George Ducas (singer)
Encyclopedia
George Ducas is an American country music
artist. He has released two studio albums: 1994's George Ducas and 1997's Where I Stand, and has charted six singles on the Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) charts, of which the highest was the #9 "Lipstick Promises
" in 1995. In addition, he has written singles for Garth Brooks
, George Jones
, Radney Foster
, Sara Evans
, the Randy Rogers Band
, and the Eli Young Band
.
chemical engineer and an English professor) divorced. He moved to San Diego with his mother. He moved back to Houston six years later to live with his father and stepmother. He attended Lamar High School
and Kinkaid High School.
Ducas left Houston to attend Vanderbilt University, graduating in 1989 with a degree in economics; after only working six months at an Atlanta bank, he quit to focus on music full time. "Maybe doing something secure is safer," Ducas told The Times Leader
of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., in 1997. "However, doing something you love is much more important, even if it's a little more dangerous."
He adopted his maternal grandmother's maiden name, Ducas, after high school. "My father said he'd always had trouble with his last name," Ducas told The Houston Chronicle in an article published on Sept. 30, 1994. "He suggested I change it. It felt strange and uncomfortable at first, but now I'm used to it."
reached Top ten on the country charts with "Just Call Me Lonesome", a song which Ducas co-wrote. By the end of the year, Ducas was signed to Liberty Records
, charting the single "Teardrops;" a Top Ten country hit ("Lipstick Promises
") came in early 1995, followed by the release of his eponymous debut album. George Ducas also produced the #52 "Hello Cruel World" and the #72 "Kisses Don't Lie".
Due to a restructuring of Liberty Records, Ducas was transferred to Capitol Records
Nashville, where he released his second album, 1997's Where I Stand. The album's release was delayed, however, due to the poor performance of its lead-off single "Every Time She Passes By". This song was withdrawn after only three weeks on the charts, then re-released in November 1996. However, Ducas continued to perform, headlining and opening shows for such acts as Alan Jackson
, Toby Keith
, Mary Chapin Carpenter
, Diamond Rio
, The Mavericks
and Faith Hill
. Ducas and Keith Anderson
were two of several co-writers on "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)", a Top 30 duet for Garth Brooks
and George Jones
in 2001. The Dixie Chicks
, Gary Allan
and Trisha Yearwood also recorded album cuts which he co-wrote.
In 2005, Ducas and Foster wrote "A Real Fine Place to Start
", a No. 1 hit for Sara Evans
, and Ducas spent the latter half of 2007 opening shows for her. Other singles that Ducas has co-written include the Randy Rogers Band
's 2007 single "Kiss Me in the Dark" and the Eli Young Band
's 2008 single "Always the Love Songs
", the latter of which he co-wrote with David Lee Murphy
.
Ducas was signed by WhiteStar Entertainment in September 2008, but the label folded before any material could be released. In August 2010, he released an extended play
titled Volume Up, Windows Down.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist. He has released two studio albums: 1994's George Ducas and 1997's Where I Stand, and has charted six singles on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) charts, of which the highest was the #9 "Lipstick Promises
Lipstick Promises
"Lipstick Promises" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist George Ducas. It was released in November 1994 as the third single from his debut album, George Ducas. The song reached #9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in April 1995.-Music...
" in 1995. In addition, he has written singles for Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
, George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
, Radney Foster
Radney Foster
Radney Foster is an American Texas Country artist. Initially a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Foster made his debut in 1986 alongside Bill Lloyd in the duo Foster & Lloyd...
, Sara Evans
Sara Evans
Sara Lynn Evans is an American country singer and songwriter.Evans was one of the few traditional-styled singers to emerge from Nashville in the late 1990s, according to Allmusic. Since emerging in the late 1990s, Evans has made five No. 1 Country hits and Gold and Platinum-certified albums by...
, the Randy Rogers Band
Randy Rogers Band
The Randy Rogers Band is an American Texas Country group from the state of Texas. The band is composed of Randy Rogers , Geoffrey Hill , Jon Richardson , Brady Black , and Les Lawless . They have recorded four studio albums and two live albums, and have charted six singles on the Billboard Hot...
, and the Eli Young Band
Eli Young Band
Eli Young Band is an American country music band based in Denton, Texas. The band is composed of Mike Eli , James Young , Jon Jones , and Chris Thompson . They released their self-titled debut album in 2002, followed by the Carnival records release Level in 2005...
.
Biography
Ducas was born August 1, 1966, in Texas City, TX, under the name George Evnochides. When he was 5, his parents (an ExxonExxon
Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
chemical engineer and an English professor) divorced. He moved to San Diego with his mother. He moved back to Houston six years later to live with his father and stepmother. He attended Lamar High School
Lanier Middle School (Houston)
Sidney Lanier Middle School is an internal charter middle school located at 2600 Woodhead Street in Houston, Texas, United States, with a ZIP code of 77098...
and Kinkaid High School.
Ducas left Houston to attend Vanderbilt University, graduating in 1989 with a degree in economics; after only working six months at an Atlanta bank, he quit to focus on music full time. "Maybe doing something secure is safer," Ducas told The Times Leader
The Times Leader
The Times Leader is a privately owned newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.Founded in 1879, it was locally owned until being purchased by Capital Cities in 1978...
of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., in 1997. "However, doing something you love is much more important, even if it's a little more dangerous."
He adopted his maternal grandmother's maiden name, Ducas, after high school. "My father said he'd always had trouble with his last name," Ducas told The Houston Chronicle in an article published on Sept. 30, 1994. "He suggested I change it. It felt strange and uncomfortable at first, but now I'm used to it."
Musical career
Ducas played in Nashville clubs for three years before signing with Liberty records in 1994. During this time, Radney FosterRadney Foster
Radney Foster is an American Texas Country artist. Initially a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Foster made his debut in 1986 alongside Bill Lloyd in the duo Foster & Lloyd...
reached Top ten on the country charts with "Just Call Me Lonesome", a song which Ducas co-wrote. By the end of the year, Ducas was signed to Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
, charting the single "Teardrops;" a Top Ten country hit ("Lipstick Promises
Lipstick Promises
"Lipstick Promises" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist George Ducas. It was released in November 1994 as the third single from his debut album, George Ducas. The song reached #9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in April 1995.-Music...
") came in early 1995, followed by the release of his eponymous debut album. George Ducas also produced the #52 "Hello Cruel World" and the #72 "Kisses Don't Lie".
Due to a restructuring of Liberty Records, Ducas was transferred to Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
Nashville, where he released his second album, 1997's Where I Stand. The album's release was delayed, however, due to the poor performance of its lead-off single "Every Time She Passes By". This song was withdrawn after only three weeks on the charts, then re-released in November 1996. However, Ducas continued to perform, headlining and opening shows for such acts as Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson
Alan Eugene Jackson is an American country music singer, known for blending traditional honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. He has recorded 13 studio albums, 3 Greatest Hits albums, 2 Holiday albums, 1 Gospel album and several compilations, all on the Arista...
, Toby Keith
Toby Keith
Toby Keith Covel , best known as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Keith released his first four studio albums — 1993's Toby Keith, 1994's Boomtown, 1996's Blue Moon and 1997's Dream Walkin, plus a Greatest Hits package for various divisions of...
, Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter is an American folk and country music artist. Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D.C. clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records, who marketed her as a country singer...
, Diamond Rio
Diamond Rio
Diamond Rio is an American Country music/Christian music band formed in 1984 in Nashville, Tennessee. Since its foundation, the group has comprised the same six members: Gene Johnson , Jimmy Olander , Brian Prout , Marty Roe , Dan Truman , and Dana Williams...
, The Mavericks
The Mavericks
The Mavericks is a country music band founded in 1989 in Miami, Florida, United States. Between 1991 and 2003 they recorded six studio albums, in addition to charting 14 singles on the Billboard country charts...
and Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
. Ducas and Keith Anderson
Keith Anderson
Keith Anderson is an American country music artist. Before signing to a record deal, Anderson was one of several co-writers on "Beer Run ", a duet by Garth Brooks and George Jones, released in late 2001. Anderson was signed as a recording artist to Arista Nashville in 2004...
were two of several co-writers on "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)", a Top 30 duet for Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
and George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
in 2001. The Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
, Gary Allan
Gary Allan
Gary Allan Herzberg is an American country music artist, known professionally as Gary Allan.Signed to Decca Records in 1996, Allan made his debut on the United States country music scene with the release of his single "Her Man", the lead-off to his gold-certified debut album Used Heart for Sale,...
and Trisha Yearwood also recorded album cuts which he co-wrote.
In 2005, Ducas and Foster wrote "A Real Fine Place to Start
A Real Fine Place to Start
"A Real Fine Place to Start" is the title of a song written by Radney Foster and George Ducas, and recorded by American country artist Sara Evans. The song, which was released in May 2005, served as the lead-off single to Evans' fifth studio album, Real Fine Place. It reached the top of the U.S....
", a No. 1 hit for Sara Evans
Sara Evans
Sara Lynn Evans is an American country singer and songwriter.Evans was one of the few traditional-styled singers to emerge from Nashville in the late 1990s, according to Allmusic. Since emerging in the late 1990s, Evans has made five No. 1 Country hits and Gold and Platinum-certified albums by...
, and Ducas spent the latter half of 2007 opening shows for her. Other singles that Ducas has co-written include the Randy Rogers Band
Randy Rogers Band
The Randy Rogers Band is an American Texas Country group from the state of Texas. The band is composed of Randy Rogers , Geoffrey Hill , Jon Richardson , Brady Black , and Les Lawless . They have recorded four studio albums and two live albums, and have charted six singles on the Billboard Hot...
's 2007 single "Kiss Me in the Dark" and the Eli Young Band
Eli Young Band
Eli Young Band is an American country music band based in Denton, Texas. The band is composed of Mike Eli , James Young , Jon Jones , and Chris Thompson . They released their self-titled debut album in 2002, followed by the Carnival records release Level in 2005...
's 2008 single "Always the Love Songs
Always the Love Songs
"Always the Love Songs" is the title of a country music song co-written by David Lee Murphy and George Ducas. It was recorded by the Eli Young Band on its studio album Jet Black & Jealous, from which it was released in late 2008 as the second single...
", the latter of which he co-wrote with David Lee Murphy
David Lee Murphy
David Lee Murphy is an American country music artist. Signed to MCA Nashville Records in 1994, Murphy made his first appearance on the Billboard country charts that year with "Just Once", a song from the soundtrack to the 1994 film 8 Seconds. A year later, Murphy's debut album Out with a Bang was...
.
Ducas was signed by WhiteStar Entertainment in September 2008, but the label folded before any material could be released. In August 2010, he released an extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
titled Volume Up, Windows Down.
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
||
| George Ducas George Ducas (album) George Ducas is the self-titled debut album of American singer George Ducas. It was released in 1995 on Liberty Records, and peaked at number 57... |
|
57 | 36 |
| Where I Stand Where I Stand Where I Stand is the second studio album by American country music singer George Ducas. It was released in January 1997 on Capitol Records Nashville. The album includes the singles "Every Time She Passes By" and "Long Trail of Tears," which respectively reached #57 and #55 on the U.S... |
Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... |
— | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
Extended plays
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Volume Up, Windows Down |
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN Country RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
|||
| 1994 | "Teardrops" | 38 | — | George Ducas |
| "Lipstick Promises Lipstick Promises "Lipstick Promises" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist George Ducas. It was released in November 1994 as the third single from his debut album, George Ducas. The song reached #9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in April 1995.-Music... " |
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" | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Teardrops" | Piers Plowden |
| 1995 | "Lipstick Promises" | |
| "Hello Cruel World" | Roger Pistole | |
| "Kisses Don't Lie" | D. J. Webster | |
| 1996 | "Every Time She Passes By" |