeze.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/delta-breeze-mw0002543928 |title=Delta Breeze - Les Dudek | User Reviews |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2016-01-28}}
Discography
;Les Dudek
- Les Dudek (1976)
- Say No More (1977)
- Ghost Town Parade (1978)
- Gypsy Ride (1981)
- Deeper Shades of Blues (1994)
- Freestyle! (2003)
- Delta Breeze (2013){{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/les-dudek-mn0000818375/discography |title=Les Dudek | Album Discography |publisher=AllMusic |date=1952-08-02 |access-date=2016-01-28}}
;The Dudek, Finnigan, Krueger Band
- The Dudek, Finnigan, Krueger Band (1980){{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-dudek-finnigan-krueger-band-mw0000927298 |title=The Dudek, Finnigan, Krueger Band - The Dudek Finnigan Krueger Band | Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=AllMusic |date=2006-12-05 |access-date=2016-01-28}}
- Fly Like an Eagle (1976){{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/fly-like-an-eagle-mw0000009957/credits |title=Fly Like an Eagle - Steve Miller,Steve Miller Band | Credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2016-01-28}}
- Book of Dreams (1977){{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/book-of-dreams-mw0000198050/credits |title=Book of Dreams - Steve Miller Band | Credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2016-01-28}}
- Living in the 20th Century (1986){{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/living-in-the-20th-century-mw0000190921/credits |title=Living in the 20th Century - Steve Miller Band | Credits |publisher=AllMusic |date=1987-12-15 |access-date=2016-01-28}}
- Wide River (1993){{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/wide-river-mw0000097811/credits |title=Wide River - Steve Miller Band | Credits |publisher=AllMusic |date=1993-06-08 |access-date=2016-01-28}}
- Rock a Little (1985)
;Cher
- Black Rose (1980){{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Black-Rose-Black-Rose/release/3567371 |title=Black Rose (8) - Black Rose (Vinyl, LP, Album) |website=Discogs.com |date=1980 |access-date=2016-01-28}}
- Silk Degrees (1976){{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/silk-degrees-mw0000191750/credits |title=Silk Degrees - Boz Scaggs | Credits |publisher=AllMusic |date=1976-08-15 |access-date=2016-01-28}}
- Southern Winds (1978){{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/southern-winds-mw0000689408/credits |title=Southern Winds - Maria Muldaur | Credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2016-01-28}}
;Richard T. Bear
- Red Hot & Blue (1978)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.lesdudek.com Les Dudek website]
- {{cite web|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2009/08/20/a-real-guitar-hero/|title=A real guitar hero|author=Paul Freeman|website=Mercurynews.com|date=20 August 2009 |access-date=2024-08-02}}
{{Steve Miller Band}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:American rock guitarists
Category:American male guitarists
Category:American people of Czech descent
Category:American people of German descent
Category:American people of Italian descent
Category:American people of Russian descent
Category:Guitarists from Florida
Category:Steppenwolf (band) members
Category:American rock singers
Category:Songwriters from Rhode Island
Category:American lead guitarists
Category:American slide guitarists
Category:American male singers
Category:American session musicians