Music / Entertainment

• DU

  DUKES of Dixieland

  New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

  The DUKES of Dixieland are a renowned New Orleans-based Dixieland jazz band with a history dating back to 1948. Originally founded by the Assunto brothers and their father, the band became a national sensation in the 1950s and 1960s, pioneering stereo recordings and performing with Louis Armstrong. After the original lineup dissolved in the early 1970s, producer John Shoup revived the group in 1974, leasing Louis Prima's former nightclub and maintaining the brand for over five decades. Today, the band performs regularly at festivals, symphony halls, and corporate events across the United States, blending traditional Dixieland with pop, gospel, and country influences. Led by trumpeter Kevin Clark, the current roster consists of young virtuoso musicians who carry forward the legacy while appealing to modern audiences. The band has an extensive discography on Sony Music and Leisure Jazz, including a Grammy-nominated gospel album, and continues to produce television specials. Despite ongoing legal disputes with the Assunto family over the use of the name, the DUKES of Dixieland remain a staple of New Orleans' musical export scene and a beloved institution in traditional jazz.