Cruisin with Duncan Tuck

Trading in the Road for the Sea

“Trading in the Road for the Sea”…after 30 years of playing clubs, colleges, and corporate venues on the road, Duncan Tuck found a new stage on the high seas. “It’s great and I don’t miss driving 1000 miles a week.”

Duncan is a guitarist, vocalist, comedian and song writer and now spends most of the year performing on cruise ships.

“In this business, like in so many other careers, you need to continually adapt.” Duncan started his professional career in 1968, with music and comedy, playing bars and music rooms. When the music rooms started closing in the 80’s, he was able to focus on the humorous parts of his show. “George McKelvey, who had a prominent comedy club in Denver, gave me my first chance headlining. Using song parodies, funny voices and a lot of one-liners, for the next decade I was a road comic. I’ve reinvented myself a few times from folk, comedy, and now cruise ship entertainer”.

“I’ve traveled all over the country, but Denver is home. I grew up here. After college at Mesa in Grand Junction, Colorado, I lived in about a dozen cities around the country including Detroit, El Paso, Dallas, Aspen, and even gave California a try when I moved to LA in the mid-seventies. I played rooms all over Southern California and even worked the Ice House in Pasadena with David Letterman, Robin Williams and Lily Tomlin.” He even appeared on the Gong Show. “I did not get gang gonged. I won receiving 30 points $516.32, a Gong Trophy and the $49.26 of Stridex Medicated Pads, which I’m still using up as coffee filters. Actually it was something fun to put on my resume.”

“In 1999, Ralph Achilles, who I had known for years and who had been part of the FAB Company, was working as a stand-up comic on ships and suggested I check it out. Ralph referred me to Don Casino Productions. They liked what I did and wanted to represent me to the cruise lines and I performed for the first time on a cruise ship in May 1999.”

I'M CONSIDERED A GUEST ENTERTAINER ON THE SHIPS

Guest Entertainers are comedians, ventriloquists, magicians, cabaret singers, instrumentalists, etc. Country to Classical via Comedy best describes my show. It gives me the opportunity to play “baby boomer” songs and “classics,” and mix it up with humor and funny character voices. I have a full orchestra backing me up, but continue to keep my flamenco numbers solo”.

In addition to the production shows with the singers and dancers, the Guest Entertainers usually do their own show one night a cruise and may split a show with another entertainer later in the cruise. On special itineraries Duncan has done as many as three different hour long shows. Over the years he has worked with Princess, Holland America, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Crystal Cruises. “Most of the year I’m on Princess or Holland America ships. They give me the longer contracts”.

“I’ve been on most of the Princess and HAL ships and itineraries. Working on the ships is a little like living in a hotel, except your backyard changes every day. I’ve been asked if I get tired of working on ships. What could be better than working one night a week, entertaining people and making them laugh, and seeing the world.”

#duncantuck