MEET

THE DRIVERS

Sam Deluxe

Jo Lily
LEAD GUITAR

Cadillac Jack

Henry Eaton
RHYTHM GUITAR

Earthquake

Greg Morton
BASS

Mad Mississippi Buffalo

Tom Swift
KEYBOARD

Dr. Feelgood Funk

Danny McGrath
DRUMS

Rhinestone Mudflaps III

Ando Hixon
HARMONICA / SAX

There’s a reason they are known in the Dukedom as “THE LEGENDARY PARTY BAND OF ALL TIME.” In the early days it was common for the Driver’s to break all house records wherever they appeared. At Boston’s legendary Paul’s Mall, they set the five-day attendance record as well the benchmark for nightly liquor sales. And for good measure, the fans ripped out the ceiling.

This fierce loyalty was duplicated at The Agora Ballroom in Cleveland and the Starwood Lounge in Los Angeles and hundreds of juke joints in between. When you came to see the Duke, the hard-working Drivers pumped out the tightest, and the most purely entertaining Rock and Roll show of the day.
Each night before storming onstage, the cry went up, “Are you ready boys, It's SHOWTIME.”

Propelled by the loyal fan following and the perpetual party they brought along, Duke and the Drivers were a favorite of club owners and promoters, delivering that large, loyal and more than a little bit crazy crowd to sold out performances across the land.

From their humble but true roots at The Western Front in Cambridge to the big stage at the Boston Garden, when the Duke was in town, there was a party going down.

Conceived in the gentle heart and driven mind of the near-mythical Duke, The Drivers were recruited from coast to coast. While rarely seen, the Duke inspired his protégés from afar, often with last minute messages and instructions for the band that arrived in empty candygrams. He always promised he would be at the next gig, but was somehow consistently and mysteriously diverted by forces unknown.

That is always how it went with the Duke, that reclusive genius. But the Faithful just kept on coming, hooked on the show, the music and the good times, hungry and hopeful that, this time, the legend himself would take the stage.

In his initial attempt to protect the innocent, the Duke gave each of the Drivers a nom de guerre to be used on-stage. Keyboard player Tom Swift became The Mad Mississippi Buffalo, rhythm guitarist Henry Eaton was Cadillac Jack, original bassist Greg Morton was Earthquake, original drummer Danny McGrath was Dr. Feelgood Funk, and harmonica/sax man Ando Hixon was Rhinestone Mudflaps III. The Duke designated lead guitarist Jo Lily as the band leader, aptly naming him Sam Deluxe. Later on would come bass player John Smith, drummer Bobby Chouinard and guitar enthusiast G. Lily, known to the Duke as Koko Dee, Sky Blue Bobby and Nighthawk Jackson.

Their alluring mix of soulful vocals and soaring, tight, percussive backgrounds was counterpoint to the seductive, in the pocket grooves that just drove the crowds wild. Marvin Gilmore, who early on installed the Drivers as the house band at his iconic Cambridge R&B club The Western Front, said of his favorite band, “believe me, these guys could play.” They had, he said, a “Pied Piper Charisma” for filling the house, and that “the ladies really liked them.” What they hungered for, of course, was the promise of the Duke.

“Lucky” Peter Cunningham, the band’s road manager for a period in the early days says of his players, “They’re very much out of the soul tradition of the ‘60’s”. Jo Lily, he says, was the musical heart and soul of the band, Swift the dynamic showman, Eaton the strong, driving rhythm force and Morton “Mr. Soul” holding down the bottom. Hixon, he calls “the court jester”, indescribable, with a stage presence that shined like neon. In his infinite wisdom and in the early days, the Duke aligned the band with legendary impresario and Boston showbusiness icon, Dave LaCamera, known only as “Big Daddy” to the Boston music scene. Big Daddy had the boys working 28 days a month to hone that show to a fine edge. In fact several of the major acts for whom Big Daddy had booked the Drivers as the opener got blown off stage and refused to ever share the same stage again. Big Daddy smoothed over some rough edges and kept the boys safe – he along with his sidekick Freddie J. made up the entire defensive line and were just what the Drivers needed.

When they were on-stage The Drivers energy was infectious, and it was obvious they loved what they were doing. The Duke had schooled them well. It was high quality and lots of fun. They took their craft seriously because they respected their audiences, rehearsing the show day in and day out. They toured the country with top shelf artists, built strong and lasting friendships with the bands they played with, especially the boys in Aerosmith, The James Montgomery Band and J. Geils to name the obvious few. They made some records, good ones, too and hit Billboard’s Hot 100. But from the beginning, it was always about the live show.

And so, it is today. The Duke. The Drivers. The Show. The Audience. That’s right folks, the Duke is back in town and that can mean one thing and one thing only; are you ready?

It’s SHOWTIME.

THE DUKE

The near mythical Duke scoured the coasts in search of blue-blooded, guitar slayin', girl chasin', hard-rockin' musicians. His Frankenstein of a band are the Drivers, a collection of deviants with talent and a pied piper charisma.

While rarely seen, the Duke inspired his protégés from afar, often with last minute messages and instructions for the band that arrived in empty candygrams. He always promised he would be at the next gig, but was somehow consistently and mysteriously diverted by forces unknown.

The Duke aligned the band with legendary show-business icons and schooled the Drivers to take the stage with an infectious energy for each and every sold out show. The Duke taught them well from the start.