http://www.hyperweb.com/duarte/duarte.html (World Wide Web Directory, 06/1995)
The Chris Duarte Group currently are:
Chris Duarte on guitar and vocals
John Jordan on bass
Barry "Frosty" Smith on drums
The Chris Duarte Group have released a CD titled Texas Sugar/Strat Magik on Silvertone Records. The CD was released in late October of 1994 and has sold over 100,000 copies. Chris is being compared a lot to another Austin blues guitarist -Stevie Ray Vaughan. The comparisons are justified. Chris is hot and he's personally lived through some blues so he can bring that personal pain into playing the blues.
Chris grew up in San Antonio, Texas and was playing guitar early on in his teens. He's the middle child in a family of five. His parents divorced when Chris was five. His older brother Bart was given a guitar when Chris was 14. He'd watch his brother play and when he was through, Chris would pick up the guitar and practice too. His Mom saw how much he loved playing, so she got him a guitar too. It was difficult for his Mother to raise five kids as a single parent. The kids were sent to live with their Dad when Chris was 14, but it didn't work out for Chris. At 15 he was back in San Antonio living with a high school friend named Clark Ellison. Clark and Chris had gone to school together. Clark was moving to Austin and wanted to be a musician. He invited Chris to join him.
Chris moved to Austin in the late 70's with Clark. Chris and Clark worked as a warehouse and delivery drivers for several years while they practiced their playing. Since Chris was underage when he moved to Austin he had to lie about his age to get a job, but because he was such a hard worker, none of his employers questioned his maturity. At night he and Clark would hang out at several clubs around town and study the bands. Chris had several guitar favorites and Stevie Ray Vaughan was one of them as was Eric Johnson. Chris and Clark made a few contacts and were able to secure a steady gig with Bobby Mack and Nighttrain. Clark played bass while Chris played guitar. That lasted for several years and Chris learned a lot about what it meant being a band member. During this time he and his wife, Donna Duarte, decided that Chris should try being a musician full time. Chris quit his day job and spent his days practicing the guitar and honing his skills. Chris made a new years resolution in 1986 to learn to read music. He challenged himself to set aside one hour a day to learn to read music. "It seemed like an hour was never enough. Chris was tenacious. When he set his mind on doing something he would work for hours, just keeping his focus on what he was doing." says his wife Donna. Chris while not claiming to be a prodigy, says he just seems to have a knack for picking up things. He'd watch and listen to the guitar players and then go home and practice their riffs, until he felt he could imitate them well. Jimi Hendrix was one of his first influences and he spent hundreds of hours playing Hendrix tunes. "Practicing is like breathing to Chris. It's second nature and he doesn't go a day without picking up a guitar," Donna goes on to say. "I mean it's really rare that he gets so busy and forgets to practice. He can always find time to practice because he combines it with watching the news on TV or something."
After leaving Bobby Mack and Nighttrain Chris played in several local bands. His first gig after Bobby Mack was playing guitar for Diana Cantu. Diana was a strong vocalist whose style was compared a lot to Joan Armatrading. He then played for Julie Burrell, a powerful blues/jazz singer. During this same period we was enjoying jamming with several Jazz musicians. They decided to form a band and they called themselves Justice. Chris was voted best Jazz musician by The Austin Chronicle reader's poll in 1988 for his performances with that band. Chris had his guitar in a lot of simultaneous projects during the 80's. One of the other bands he liked jamming with included John Jordan and Jeff Hodges and they called themselves the Bad Boys. The Bad Boys played backup for Julie Burrell for a while but went on to gain their fame as the backup band for Junior Medlow. Junior Medlow and the Bad Boys were a very popular band in the late 80's and Chris was a big part of that success. But by July of 1990 Chris was on his way out of town. His fast rise musically also led to some fast living.
Chris was driven out of town by some pretty ugly ghosts -mainly the addiction to heroin. He'd been enticed to try it because his Jazz idols, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker had used it. Chris just wanted to try it once just to see what it was like. The drug was too seductive. In the beginning it felt relaxing and was an exhilarating rush and Chris felt it really helped his guitar playing. Soon after came the addiction. H doesn't discriminate. It treats everybody equally. It takes you in and turns you out. During this time period Chris was living day to day and his guitars lived in pawn shops for the most part. Chris was even forced to sell some of his equipment for income during those tough times. It was a no-win situation. There was only one way out and it meant some very painful withdrawals. It took a several attempts and some family intervention but Chris finally made the decision himself to focus on getting off his addiction.
Chris had to leave the Austin music scene where the stuff was so easy to find in order to bring his life back in line. He was married and had a small child and its no surprise that something had to give. Chris credits his wife, his long time friend John Jordan and his family for helping him in his recovery. Chris's brother put him up on his farm in New Hampshire, where Chris was cleaned of his addiction and where he rediscovered his guitar talent. He studied his guitar chords more, focused on song melodies, and started playing regular gigs around that area. He also decided to focus on rhythm and blues. Chris never wanted to be labeled anything but a guitarist, he didn't want to be labeled as a Jazz guitarist or a blues guitarist because he didn't want to be limited. Sometime during his New Hampshire stay though he made the decision he needed to focus on some style and R&B is what he felt he could do best. He set a goal for himself that he'd play 20-25 gigs a month around the New Hampshire area. His new friends thought he was really stretching and didn't feel anyone could secure that percentage of bookings. Chris never gave up and once he made up his mind and focused on what he wanted, he just did it. As unbelievable as it is to some Chris managed everything pretty much on his own. He did all his own bookings and set ups and break downs. Like his wife Donna says "He's pretty tenacious." While playing around the Boston, MA area he made another connection that brought him back on a tour through Austin. This is where his manager Cleve Hattersley first saw him. They soon struck out a deal and Chris was on his way back to Austin and his musical roots.
Chris and his family moved back into town in late 1991 and Chris has been working extremely hard to put his talent to use. The Chris Duarte Band tours about 250 to 300 days of the year. One of those road trips in early 1993 nearly cost Chris his life. An accident in Denver, CO involving the band and a semi in February of 1993 was the closest brush with death he's ever had. It was a miracle no one died in the accident. The van and his equipment were totaled and all the band members were hurt. Chris suffered a broken collarbone and some bruised ribs, but the most serious injury was a head injury sustained by his drummer. The news spread quickly via the internet and his local friends and fans organized a benefit to pay for the hospital expenses. Local musicians including Eric Johnson, Kim Wilson, Fran Christina, Joe Rockhead, King Friday, Will Sexton, Tommy Taylor and Kyle Brock all volunteered to play the benefit held at Steamboat Springs on 6th St. Chris was able to make the benefit and was very appreciative of the support that his friends showed. He was very appreciative that he still had friends. After his days of drug induced blues he wasn't sure this town still liked him. Chris has made his mistakes but he's learned and he's still learning. He's gotten a second chance and he's making the most of it.
We don't get to see Chris Duarte very much in this town, these days but when he his back he's sure to draw a crowd. Look for him to play Antones or Steamboat and occasionally The Continental Club. Chris is very humbled by the experience of his early career problems, but that has only made him more determined to succeed. He's a powerful stage presence who can easily do Hendrix and Clapton licks justice. Chris is just giving us a taste of his rise to fame. He's determined he's going to go as far as anyone can go. There is no stopping him, not even a semi.
My Way Down written by Chris Duarte and John Jordan
Letter to My Girlfriend written by E. Jones
C-Butt Rock written by Chris Duarte and John Jordan
Just Kissed by Baby written by Nocentelli/Neville/Porter/Modeleste
Shiloh written by Chris Duarte and John Jordan
Scrawl written by Chris Duarte and John Jordan
What Can I Do? written by Chris Duarte and John Jordan
Big-Legged Woman written by L. Russell and C. Blackwell
Borrowed Love written by Chris Duarte and John Jordan
