Doug MacLeod (musician)

Doug MacLeod (born April 21, 1946 in New York City, United States) is an American storytelling blues musician. Although now associated with his home in Memphis, he has lived and worked in North Carolina, St. Louis, New York, Los Angeles, and Norfolk, Virginia, where he was stationed in the United States Navy. He became acquainted with the blues in St Louis in his teens and started his career playing country blues on acoustic guitar, finding that singing eased a stutter and helped him to manage it. Although predominantly associated with acoustic guitar, his skills were developed as a blues bass player, and honed by his subsequent journeys into jazz and electric blues.

Doug MacLeod
Doug Macleod
Background information
Born (1946-04-21) April 21, 1946
New York, United States
GenresBlues
LabelsReference Recordings
Websitehttp://www.doug-macleod.com

Influences

MacLeod's formative blues instruction is attributed to a man he knew as Ernest Banks who also gave him the guiding principles of his music and performances:
“Never play a note you don't believe”
“Never write or sing about what you don't know about”
He also formed a strong friendship with George "Harmonica" Smith who not only became his mentor, but also the source or experience for many of his songs and stories in his live performances. Unable or unwilling to use his correct name, George always called him "Dubb", a name also adopted by his loyal followers, the DubbHeads.

Writing

MacLeod plays only his own compositions (of which he is credited with over 300), but his music has also been recorded by many other artists, including Dave Alvin, James Armstrong, Eva Cassidy, Albert Collins, Pee Wee Crayton, Papa John Creach, Albert King, Chris Thomas King, Coco Montoya, Billy Lee Riley, Son Seals, Tabby Thomas, and Joe Louis Walker.

He has also been a long-time contributor to Blues Revue magazine with his column "Doug's Back Porch".

Performance

MacLeod's live performances preserve the tradition of the blues as a story-telling medium, expressed by his soulful voice and powerfully rhythmic acoustic guitar style. He usually plays a National Delphi guitar (accompanied by his left foot), with stories or introductions between pieces. The tales come from his early performances when he felt that he did not have enough music to fill a show. He has appeared in blues and jazz festivals and his own shows around the world, but particularly in the US and Europe.

Other activities

As well as writing and performing, he also teaches guitar and has released his own instructional DVD, and has hosted blues radio shows Blues Highway and Nothin' but the Blues (1999 to 2004), and was the voice for the Blues Showcase of Continental Airlines.

Recognition

He has won six Blues Music Awards:

  • Acoustic Artist of the Year 2014, 2016,[1] 2017 and 2020.[2]
  • Acoustic Album of the Year 2014 and 2018.

He has been nominated for several consecutive years for:

  • Best Song in 2006 ("Dubb's Talkin' Politician Blues"), in 2014 ("The Entitled Few") and in 2016 (“You Got It Good (and That Ain’t Bad)”),
  • Acoustic Artist of the Year: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013,[3] 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.[4], 2018 and 2020.
  • Acoustic Album of the Year in 2012 (Brand New Eyes), 2014 (There's a Time), 2016 (Exactly Like This) and 2018 (Break The Chain).
  • Historical Album in 2017 (Live in Europe).[5]

His portrait is displayed in the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He received the Golden Note award for Best Original Recording (for his album You Can't Take My Blues). His songs have featured in Grammy Award-nominated albums: Albert King's I'm in a Phone Booth, Baby (1984) ("Your Bread Ain't Done"), and Albert Collins' Cold Snap (1986) ("Cash Talking, The Working Man’s Blues").

Discography
  • Break the Chain (Reference Recordings) 2017
  • Live in Europe (Black & Tan) 2016
  • Exactly Like This (Reference Recordings) 2015
  • There's a Time (Reference Recordings) 2013
  • Come To Find -Reissue (APO) 2013
  • Doug MacLeod Direct-To-Disc (APO) 2012
  • Brand New Eyes (Fresh! from RR) 2011
  • The Utrecht Sessions (Black & Tan) 2008
  • Live at XM Radio vol. 2 (Black & Tan) 2007
  • Live at XM Satellite (Black & Tan) 2007
  • Where I Been (Black & Tan) 2006
  • Dubb (Black & Tan) 2005
  • A Little Sin (Black & Tan) 2002
  • 101 Blues Guitar Essentials (instructional DVD) (Solid Air Record / Alfred Publishing) 2006
  • Whose Truth, Whose Lies[6] (Sledgehammer Blues (formerly AudioQuest Music)) 2000
  • Live As It Gets (with John "Juke" Logan) (Mocombo Records) 1999
  • Unmarked Road[7] (Sledgehammer Blues (formerly AudioQuest Music)) 1997
  • You Can't Take My Blues[8] (Sledgehammer Blues (formerly AudioQuest Music)) 1996
  • Come To Find[9] (Sledgehammer Blues (formerly AudioQuest Music)) 1994
  • Live in 1991 vol. 1 (Black & Tan) 1991
  • Live in 1991 vol. 2 (Black & Tan) 1991
  • Ain't The Blues Evil (Volt/Fantasy) 1991
  • 54th and Vermont (Stomp) 1989
  • Woman In The Street (Stomp) 1987
  • No Road Back Home (Hightone) 1984

Recorded With
  • Pick Your Choice / George Harmonica Smith / (Shoe Label Records) 2014
  • Get Your Nose Out Of My Business / Rich DelGrosso / (CD Baby) 2005
  • Early Hours / Pee Wee Crayton / (Blind Pig) 1999
  • Now You Can Talk About Me / George Harmonica Smith / (Blind Pig) 1998
  • Dark Night / James Armstrong / (Hightone) 1998
  • Naked Heart / Susan J Paul / (Sugar Bone) 1997
  • East Side Story / Kid Frost / (Virgin) 1992
  • The Ladies And The Babies / Frankie Lee (Hightone) 1984
  • Make Room For Pee Wee / Pee Wee Crayton (Murray Bros) 1983

Books

Who Is Blues Vol.1 - Doug MacLeod. 2018

Film appearances

MacLeod appeared in Resonate: A Guitar Story along with Catfish Keith, Bob Brozman and Mike Dowling. Resonate is a story of contemporary players of National Reso-Phonic Guitars.

gollark: > only 195 :GWlulurdWaitWhat:Yes, that is correct.
gollark: > my current project can compile itself in 300 ms so that's niceClearly I must rewrite all my stuff in your current project.
gollark: Technically, yes, but it's 195 lines of code right now and I feel like that would be more trouble than it's worth.
gollark: My Rust programs take an entire 20 seconds to compile and as I'm used to JS this is very irritating.
gollark: PotatOS did that *several* times on CraftOS-PC some time ago.

References
  1. "2016 Blues Music Awards Winner List". Blues411.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-06. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  2. McKay, Robin. "BLUES MUSIC AWARDS". Blues.org. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  3. "Blues Music Awards Nominees - 2013 - 34th Blues Music Awards". Blues.org. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  4. "Blues Music Awards Nominees 2017". Blues.org. Archived from the original on 2018-08-25. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  5. "Blues Music Awards Nominees 2017". Blues.org. Archived from the original on 2018-08-25. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  6. "Whose Truth, Whose Lies". Valley Entertainment-Sledgehammer Blues. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  7. "Unmarked Road". Valley Entertainment-Sledgehammer Blues. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  8. "You Can't Take My Blues". Valley Entertainment-Sledgehammer Blues. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  9. "Come To Find". Valley Entertainment-Sledgehammer Blues. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
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