Peter Oelrichs Duchin (born July 28, 1937) is an American pianist and band leader.
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Early life and education
Duchin was born in New York City, the son of pianist and band leader Eddy Duchin. His mother was Marjorie Oelrichs, a Newport, Rhode Island and New York City socialite who died unexpectedly when he was just five days old. She had been removed from the New York Social Register for marrying Duchin's father because Eddy Duchin was Jewish; her reaction was reportedly "Who cares? It's just a phone book." After the death of both of his parents he was raised by close family friends, statesman W. Averell Harriman and his wife, Marie Norton Harriman.
Duchin was educated at Eaglebrook School (where he studied piano with Carrie Barbour Swift) and The Hotchkiss School prep schools in New England. He spent time in Paris, France and studied at the Sorbonne before returning home and graduating from Yale University.
Career
Duchin formed his first professional band, which played the St. Regis Hotel in New York City, in 1962 thanks in part to his family name and the networking it had made possible. The band's style and genres have been described as "a musical approach that incorporates big bands, swing and Broadway songs (and nowadays, old-fashioned rock 'n' roll)."