Duke, the Jammin' Hammie

They say that music is the universal language. That must be true, because now, an overweight potbelly pig named Duke brings his barnyard version of boogie to the music world. Rubbing elbows with such entertainment talents as Diane Warren, Bernie Taupin, and Mario Lopez, this jammin' hammie is making a name for himself by cranking out tunes on the xylophone, violin, bass drum, piano, and guitar. He even adds a few squeaks on a bicycle horn and may have a harp in his future.

Duke began life at Lil Orphan Hammies pig sanctuary in California when his mother was one of 29 pigs rescued 4 years ago by Sue Parkinson. Sue says that all pigs are intelligent and can learn tricks if given the opportunity but, as the runt of the litter, Duke received a little more attention than the others and a trainer friend helped him discover his love of music. He developed a special interest in the guitar and baby grand piano. Perhaps his piggy hooves are not as graceful as Elton John's fingers on the ivories but that didn't stop him from doing his Elton John imitation for Bernie Taupin, songwriter for the famous musician. Those tough little hooves also serve as a handy guitar pick for strumming guitar strings.

Last year, at the invitation of Animal Planet, Duke waddled his way onto the Pet Star stage with a cool and reserved scan of the studio audience. He picked up his xylophone mallet and impressed thousands of television viewers by performing an interesting piggy instrumental for the competition.

Sue reports that Duke played a piggy concert in Malibu where Diane Warren, animal supporter and songwriter for big name performers like Cher, Celine Dion, Meat Loaf and Rod Stewart, got a kick out of his musical talents. She even autographed his new guitar. Duke will continue his performances and public relations as long as he loves doing it. Sue says that Duke "may be the ship that supports so many homeless pigs."

Aside from his star-studded life, Duke lives a pig's life at Lil Orphan Hammies, which looks more like a gingerbread village than a "pig sty". Duke is one of about a hundred rescued pigs who find refuge there. Pig life there includes birthday parties, tummy rubs, and the promise of plenty of pumpkins for the holidays. While most of the pigs live in pens and specially designed houses, Duke and several of his friends enjoy free run of the sanctuary and spend time in Sue's house as well. According to Jeffrey Masson's new book, "The Pig Who Sang to the Moon", pigs are easier than dogs to housetrain.

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