Country traditionalist George Ducas returns to Houston

Lest anyone doubt that George Ducas is a traditionalist, consider that, on the cover of his new album, Far from homehe is shown in a telephone booth with a rotary telephone.

George Ducas says of his new album: “I wanted the songs that I wrote for this album to be what would happen if maybe 1967 Merle Haggard met the 1974 Eagles in Los Angeles, and they got along well and decided to play a concert. at Gilley’s in Pasadena in 1981.”

The quote makes a lot of sense when you consider that Ducas was born in Galveston, lived in California for a time, returned to Houston, where he attended Lamar High School and, after graduating from Vanderbilt and a brief period work, decided to try his luck as a musician and songwriter in Nashville.

Things went well, with Ducas signing a recording contract with legendary record producer Jimmy Bowen (Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, George Strait). He has built a career as both a performer (“Lipstick Promises”, “Every Time She Passes By”) and a songwriter whose compositions have been recorded by Garth Brooks, The Chicks and Trisha Yearwood.

With a new album out, Ducas is on the road these days, with an appearance – actually a homecoming of sorts – scheduled for Tuesday, June 25 at Mucky Duck. While Ducas usually features a full band, the show at the Duck will feature only the artist and his guitar, giving the audience the opportunity to revel in his songwriting talents.

Ducas is a devotee of the Bakersfield sound, born out of a dissatisfaction with the “Countrypolitan” trend, a horribly misguided effort by Chet Atkins and others in the late 1950s to strip away all the rough edges from country music in order to make it more attractive to the general public. Bakersfield’s California musicians — including Buck Owens and the aforementioned Merle Haggard — rebelled, doubling their fiddles and pedal steels, running Telecasters through revved-up Fender Twin amps, and pushing the drums to first plan. It was honky-tonk music, designed for drinking and dancing.

Ducas flies the Bakersfield flag Far from home, aided by ace producer and guitarist Pete Anderson, who deserves a lot of credit for the success of neo-Bakerfield artist Dwight Yoakum. “We met during the darkest days of the pandemic,” Ducas says from her home in Nashville. When the guitarist of his road band asked him to work with Anderson, Ducas was immediately enthusiastic. “I’ve admired his records since I was a teenager. I always loved their sound, and at the age of 18, when I first heard his records, the idea came to my mind that if I was ever going to make a record, it is what I would like it to sound like. as.”

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Ace guitarist Pete Anderson (left) produced George Ducas’ latest album Far from home.

Photo by Nathan Chapman

Shortly afterward, Ducas contacted Anderson’s office and then received a phone call from Anderson himself. “We talked for two hours and I was in stitches,” Ducas said. “Not just about music, but about everything. Taco trucks, Mexican food, everything under the sun. Sports, basketball, football. And the music. It was just a great conversation. We just did it. To me, he felt like something between a long-lost uncle and a father figure.

Another important influence in Ducas’ career was that of Mr. Bakersfield, Buck Owens. “We were doing one of those horrible cross-country radio tours when I was with Capitol Records (also Owens’ label at the time). He was kind and friendly,” Ducas remembers. “He took me into his office, behind closed doors, and left the guys from the record company in the hallway twiddling their thumbs.”

Success in the recording business depends a lot on how enthusiastic (or not) an artist’s label is about the artist’s latest release and how much promotional muscle the label decides to put behind it. In Ducas’ case, Owens was on his side and ready to help him. “He said how proud he was of the records I had made and he said, ‘I’m going to call (Capitol President Jimmy) Bowen. He must make it a priority! »

“My big inspiration was Willie Nelson’s New Year’s Eve shows that were at the Summit…I was 10 or 11 or something, and I remember being so inspired by those shows. I was in the cheap seats, but there was so much energy and I loved every minute of it. I will never forget him.”

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Some songwriters compose themselves while others prefer to collaborate with another author. Ducas did a lot of both. His preference? “I probably don’t spend enough time writing – or even sitting down and trying to write – a song on my own,” Ducas says. “I like this discovery of myself, but sometimes it’s difficult to look in the mirror. Plus, I consider myself a pretty tough editor, and sometimes I fall into this excessive self-editing thing, which can kind of freeze you up.

“But with co-writing, I’ll say something that I don’t necessarily think is great, and if it’s a trusted co-author, they’ll find something great in it. Maybe. And if he does, he’ll make it known. He’ll be like, “No, man, that’s really, really cool.” » And so, it opens me up again and takes me out of “editor” mode.

When the conversation returns to Ducas’ Houston roots, he points to one artist as the key to his musical future. “My big inspiration was Willie Nelson’s New Year’s Eve shows performed at the Summit,” Ducas says. “There were a few, and I was 10 or 11 or something, and I remember being so inspired by those shows. I was in the cheap seats, but there was so much energy and I loved every minute of it. I will never forget him.”
In fact, Nelson’s influence quickly became apparent when Ducas began learning guitar and writing his own songs. “I think I was maybe 12 when I wrote my first one,” he says. “And it was a total Willie Nelson (song), which would have been a Red-haired stranger folder type. It was called “Women and Whiskey.” And you’re 12, you know?

“It was a story song, about a guy who had lost his girlfriend. It was goofy. It was a little funny, sarcastic. Then he found the girl at the bar, and her new boyfriend had left her . And it was like, “Women and whiskey / They’re both so risky / They’re both no good.” Sometimes I look back and think, “It’s not.” a bad start.” I could have done much worse!

George Ducas will perform at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25 at Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk. $35. For more information, visit mcgonigels.com or call 281-357-9478.

For more information about George Ducas, visit georgeducas.com.