Print
It is highly unlikely that anyone pointed out when Les Dudek was born in a Naval hospital in Rhode Island on August 2, 1952, that the family surname derives from the Slavic word “Duda” which means “street musician.” Yet, that single word encapsulates Dudek who’s extraordinary skills as a guitarist and songwriter helped to define some of the most famous names of the classic rock era while remaining an obscure “gypsy spirit of rock and roll” outside of his own cult following.
When Dudek was six, his father, a career naval radio man, retired and moved the family to Florida. Dudek caught the guitar bug listening to the songs of pop hit makers like Elvis and the Beatles blaring from his older sister’s bedroom and pestered his parents until they gave him an acoustic silver-tone from Sears and Roebuck for his tenth Christmas. By fourteen, he was a student of the blues playing in bars. “Back in those days, man, it wasn’t anything special,” he says recalling those clandestine appearances. “It was all about having to sneak me in and out and hide me in the kitchen during the breaks.”
Through a mutual friend, Dudek became acquainted with Dickey Betts and played a pivotal role in the Allman Brothers 1973 Brothers and Sisters album. “That was probably one of the highs of my career,” he beams. “I ended up playing on Ramblin’ Man and Jessica, which I co-wrote with Dickey.”
For the next five years, Dudek toured with Boz Scaggs lending some imposing licks to his commercial zenith, Silk Degrees (1976) before signing on with Steve Miller for some serious music making. “I was a big fan of Steve’s so working with him was a dream,” declares Dudek. “I got to play on The Joker tour and write with him on Fly Like an Eagle, Book of Dreams and later, Wide River.”
Dudek was within a hairs breadth of signing on with Journey when he opted instead for a four album deal as a solo artist with Columbia Records. The next notch on Dudek’s fret board was Cher with whom he established a personal and professional relationship helping to launch her rock-based Black Rose project and acting the part of her boy friend in the 1984 movie Mask. He then collaborated on Stevie Nick’s opus Rock a Little (1985) and her Whole Lotta Trouble tour (1991).
Dudek toured the US and Europe frequently during the 1990s, released two more solo productions, Deeper Shades of Blues and Freestyle (2002) and composed a large library of instrumental music for the major television networks.
In recent years, Dudek has devoted his drive to barnstorming the blues circuit. “It’s a different business now,” he says about the hard facts of the music industry. “Record stores are disappearing fast. The road is where you make the money. I can sell CDs at the shows and on my web site – I’ll even sign them if people ask. Besides I love connecting with the audience; especially the biker crowd – the free spirited folks who like the wind in their face.” www.lesdudek.com
Ken Wright
