George Ducas (singer)
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George Ducas | |
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 Ducas performing in 2023. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | George Evnochides[1] |
| Born | August 1, 1966[2] Galveston, Texas |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | Liberty Capitol Nashville Loud Ranch |
| Website | www.georgeducas.com |
George Evnochides (born August 1, 1966), known professionally as George Ducas, is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has released four studio albums: 1994's George Ducas, 1997's Where I Stand, 2013's 4340 [3] and 2019's Yellow Rose Motel. His first two albums charted six consecutive singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart, the highest being his signature hit "Lipstick Promises".
Early life
[edit]George Evnochides was born in Galveston, Texas on August 1, 1966. He was raised in his early years by his father Steve (an Exxon chemical engineer) and his mother Irene (a teacher and a poet) in nearby Texas City, Texas.[4][5] When he was 5, his parents[5] divorced and he spent the next five years in California with his mother, who gave him his first guitar.[6] He then moved back to Houston, Texas to live with his father and stepmother to attend middle school and high school. Ducas attended Lamar High School in Houston and afterward attended Vanderbilt University,[6] graduating with a degree in economics. After working six months at an Atlanta bank,[5] he quit and relocated to Nashville to pursue a full-time career in music.[7]
Career
[edit]Ducas performed in Nashville area clubs by night and honed his songwriting skills by day. In 1994, songwriter Radney Foster took "Just Call Me Lonesome", a song Ducas co-wrote, into the Top Ten on the country charts.[3]
Ducas' debut single "Teardrops" became a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts.[citation needed] "Lipstick Promises" followed in early 1995 reaching #9 leading the way to the release of his eponymous self-titled debut album. George Ducas also produced the No. 52 "Hello Cruel World" and the No. 72 "Kisses Don't Lie".
Due to a restructuring of Liberty Records, Ducas was transferred to Capitol Records Nashville. Initially Ducas' sophomore album Where I Stand was slated for release in 1996, however some record label shuffling pushed the release into the following year kicking off with the lead single "Every Time She Passes By” followed by “Long Trail Of Tears”. Ducas enlisted Vince Gill to feature his accompanying background vocals on the album.[citation needed]
Ducas was a songwriter for artists Garth Brooks, Sara Evans, Eli Young Band, Randy Rogers Band, Gary Allan, The Chicks, and Trisha Yearwood.[citation needed] He co-wrote - "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)", a duet for Garth Brooks and George Jones - which received a Grammy nomination in 2009 for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.[8]
In 2005, Ducas and Radney Foster co-wrote the No. 1 hit "A Real Fine Place to Start" for Sara Evans which led to Ducas spending the latter half of 2007 opening shows for her.[9]
In October 2013, Ducas released 4340 through the newly created independent label Loud Ranch.[10] In 2016, Ducas released the single "Party with Your Boots On" which was licensed to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as their first official artist theme song on a limited term usage agreement.[citation needed]
Ducas’ fourth studio album Yellow Rose Motel was released in January 2020. In addition to writing and recording the album in several Nashville recording sessions throughout 2017 and 2018, Ducas also co-produced the album. The song “Eastwood”, the first of three music videos from the album, became Ducas’ second #1 CMT video and remained in the top spot for three weeks.[11]
In 2020, as a celebration of the 25th anniversary of his biggest hit, Ducas recorded a new version of "Lipstick Promises." American Songwriter Magazine called the new version 'a fun re-work' as "...the new version now features a little more energy as George kicked the tempo up a couple of notches. It hasn’t changed per se, it just sounds a little more like he plays it when he’s live onstage."[12]
In 2020, Ducas began the process of recording his new album Long Way From Home, which was produced by Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam) and released in June of 2024.[13]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Heat | ||
| George Ducas |
|
57 | 36 |
| Where I Stand |
|
— | — |
| 4340[14] |
|
— | — |
| Yellow Rose Motel |
|
— | — |
| Long Way From Home |
|
||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1994 | "Teardrops" | 38 | — | George Ducas |
| "Lipstick Promises" | 9 | 6 | ||
| 1995 | "Hello Cruel World" | 52 | 46 | |
| "Kisses Don't Lie" | 72 | 75 | ||
| 1996 | "Every Time She Passes By" | 57 | 26 | Where I Stand |
| 1997 | "Long Trail of Tears" | 55 | 52 | |
| 2010 | "Never Goes Away" | — | — | Volume Up, Windows Down |
| 2011 | "Breakin' Stuff" | — | — | |
| 2012 | "Cowtown" | — | — | |
| 2014 | "All Kinds of Crazy" | — | — | 4340 |
| 2015 | "LoveStruck" | — | — | |
| 2020 | "Lipstick Promises (Reboot)" | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Teardrops"[15][16] | Piers Plowden |
| 1995 | "Lipstick Promises"[17] | |
| "Hello Cruel World"[18] | Roger Pistole | |
| "Kisses Don't Lie"[19] | D. J. Webster | |
| 1996 | "Every Time She Passes By"[20] | |
| 2015 | "Party with Your Boots On" | Liz Chapman |
| 2019 | "Eastwood" | Cody Villalobos |
| 2019 | "Unlove You" | Cody Villalobos |
| 2020 | "Lipstick Promises (Reboot)" | Ben Boutwell |
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Homeward bound: George Ducas returns to Texas ready to sing his own songs". Waco Tribune Herald. November 11, 2010. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2017). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2017. Record Research, Inc. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-89820-229-8.
- ^ a b Ankeny, Jason. "George Ducas biography". AllMusic. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
- ^ Mitchell, Rick. "On the brink of stardom: There's another George on country's horizon." Houston Chronicle. September 30, 1994.
- ^ a b c Hurst, Jack. "Head of his class: 'Kid from Vanderbilt' graduates to Nashville with high marks[dead link]." Chicago Tribune. February 5, 1995.
- ^ a b "George Ducas | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ Rose, Van. "Singer banks on staying power." The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pa). March 2, 1997.
- ^ "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". CBS. January 4, 2002. Archived from the original on October 10, 2003. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
- ^ "Sara Evans Announces Tour With Josh Turner". Cmt.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2007.
- ^ "Album review: George Ducas – 4340 Album". No Depression. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
- ^ "George Ducas Makes Our Day With Eastwood". Cmt.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019.
- ^ "George Ducas Polishes Off A Commemorative Edition of Lipstick Promises". americansongwriter.com. November 5, 2020.
- ^ "'Long Way from Home' - George Ducas - New Album Review". June 20, 2024.
- ^ "iTunes – Music – 4340 by George Ducas". iTunes. November 11, 2013. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013.
- ^ Billboard – Nov 5, 1994 – Google Books Result. November 5, 1994. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- ^ "CMT: Videos: George Ducas: Teardrop". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ "CMT: Videos: George Ducas: Lipstick Promises". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ "CMT: Videos: George Ducas: Hello Cruel World". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ "CMT: Videos: George Ducas: Kisses Don't Lie". Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ Billboard – Jun 15, 1996 – Google Books Result. June 15, 1996. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
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