George Ducas is used to his successful under-the-radar role as an award-winning songwriter.
The Texas-born artist has built a popular and successful music career during his four-decade country music career, however, he may be just as well known as the creative mind behind a number of chart-topping hits for other artists.
His songs have been recorded by country stars including the Eli Young Band, Randy Rogers Band, Gary Allan, The Chicks, Radney Foster and Trisha Yearwood, and some of his most notable works include Sara Evans’ No. 1 hit ” A Real Fine Place to Start” and the 2013 Grammy-nominated “Beer Run” performed by a pair of country icons: Garth Brooks and the late George Jones.
Now, at age 57, Ducas once again showcases his fun and uniquely upbeat style of “neo-traditional blend of contemporary and roots” country music on his new album. Away from home, which falls this Friday.
And while his fans are getting the latest taste of Ducas’ guitar and songwriting skills as a solo artist – not to mention a leaner and more athletic stage presence after years of training. But sometimes, decades later, even his fans are sometimes surprised to hear how widespread his hits have become throughout country music.
“I quite get it,” Ducas says with a laugh. “Then sometimes, someone will throw in [line], “Man, you sing that song better than them. You should have kept this song to yourself.” Okay. I take that as a compliment.”
Artistic versatility is what has helped keep Ducas in the music game since his debut album in the early ’90s. As he says, it’s an honor to have other top artists wanting to record his work. He will just keep writing more.
“I was told when I first moved to Nashville, you can’t hang your hat on a song,” Ducas says. “It’s kind of like [fitness] or being an athlete—you can’t hang your hat on one practice or one ball game, whether it was good or bad. It’s always in the next game.”
Ducas upholds this simple, old-school philosophy when it comes to maintaining his Country Muscle as well. As he pushes 60, Dukas says he’s now pushing harder in the weight room as he prepares for his new tour to perform hits like “hello stupid” and old classics like “Lipstick Promises.” In the country singer’s mind, both require the same year-round dedication.
“It’s about consistency,” he says. “I know it’s a boring answer, but you gotta love the grind. It’s about the journey, not the destination. If you love what you do, you will stay consistent.”
George Ducas feels like both an athlete and a country singer
In addition to releasing his album, Ducas is also starting his own Away from home tour June 21 in Nashville, with shows currently scheduled throughout the South and Midwest.
When he’s not on the road, however, opening for George Ducas has been every Sunday for the past 25 years in Nashville. If he’s not watching the beloved Los Angeles Chargers during the NFL season, he’s stretching and warming up for his own game at the weekend’s Music City flag football track. Although focusing on music played a role in him not acting during his teenage years, he has made up for it as a weekend warrior. “I absolutely love football,” he says. “Ever since I wasn’t playing in high school, I’ve been playing pickup games or league games every Sunday, no matter the weather.”
For Ducas, going out on the weekends has helped keep the singer’s game on point when it’s showtime. Staying athletic carries over into his musical performance, the preparation allowing him to perform at a high level from show to show without much threat of fatigue.
“My love for soccer made me kind of think about training like a soccer player and trying to learn about off-season and pre-season training,” he says. “It’s partly about enjoying football. It’s also putting myself through things like that to prepare for my own football career.”
When it comes to training, he likes to quote new Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh. “The back is an untapped goldmine of lean muscle mass,” he says. Dukas says he has started incorporating more back exercises to improve his physique and strength.
Like many athletes, Ducas knows what a knee injury feels like. He suffered a torn ACL several years ago during one of his weekend races. After months of rehab and physical therapy, he was able to re-strengthen his knee to return to the field. The PT process made the singer feel more like an athlete. It also motivated him to work even harder to come back both physically and creatively.
“It’s an inspiring environment for me to be in this rehab environment and see people who want to work every day to get better,” she says. “Whatever it is, rotator cuff, ACL, broken bones, they’re all here grinding. And this grinding environment is so cool that it exists. It’s inspiring.”
Home Gyms for George Ducas
Dukas was inspired to build his own home gym after COVID shut down most of America in 2020. He turned his garage into a workout room to continue building more muscle into his frame. “There are no cars in there anymore,” he says
He added a variety of equipment to engage in a number of different types of workouts. Ducas’ gym has an electric rack along with plenty of Olympic weights to keep pushing himself. The one downside, he says, is the lack of detection on breast day. “A spotter is useful for those last two iterations,” he says. “I tried not to empty the tank in my first set.”
Dukas also invested in a TRX system and a dumbbell rack that holds up to 60 pounds. At the same time, the pandemic allowed Ducas to familiarize himself with many YouTube trainers. He listed Heather Robertson and Kinobody among his guests to fill in some of the training gaps.
“There are a lot of different options out there,” he says. “It doesn’t have everything, but I can do a lot of things without leaving the house.”
Today, he will start his mornings dealing with work matters, and then, along with a few cups of coffee, he will get his first workout of the morning with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Pump Club” newsletter. “Everything he does, it’s all tiny elements and lots of really refreshing things,” he says. “It’s not just hard training stuff, it’s life lessons presented in a really positive way.”
When not touring, George Ducas will be training at least four to five times a week at his home gym. Now fully recovered from his ACL injury, he says his lower body has regained tremendous strength. “I’ve never squatted more than I did since I tore my ACL. And of course, I wasn’t doing much before I tore my ACL,” he says.
With the help of his coach Pat Young, Dukas’ training regimen includes incorporating old weightlifting moves. The goal: to maintain muscle and provide a lean and muscular look when it’s show time.
“[Pate] He wanted me to get stronger and so did I,” he says. “I also wanted to reduce my body fat and by increasing my muscle mass, it gave me a more beautiful body. I just didn’t want to look skinny fat.”
Training along with a fairly consistent diet menu consisting of bodybuilding basics – chicken, rice, yogurt and the occasional grilled steak – paid off. Dukas says he’s put on more muscle now at 57 than he did when his debut album came out in 1994.
The secret, he says, is fairly old moves: pullups and incline presses.
“It’s always nice to get back to work, and pullups really attack the lats,” says Ducas. “For me, inclines are harder than flat bench presses, and they tend to give you that chest look that guys want.”
Making music for the masses
Having a Willie Nelson poster hanging on his wall as a child and his music constantly playing on his parents’ record player was the first indicator of the direction George Ducas’ career was headed.
Willie was definitely my favorite,” he says. “And he’s been a runner for quite some time. He was a huge central figure in my life in terms of how I shaped my songwriting and even some of my guitars during some of my earlier music. He was an influence on all of that.”
Dukas grew up admiring Grand Ole Opry legends, including Buck Owens and George Jones. Of course, as a songwriter, having an icon like Jones perform your work—and have it nominated for a Grammy, too—was a country music artist’s dream come true.
“The late great George Jones isn’t even here with us anymore, so it’s an honor that no one can have anymore,” he says. “I was almost a child when I wrote this song and this legend ends up singing it. It’s crazy that this was even possible, so I’m forever grateful.”
When it comes to making music, Ducas says the idea was never to create a piece for someone else’s style. It’s always about staying true to your ideas and what works best for you. In a way, it’s kind of like a training program.
“I never sat down to write, like, ‘Okay, I’m going to write a Garth Brooks song. Or I’ll write a Sara Evans song, whoever it is,” he says. “It’s always been just that. he was going to write a great song. I want to write a great song and have a great idea.”
Ducas says an idea for a song can come from anywhere, from the grocery store to the gym. He uses his set-closing “Breakin’ Stuff” as an example. The idea for the song came from helping an old woman open a packet of coffee creamer after finishing a workout.
“As she thanked me, I told her I was good at breaking things – and then I said, Oh, that’s a song,” he says. “It became an extension of all of us being good at breaking things—broken promises, broken hearts—all because you did something stupid.”
With his new album out and a tour about to begin, Ducas plans to continue making music with the same intensity he uses in the gym. And the results speak for themselves. And whoever records their lyrics, that’s fine. It’s the same advice he gives to young artists today.
“Always know you can do it again,” she says. “So if someone likes one of your songs, take it as a compliment. I thank them, I hope they make it good. Then go on to write more songs.”
