"Sir Duke" is a song composed and performed by Stevie Wonder from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. Released as a single in 1977, the track topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Black Singles charts, and reached number two in the UK Singles Chart, his joint biggest hit there at the time. Billboard ranked it as the No. 18 song of 1977.
The song was written in tribute to Duke Ellington (hence the name Sir Duke), the influential jazz musician who had died in 1974. The lyrics also refer to Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald. Wonder re-recorded the song for the 1995 live album Natural Wonder.
Background Wonder wrote the song as a tribute to Duke Ellington, the jazz composer, bandleader, and pianist who had influenced him as a musician. Wonder had already experienced the death of two of his idols (Dinah Washington and Wes Montgomery) after attempting to collaborate with them.
After Ellington died in 1974, Wonder wanted to write a song acknowledging musicians he felt were important. He later said, "I knew the title from the beginning but wanted it to be about the musicians who did something for me. So soon they are forgotten. I wanted to show my appreciation."
Wonder pays tribute to "some of music's pioneers" in the song: "There's Basie, Miller, Satchmo, and the king of all, Sir Duke / And with a voice like Ella's ringing out / There's no way the band can lose".
Wonder recorded other tributes to people he admired, including the 1980 songs "Master Blaster", dedicated to Bob Marley, and "Happy Birthday", which pleaded for what would eventually become the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday in the United States.
Reception Cash Box said that "it's a tribute to jazz and roots, with a beat that lies somewhere between jazz and funk, and a horn section that dances on winged feet." Record World said upon its single release: "Already familiar from its radio play and already on The Singles Chart, it is shaping up as a major hit." New York Times critic John Rockwell said that it's "not Wonder's most compelling song, but nice that it should be so popular."
Personnel Stevie Wonder - vocals, electric piano, percussion Raymond Maldonado - trumpet Steve Madaio - trumpet Raymond Pounds - drums Nathan Watts - bass guitar Michael Sembello - lead guitar Ben Bridges - rhythm guitar Hank Redd - alto saxophone Trevor Lawrence - tenor saxophone
Charts
Weekly charts +Weekly chart performance for "Sir Duke"Chart (1977–1978)PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report)69US Billboard Adult Contemporary3
Chart (2014)Peakposition South Korea International (Circle) 72
Year-end charts +Year-end chart performance for "Sir Duke"Chart (1977)RankCanada11US Billboard Hot 10018US Billboard Adult Contemporary
Certifications
References
External links List of cover versions of "Sir Duke" at SecondHandSongs.com