Duke Jupiter

Upstate New York rock outfit Duke Jupiter first appeared toward the close of the 1970s, its founding roster featuring Marshall Styler on vocals and keyboards, Greg Walker handling vocals and guitar, George Barajas on bass and vocals, Earl Jetty behind the drums, and Don Maracle on guitar. Mercury Records quickly added the group to its roster, resulting in three releases: the 1978 debut Sweet Cheeks, during which Dave Hanlon stepped in for Jetty, followed by 1979’s Taste the Night and 1980’s Band in Blue. Departing Mercury early in the next decade, the band experienced further turnover as Maracle exited and Dave Corcoran replaced Hanlon, then aligned with Coast to Coast, a CBS subsidiary, for the 1981 album 1 and its 1982 successor You Make It Look Easy. Tragedy struck in August 1982 when Barajas, one of the original members, succumbed to cancer. Duke Jupiter continued by recruiting bassist Ricky Ellis, only to confront another obstacle when Coast to Coast folded, prompting a new arrangement with Morocco, a Motown subsidiary. Two additional albums appeared on that imprint—1984’s White Knuckle Ride and 1985’s The Line of Fire—before the group disbanded. A 17-track retrospective titled The Band Played On: 20 Years of Duke Jupiter surfaced in 1993. Throughout their run the musicians supported an array of major rock acts that included ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, David Bowie, Bob Seger, Robert Palmer, B.B. King, Toto, Sea Level, Huey Lewis & the News, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Blue Öyster Cult, the Charlie Daniels Band, the Outlaws, and John Lee Hooker.