George Ducas

Four albums (and countless songs written for other artists) into one of country
music’s more esteemed careers, country recording artist/songwriter George
Ducas continues to evolve. His latest evolution comes in the form of YELLOW
ROSE MOTEL, a project that stands as his most comprehensive and cinematic to
date. YELLOW ROSE MOTEL comes packed with everything from smash singles
that remain true to Ducas’ modern day-roots country hybrid style to completely-
off-the-rails story-telling songs that leave a mark on the listener long after
they’re heard. The album both firmly reestablishes Ducas’ country roots and
secures his status as a highly respected artist in the country music industry.

Written and recorded in several Nashville recording sessions throughout 2017
and 2018, the album draws its name from the title track “Yellow Rose Motel”, a
song Ducas says is “inspired by and is an ode to Willie Nelson’s Red Headed
Stranger”, an album largely credited with the rise of country music’s outlaw
movement. “Yellow Rose Motel” itself is an epic tale, exploring the both passion
and the darker side of desire, wrapped up in a sordid love-lust tragedy. “Yellow
Rose Motel” works as a commentary on love, lust, heartbreak, and what could be
called hate - and it is also particularly appropriate for Ducas, as a prolific
songwriter who aptly notes that “some of the best songs come from times when
we identify with those feelings that put us either on top of the world or, in this
case, emotionally destroyed. When music is at its best, whether we are creating it
or taking it in, it gives us the chance to explore our own emotions and
experiences, think them through, and hopefully overcome life’s hardships.”

The range of emotions we all experience that are reflected in YELLOW ROSE
MOTEL demonstrates a new artistic depth and an extra level of intensity for
Ducas. Ducas re-enlisted co-producer Matt McClure, who worked on Ducas’
previous 4340 album; and, once again, as is always the case, the consummate
artist/songwriter had a hand in writing every song on the album. Track to track,
his newest offering reinforces that Ducas’s hit songwriting instincts are stronger
than ever. The lead focus track, “Eastwood”, is a shimmering, uniquely
“American” love song, drawing upon character images played by the iconic actor
– leaving every man wanting to be him, and every woman wanting to be with him.

With the album in the making, Ducas endured the passing of his mother in
California. “Mom was – and still is – the driving creative force in my life. She was
the true poet in the family; whatever creative gene I possess, I’m positive it
comes from her. Some of the best, last memories I have with her are driving her
around out in California, playing her some of the songs I was in the process of
recording for YELLOW ROSE MOTEL. Those are memories I’ll keep for the rest of
my life, and ones I’ll have every time I play these songs onstage.”

Born in Texas City, Texas between Houston and Galveston, George Ducas’ family
wasn't a particularly musical one, leaving Ducas to take the reins of his own music
education. He did benefit from hearing a steady diet of Willie Nelson and Texas
singer-songwriters Jerry Jeff Walker and Guy Clark around the house, and taught
himself how to play guitar around the age of 12. He later expanded his learning to
both blues and rock.
With parents who divorced early in his childhood, Ducas spent his childhood
years in both Texas with his father and California with his mother. After
graduating high school in Houston, he enrolled at Vanderbilt University even as music
was calling his name. After graduating and moving to Atlanta for a brief stint,
Ducas made the life-altering drive from Atlanta to Nashville, forging his own path
in an industry built predominantly on formula. Early on, he dedicated himself to
his songwriting and performed regularly in and around Nashville, cultivating a
following both in and outside of the music industry.
YELLOW ROSE MOTEL mixes elements of modern country, Texas country,
Bakersfield country, and roots music, retaining Ducas’ unmistakable identity
while continuing to show his evolution as an artist. Of his previous albums, Ducas’
self-titled debut album on Capitol Records yielded four Billboard charting songs,
including “Teardrops” and the Top 10 smash “Lipstick Promises”. His second
album yielded two more Billboard charting songs and included a Grammy
nomination. During this time, he also began notching scores of hits as a
songwriter for artists such as Garth Brooks, Sara Evans, Eli Young Band, Randy
Rogers Band, Gary Allan, Dixie Chicks, Trisha Yearwood and more. For the most
part, Ducas shrugs this off, “What anyone creates is rarely totally “original” –
although people tell me that I am, and that’s definitely what I strive for. But the
success of a song also hinges on a lot of other hard-working believers behind the
scenes, doing an exceptional job. In the end, I just want to bring my music to as
many people as I can – and sure we all want to be accepted, but I’m also always aiming to trailblaze a little bit of my own territory.” And, in YELLOW ROSE
MOTEL, Ducas does just that.

All together to date, Ducas has been a part of studio albums that have sold more
than 20 million copies and even garnered a Grammy nomination. All the while,
Ducas maintains that the best part of it all is to tour and perform live – whether
it’s back home in Texas, across the US, headlining festivals in Japan, France,
Brazil, Switzerland, the UK, or appearing on Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry.
Of his live show, Ducas says, “I like for the experience to be a non-stop musical
journey, of both my own recordings and songwriting hits, both past and present.
And I can’t wait to add the songs from YELLOW ROSE MOTEL to my live show.”