DUANE MET NASHVILLE IN 1991.  HERE HE FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CITY, THE WARM WEATHER, THE MUSIC, AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE HIMSELF AS A SINGER AND MUSICIAN. 

AS ANY NEWCOMER WILL TELL YOU, IT WASN’T EASY COMING TO A NEW TOWN AND TRYING TO MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF.  EVEN TO THIS DAY, IT CONTINUES TO BE A CHALLENGE.  TO BE CONSIDERED A TRUE CONTENDER IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, YOU HAVE TO BE PERSISTENT AND YOU HAVE TO BE SEEN.

DUANE BEGAN HIS NASHVILLE CAREER BY ATTENDING SEVERAL “WRITER’S NIGHTS,” TO NOT ONLY SHOWCASE HIS ORIGINAL SONGS, BUT TO ALSO SHOWCASE HIS SULTRY TENOR VOICE.  THE MOST POPULAR OF ALL WRITER’S NIGHTS IS HELD AT THE INFAMOUS BLUE BIRD CAFÉ.  PUTTING ASIDE HIS GUITAR AND DONNING AN ACCORDION, DUANE’S ULTIMATE GOAL WAS TO PROVE HIMSELF A TRUE ORIGINAL!  BY PROFESSION, DUANE IS AN ACCOMPLISHED ACCORDIONIST.  ALTHOUGH HE IS A SELF-TAUGHT MUSICIAN SINCE THE AGE OF 8, DUANE RECEIVED SPECIALIZED TRAINING AS A YOUNG ADULT BY WORLD RENOWNED JAZZ ACCORDIONIST, TONY DANNON.  DUANE’S PERFORMANCES AT THE BLUE BIRD FLOORED THE AUDIENCES IN ATTENDANCE.  MOST RAVED AND CONCEDED THAT THEY NEVER HEARD AN ACCORDION SOUND SO WONDERFUL, LIKE A FULL ORCHESTRA!!  LETS FACE IT, FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF DECADES, THE ACCORDION HAS RECEIVED SOME BAD PRESS.  BEFORE MOVING ON TO OTHER VENUES TO PROMOTE HIS TALENTS, DUANE WAS FEATURED IN A BOOK ENTITLED, “LOOKING FOR #1”, AND WAS DUBBED AS ONE OF BILL MACK'S (THE INFAMOUS MIDNIGHT COWBOY) DYNAMIC DISCOVERIES! 

ALONG WITH RECEIVING MANY PRIVATE GIGS, DUANE WAS SOON SINGING AND STROLLING HIS ACCORDION AT A COUPLE OF NASHVILLE’S RENOWNED RESTAURANTS, “MARIO'S” AND “THE WILD BOAR.”   IT WAS WHILE PERFORMING AT MARIO'S THAT DUANE CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF FORMER TREE PUBLISHING EXECUTIVE, TOMMY CASSASA.  FROM THAT MOMENT ON, DUANE MICHAELS’ CAREER BEGAN TO MAKE A SHARP TURN IN THE DIRECTION HE HAD ALWAYS DREAMED OF.

IN 2001, UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF TOMMY CASSASA, DUANE RECORDED A TRULY UNIQUE AND REFRESHING COLLECTION OF SONGS ON HIS DEBUT CD ENTITLED "LITTLE BIT OF LOVE".  DUANE'S DEBUT CD WAS RELEASED INTERNATIONALLY IN JULY 2002.  THE SINGLE "LITTLE BIT OF LOVE" APPEARED ON THE NOVEMBER 2002 CDX.

DUANE WAS INTRODUCED TO KEN WOODS OF WOODS PROMOTIONS IN JUNE 2002 BY TOMMY CASSASA.  AFTER ASSISTING DUANE IN PROMOTING HIS DEBUT CD OVERSEAS AND ON CDX, KEN WAS VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN TAKING DUANE'S MUSICAL TALENTS TO AN EVEN HIGHER DIMENSION.  HE INTRODUCED HIM TO TABBY CRABB OF FLATWOOD STUDIO IN LEBANON, TENNESSEE.  TABBY IS THE PROUD PRODUCER OF DUANE'S NEW PROJECT, "LADIES CHOICE".  AS THE SAYING GOES, IT WAS A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN.  THE REST IS HISTORY!

IN BETWEEN TIME SPENT IN NASHVILLE, DUANE CONTINUES TO SUPPORT HIS FAMILY BY PERFORMING ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH A DIFFERENT ARRAY OF GIGS.  ONE NIGHT HE’S COUNTRY, THE NEXT ITALIAN, AND ON THE THIRD NIGHT HE’S GLEN MILLER.  THERE ARE EVEN GIGS WHICH HAVE DUANE SINGING IN 5 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE HIS AUDIENCES HAPPY, HE’S WILLING AND ABLE TO PERFORM.  DUANE IS A TRUE TROUBADOUR TO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY!

MUSIC HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF DUANE’S LIFE.  AND YOU CAN GUESS THAT IT WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF HIM.  DUANE IS OFTEN ASKED, “WHOM IN THE COUNTRY MUSIC SCENE DO YOU SOUND THE MOST LIKE?”  DUANE’S RESPONSE IS ALWAYS SHORT AND SIMPLE, “DUANE MICHAELS!”