DUKE BARRETT is a combat veteran of the Vietnam War. The Chicago-born paratrooper served as both an infantryman and a reconnaissance scout with the United States Army’s 1st Air Cavalry Division at An Khe, South Vietnam. For his service in country, the army parachutist, a.k.a “glorified grunt,” was awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Purple Heart.

Upon completion of his tour of duty, Duke was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, “America’s Guard of Honor,” at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Upon completion of his military obligation, Duke resumed a music career, which had been interrupted by the draft.  Spending a number of years touring the nation as a professional musician, Duke had the good fortune to play every major nightclub and theater from coast to coast, to include Broadway’s Alvin theater in New York City, where he played in the pit orchestra for the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, starring Debbie Boone. The one timer Rock ‘n’ Roll drummer, and former Golden Gloves Champ, always had an eye for pretty women, and in 1970, married the beautiful Mitsuko Hori. Through thick and thin, Duke and Mitsi have managed to remain married after all these years, and have three beautiful children: two sons, and a delightful daughter. They’ve also been blessed with two grandsons. A graduate of The University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Duke is a 25- year employee of the U.S. Postal Service in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the gainfully employed letter carrier continues to play music on a parttime basis.