Billy Dukes is a Senior Editor and Executive Producer at Taste of Country, where he has over 11,000 articles to his name. His media background includes jobs as music director at WQDR 94.7 in Raleigh, N.C.; writer for Recoil Magazine, a monthly out of Grand Rapids, Mich.; and writer for the Kalamazoo Gazette in Kalamazoo, Mich. The Western Michigan University graduate followed a girl to Raleigh in 2006 and wisely married her one year later. In 2014, they moved to Nashville, where they now live with their three sons. In his free time, Billy enjoys playing and watching baseball, cycling and home renovation.
Billy Dukes
Roger Waters Responds to Star of David Controversy
Roger Waters is fighting back after being called "an open hater of Jews." In an open letter to fans, the Pink Floyd singer refutes Rabbi Abraham Cooper's claims following Waters' use of the Star of David on a pig during a July 18 show in Belgium.
Man Sets World Record With 813-Piece Drum Set
Mark Temperato's drum kit weighs two-and-a-half tons and includes 813 individually assembled pieces that the Lakeville, N.Y., resident can reach without taking a step. That's a world record, according to the folks at Guinness, who know about such things.
ZZ Top Perform As Quintet for First Time
Earlier this month, ZZ Top performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival and wanted to do something for the festival's founder, Claude Nobs. Nobs -- a good friend of Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard and Dusty Hill -- died in January at the age of 76.
Surgery Forces Elton John to Postpone Summer Tour
Elton John has postponed all summer tour dates after an illness that came on during his recent European tour turned out to be much more serious. The singer is undergoing treatment and surgery for appendicitis, but says he'll be back on the road in September.
Rolling Stones Lyric Banned From Man’s Tombstone
The Church of England will not allow the tombstone of a recently deceased man to have the modified lyric of a Rolling Stones song etched into it. The family of Charles Clapham hoped to use the line "It was only rock 'n' roll" as an epitaph, but the church dismissed the idea as flippant.
Nikki Sixx Thanks Fans for Support After Mother’s Death
Nikki Sixx thanked fans for their words of support following the June 8 death of his mother Deana Richards. Sixx shared the news via Twitter early Sunday morning. Details of her passing have not been made available.
Black Sabbath Explore Themes of Greed, War and Religon in New ‘God Is Dead?’ Video
The images used to create the nearly nine-minute-long Black Sabbath video for 'God Is Dead?' come from a wide range of places. Little new footage was shot for the just-released clip. Instead director Peter Joseph borrowed from his previous works and archival Sabbath footage.
Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell Reveals Cancer Diagnosis
Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell revealed his cancer diagnosis this afternoon. Campbell says he has Hodgkin's Lymphoma and is two months in to the six months of prescribed chemotherapy. He'll tour with the band on the European and North American tours this June and July.
Black Sabbath Hint at More Music After ’13’
"Never say never." That's what Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler is saying about the prospect of more new music after '13' is released next Tuesday (June 11). Singer Ozzy Osbourne also says he'd like to cut more songs, but no one is making any promises.
Ozzy Osbourne a ‘Real Man’ for Admitting to Relapse, Says Daughter Kelly
Ozzy Osbourne's daughter Kelly has nothing but respect for her father despite his recent drug and alcohol relapse. The actress and singer says it took courage for him to recognize his problem and to admit it to the world via Facebook.
Metallica Have the Material, But Not the Time to Record New Album
It's been five years since Metallica released 'Death Magnetic,' their last studio album. The band says they're anxious to return to the studio to start recording again, and they've got the material. However two obligations are keeping them beginning work on the first album from their own label Blackened Recordings.
Led Zeppelin Turned Down Bill Clinton’s Reunion Request
Details of how so many A-list performers agreed to take the stage at Madison Square Garden for the 12-12-12 Superstorm Sandy relief concert last December are beginning to emerge, as is the name of one band who simply said no. Led Zeppelin turned down a chance to reunite for the cause, at the personal request of former president Bill Clinton.