Early Days

Doug’s musical experiences began early with piano lessons at the age of 8.  The piano was a beautiful Baldwin baby grand (still in the family).  He studied the standard piano literature of the time: pop tunes, movie themes, and the standard classical fare of Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin (pretty good guys, all things considered).  Over the years this expanded into a broader range of composers including Bartok, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff, to name a few.  Along with the classical experience, the main pop style he learned was “stride piano” (swinging left style), which would serve him well in future years (he can play just like Harry Connick, Jr. now;  whether he can croon like him is debatable).   During this period he was always a songwriter, penning his first composition around the age of ten.  This was always a natural form of self-expression and been an integral part of his life throughout the years.

Doug’s early musical influences were many.  In his household in the fifties and sixties, (his uncle was a big-band trombonist and his mother was a piano teacher) he heard many styles ranging from  “hit parade” tunes (remember Rosy Clooney and Giselle MacKenzie?) to the early days of rock ‘n roll.  Of course, things started with Elvis, and quickly advanced through the Beatles, surf music (Beach Boys and the California scene), serious English rock  (Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer) to the early days of psychedelic rock.   All the while he was studying classical piano.

Early Music Career

After the obligatory high school band experience (Fathoms, Benedict Arnold & the Patriots), he enrolled for more formal training at the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music in Stockton, California.  After graduating in ’72, he participated in many musical situations with ensembles and as a solo performer though the 70’s in Northern California (mostly Sonoma County, north of San Francisco).  The highlight of this period was an appearance at the Montreaux Jazz and Pop festival in 1978.  That year featured performances by Ray Charles and John McLaughlin, among many others.

During this period, Doug perfected his compositional skills within the rock/pop framework.  He developed a strong melodic/harmonic sense that he combined with the rock rhythms of the day.  This resulted in many  compositions that could best be described as “sophisticated” rock.  The band members definitely needed charts, although improvisation was most assuredly a strong part of the mix.

In the early eighties, Doug took a hiatus from the formal music scene and dedicated himself to career and family issues.   In the early nineties, he resumed serious musical work with a local sing-songwriter, Peggy Day.  They formed a duo that resulted in two albums, The Good Word Carries On and Still Standing By, where he was an arranger, producer, performer and recording engineer.

What's Happening Now

After that, he worked on a solo project with talented writer Gabriel Fraire.  Gabe has published several books and has had several plays produced and performed off Broadway and in the Midwest.  Gabe’s non-fiction works included I Remember Healdsburg, Windsor The Birth of a City, and Daddy I Need to Go Potty.  His plays were Who Will Dance with Poncho Villa (1994) and Cesar Died Today (2002). Both plays were successfully produced  for the theater and dealt with issues currently facing the Mexican-American community.  This album was Gabe’s first foray into lyric writing.  The result is a pleasing mix of hard-edged perspectives intersecting with lyrical relationship-inspired songs to songs with an “attitude”.  The lyrics blend perfectly with the music, which ranges stylistically all the way from jazz to rock to country.  The resulting album was “Speak to the Madness”,  released in 2002.

After the album release, Doug joined forces with another singer-songwriter, Renée Burnett.  Renée is a strong vocalist, guitarist and songwriter and together they produced a fourteen-song album entitled, “Back to Back.”  The album features a mix of beautiful and intricate vocals with Doug on keyboards and Renée on guitar (and other assorted strings).   The partnership was known as the Renée Douglas Duo, and it featured a particularly rich and unique vocal sound most exemplified by their two-part harmonies.  As has been the case with most of  Doug’s career, the genre could best be described as eclectic.  Influences are easily evident from rock, folk, jazz, pop and classical.

Currently Doug is working as a solo performer and is evolving in a jazz/blues/boogie/New Orleans direction.  But he still loves rock and pop and country and Celtic and everything in between (“tell me what you wanna hear”).  He is also working on several collaborative projects, including one with talented singer Julie Weiner.

He currently lives and performs in and around Sonoma County, California and lives with his wife (the most important player in the band) and is very close to his family.  He also operates a studio, Owl Productions, that specializes in recording and mentoring singer-songwriters.

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