THIS EPISODE WAS ORGINALLY RELEASED IN SEPT. OF 2019
I’ve got to be totally honest here: I’m not always familiar with every individual artist and songwriter we have an opportunity to visit with on the podcast. I quit touring over two years ago, and even by that time of my career as an “entertainer” had morphed into mainly playing private parties and small bars in Kansas and Nebraska when the money was right. I wasn’t trying to stay relevant or even keep tabs on which artists were anymore… Let’s just say I wasn’t “up” on most of the new artists in the Red Dirt or Texas Country scene. Frankly, by that time my college days and “good times” were already WAY over. The artists that had shaped my view of Texas Country and Red Dirt like The Great Divide, Cross Canadian Ragweed and Cooder Graw had already all broke up…Pat Green et al were still doing their thing, but their music hit me differently in my late 30’s and as a husband & father than it did when I was a 20 year old college kid.
So, when Carly told me we’d be doing an interview with George Ducas I said “Uh… OK.” The name sounded vaguely familiar but I just couldn’t place it so I did what all normal folks do in this day and age: I googled him and BAM!!!!
I quickly realized that this was the George Ducas that had a hit song in 1995 called “Lipstick Promises” that I clearly remember singing in the tractor while I was in high school!!!!! Holy smokes did that bring back a quick flood of memories... When I was lucky enough to be in a tractor that had a working radio, it was cranked to a station I could barely pick up from north central KS. I can’t remember the call letters or the frequency but it was called “The Hit Kicker” and was out of Lincoln, NE. That station would play pretty much a constant loop of the top 25 songs on country radio at the time and you could count on songs in the top ten multiple times each day…and so, I was probably raking hay when I got my first taste of George Ducas through “Lipstick Promises”.
As I did more research on George’s career, I learned that he had been on the same label as Garth. Well, you can do your own math to figure out who’s gonna get the most attention from the powers that be if you are on the same label as His Garthness. So, George’s career as an artist started to simmer, BUT his career as a songwriter started gaining more steam.
Fan’s of the podcast would probably be kinda surprised to find out that George Ducas is the songwriter on several Red Dirt and Texas Country songs including Randy Rogers Band’s “Kiss Me In The Dark”, Eli Young Band’s “Always the Love Songs” AND one of my personal favorites, “Just Call Me Lonesome” that he co-wrote with Radney Foster.
George also has co-writing credit on the Garth Brooks and George Jones song “BEER RUN”. We had a good visit over this version of the song compared to Todd Snider’s “BEER RUN” and heard some details about both songs that I don’t think ANYONE has ever heard before this interview. It’s definitely a part of this episode you won’t want to miss.
To cut to the chase, George Ducas is back with some new music and a project called “Yellow Rose Motel” which you can check out HERE. I usually have to hear something a couple times to know if I dig it or not….NOT ON THIS PROJECT! I am super impressed with this stuff! Damn good songwriting and production. George is releasing the project in Volumes. Three song groupings have made up Volume 1, 2, and 3 with the final 3 songs coming soon.
The first song I heard off this project is called “Eastwood” and is simply a great song IMO. I don’t know what else to say…. I dig the heck out of it and George’s delivery on the song. You’ve GOT to go listen to it! Another song which I’m really loving from the project is called “Country Badass” which is a nice shot taken at the wannabes and cracks me up.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed our interview with George and I think you’ll find it a good listen. AND THE MUSIC! Please check it out because I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Check out all things George Ducas by clicking HERE!
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