Elvis Presley Bassist Duke Bardwell Retires From Live Performance as Duke & The King Finds New Audiences on Prime Video

Three-part documentary traces Bardwell’s journey from childhood Elvis fan to 181 shows with the King, featuring Kenny Loggins, Tom Rush and Glen D. Hardin.

BATON ROUGE, LA, UNITED STATES, October 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Duke Bardwell, the singer-songwriter and bassist who performed 181 concerts with Elvis Presley in 1974 and 1975, has retired from live performance at age 83 after a music career spanning decades.

As Bardwell steps away from the stage, audiences can discover a much larger piece of his story through Duke & The King, a three-part documentary series available to purchase on Prime Video.

The documentary follows Bardwell from the moment an Elvis Presley song captured his attention as a 12-year-old in Louisiana through the unlikely series of events that eventually put him onstage with his childhood hero. But Duke & The King is not simply another documentary about Elvis. It examines Bardwell’s own life as a musician and songwriter, along with the complicated reality of meeting, and ultimately working for, the person who first inspired him to pursue music.

Prime Video presents the documentary in three episodes: The River, You & I and Who’s Duke Bardwell? The series was directed by Kris Wheeler and Wayne Franklin and produced by Cyril Vetter. It also features appearances by musicians including Kenny Loggins, Tom Rush and Glen D. Hardin, Presley’s longtime pianist.

The project began years before its current streaming release. A feature-length version of Duke & The King was released in 2012 and screened for audiences including attendees of the 30A Songwriters Festival. Wheeler and Franklin later returned to the project before its release as a three-part series in 2025.

Bardwell’s path to Presley had already taken him through an extensive American music scene. Before joining Presley, Bardwell played bass on recording sessions for José Feliciano produced by Steve Cropper. It was there that he worked with Presley drummer Ronnie Tutt, a connection that eventually helped lead to Bardwell’s audition for Elvis’ band.

Beginning in January 1974, Bardwell performed with Presley through April 1975, appearing at 181 concerts and participating in studio and live recording sessions. His bass playing can be heard on recordings from Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis, the 1974 concert album recorded at the Mid-South Coliseum during Presley’s return to Memphis.

For longtime Elvis fans, the documentary offers the perspective of someone who experienced one of Presley’s most heavily toured periods firsthand. Bardwell performed with Presley in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, the Houston Astrodome and the Los Angeles Forum, as well as during Presley’s 1974 return to the concert stage in Memphis.

That period became the most famous chapter of Bardwell’s career, but Duke & The King places it within a much longer life in music. Bardwell continued writing, recording and performing for decades before and after Elvis, building a career that crossed American roots, country and rock music.

“I’ve been lucky enough to spend most of my life making music with people I love,” Bardwell said. “I’m done with the live shows, but I’m not done with the songs. I’m glad Duke & The King is out there for people who want to know the whole story.”

Although Bardwell is retiring from live performance, listeners can continue exploring his work online.

Watch Duke & The King on Prime Video
Watch Duke Bardwell on YouTube
Listen to Duke Bardwell on Spotify

About Duke Bardwell

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1943, Duke Bardwell is an American bassist, guitarist, singer and songwriter whose career has crossed rock ‘n’ roll, country, R&B and roots music. Bardwell performed 181 concerts as Elvis Presley’s bassist between 1974 and 1975 and also recorded with Presley. His broader career has included recording, songwriting and performing with musicians across several generations of American music. His life and career are the subject of the documentary series Duke & The King, available on Prime Video.

Gloria Dewar
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Duke & The King — Official Trailer