Duke Oursler is a country musician singer/songwriter from Macomb, Illinois. He was born the son of an oil pumper on the Great Plains of Southwest, Kansas. Duke grew up in the windswept prairies of Finney County hunting pheasants, prairie chickens, rattlesnakes, and jackrabbits along the dry bottom of the Arkansas river.
His thoughtful, honest and direct lyrics speak to the experiences, virtue and aspirations of a midwestern life. His unique brand of American country music speaks to the hard working blue-collar life and often a critiques the notion of the “American Dream” by contrasting the economic and cultural tropes against unifying and spiritual stories of love, loss and family found on in rural America.
With honesty, authenticity and whit, Duke and his band The American Dream deliver an energetic live performance belting stories of the America’s Heartland. Their live performance is professional, seasoned and a thoughtful mix of his original country rock music as well as a few select covers. Duke has been writing and playing his original music for the past two decades and has shared the stage with many regional and national acts such as Aaron Watson, Kin Faux, Joe Stamm, Miles Nielsen and The Rusted Hearts, Chicago Farmer, Them Coulee Boys, Blane Howard and others.