1. Douglas Elwin "Duke" Erikson was born on January 15,1951 and is an American musician, songwriter, screenwriter, film producer and record producer, best known as a co-founder and guitarist of the alternative rock band Garbage.
15 Facts About Duke Erikson
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Duke Erikson was born in Lyons, a small rural community in Nebraska.
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Duke Erikson operated the light show for The British which was constructed out of a cigar box and door hangers.
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When Duke Erikson completed high school, he attended Wayne State College where he studied drawing and painting, ultimately becoming a teaching assistant.
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Duke Erikson formed the rock band Spooner in 1974 with two fellow musicians in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Duke Erikson sang lead vocals, played keyboards and guitar, and became the band's principal songwriter, his compositions being described by City Lights as "strangely seductive" and "immediately draw[ing] in the listener".
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In 1983, Duke Erikson helped Vig and Steve Marker establish Smart Studios in Madison, where he helped to design the studio interior and where he has carried out engineering, production and remixing work for a series of local and international rock artists.
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In 1986, Duke Erikson collaborated again with Vig to form the garage-rock band Fire Town, in which he played guitar and contributed vocals.
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Duke Erikson co-wrote the band's seven albums, contributing guitar, keyboards, and bass.
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Duke Erikson produced the single "If You Go" by the Greenlandic singer Simon Lynge, which received regular airplay in Britain during 2011 after being added to the BBC Radio 2 playlist.
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Duke Erikson is on the board of directors of the acclaimed UK independent record label Lo-Max Records, which is home to The Wrens, The Go-Betweens, Kevin Ayers, and Simon Lynge.
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Duke Erikson's daughter, Roxy Erickson, is a photographer based in London, England.
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In 2006 Duke Erikson co-founded Lo-Max Films and was the co-creator, producer and co-writer of the Emmy Award nominated American Epic documentary film series.
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Duke Erikson co-produced and co-wrote The American Epic Sessions, an award-winning musical film, directed by Bernard MacMahon, in which an engineer restores the fabled long-lost first electrical sound recording system from 1925, and twenty contemporary artists pay tribute to the momentous machine by attempting to record songs on it for the first time in 80 years.
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Duke Erikson is the co-founder of Lo-Max Films, along with film director Bernard MacMahon and producer Allison McGourty.