Duke Erikson

Duke Erikson
Duke Erikson performing live
Background information
Birth name	Douglas Elwin Erickson
Born	(1951-01-15) January 15, 1951 (age 66) Lyons, Nebraska, US
Genres	Rock, alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, record producer, remixer
Instruments	Guitar, keyboards
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Geffen Records, A&E Records, Atlantic Records
Associated acts	Garbage Fire Town Spooner

Douglas Elwin "Duke" Erikson (born January 15, 1951, in Nebraska), is an American songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, best known as the bassist and additional guitarist of the alternative rock band Garbage, which has sold more than 17 million albums worldwide. Before co-founding Garbage, Erikson was a founding member of the popular Midwestern bands Spooner and Fire Town.

Duke Erikson was born in Lyons, a small rural community in Nebraska. His first musical instrument was the piano, and his second was the guitar. At the age of 16 he joined his first band, The British, which was inspired by his passion for the British beat movement. The band performed at local dances and high-school hops, often publicizing their appearances with posters announcing that "The British Are Coming". When Erikson completed his first scholastic cycle, he began studying art history at Wayne State College in Nebraska, where he taught drawing for "a couple of semesters". During this period he also worked as a carpenter and occasional truck driver.

Erikson formed the rock band Spooner in 1974 with two fellow musicians in Madison, Wisconsin. Erikson sang lead vocals, played keyboards and guitar, and became the band's principal songwriter, his compositions being described as "strangely seductive" in the press. Spooner became a quartet when Butch Vig joined them on drums. Spooner released two well-received albums, Every Corner Dance and The Wildest Dreams, and toured across the Midwest.Rolling Stone magazine called their debut album "a convincing collection of sparkling pop music", to which "Erikson's edgy, poetic slice-of-small-town-life lyrics add a genuine, idiosyncratic touch".

In 1983, Erikson helped Vig and Steve Marker establish Smart Studios in Madison, where he helped to design the studio interior and where he has carried out engineering, production and remixing work for a series of local and international rock artists.