Dupree became an overnight sensation in 1980 when he released his eponymous debut album which included the Top 10 hit single “Steal Away” as well as the album’s follow-up hit, “Hot Rod Hearts.” His second album, Street Corner Heroes included the singles “Saturday Night” and “Brooklyn Girls” and enjoyed both critical and popular success.
Over the last five years Dupree’s music has helped define the Yacht Rock sound – a phenomenon that has brought renewed popularity to several soft rock artists of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s including Stephen Bishop and Ambrosia to name just a few.
Both of Dupree’s albums have been digitally re-mastered from the original tapes and contain previously unreleased bonus tracks including four songs from the first record that Dupree translated and recorded in Spanish.
When he was growing up in Brooklyn, NY, Dupree spent his early youth singing in doowop groups on street corners. He spent the next 15 years writing and performing music in Woodstock, NY and Los Angeles and trying to land a record deal before finally getting his big break in 1980 – one that presented itself serendipitously. A friend of a friend worked at Elektra Records and after listening to a five-song cassette Dupree had recorded, signed the artist the next week. Within 90 days, “Steal Away” became a Top 10 hit, garnering massive airplay and earning Dupree a full-album record deal.
In 1981, Dupree received a Grammy Nomination for Best New Artist losing to Christopher Cross (also a current Yacht Rock legend). He continued to enjoy success with his second album both domestically and in Europe.
Over the years, “Steal Away” has been placed in several film and television productions including Better Call Saul, I Love You Phillip Morris and American Dad.
