The Duke & The King

The Duke & The King

The Duke & The King are an American soul-folk ensemble from New York, founded, produced and created by Simone Felice and Robert Bird Burke. The group brings together elements of blue-eyed soul, Topanga Canyon-influenced songwriting and acoustic material with a Bolan-like touch.

Background

Simone Felice is also known for performing with his brothers in The Felice Brothers, and The Duke & The King marks his work with a new band alongside long-time friend and partner Robert Chicken Burke. The pair draw on their upbringing in New York City, including references to the Summer of Sam, beat-box bass-heavy rhythms and the harsher side of urban life.

Debut album

Their debut album, Nothing Gold Can Stay, is recorded in a makeshift studio in Bearsville, New York State before being mixed and mastered by Grammy Award-winning hip-hop producer Bassy Bob Brockmann, who is associated with Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready To Die. The album focuses on people on the margins: those close to success, those making do, and those who have lost their way. It presents adolescence and boyhood in New York alongside the difficult realities of city life.