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Jerry Douglas (musician)
Encyclopedia
Jerry Douglas is an American record producer
and resonator guitar
player. Called "Dobro
's matchless contemporary master," by The New York Times
, and lauded as "my favorite musician" by John Fogerty
, Douglas is one of the world’s most renowned Dobro
players.
, Phish
, Dolly Parton
, Paul Simon
, Ricky Skaggs
, Elvis Costello
, and Johnny Mathis
, as well as performing on the landmark O Brother, Where Art Thou?
soundtrack. He has been part of such notable groups as The Whites
, J. D. Crowe and the New South, the Country Gentlemen
, and Strength in Numbers.
As a producer, he has overseen albums by Alison Krauss
, the Del McCoury Band
, Maura O'Connell
, Jesse Winchester
and the Nashville Bluegrass Band. Along with Aly Bain
, he serves as Music Director of the popular BBC Television series, "Transatlantic Sessions".
Since 1998, Douglas has been a key member of Alison Krauss and Union Station, touring extensively and playing on a series of platinum-selling albums. When not on the road with Alison Krauss and Union Station, Douglas tours with his band in support of his extensive body of work.
Jerry Douglas appeared with Vince Gill on Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2004 ("Oklahoma Borderline" and "What the Cowgirls Do").
s and has won the Country Music Association's 'Musician of the Year' award three times, in 2002, 2005 and 2007.
In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts
awarded Douglas a National Heritage Fellowship.
Douglas was named Artist in Residence for the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008.
Douglas was honored at the 36th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado for his twenty-fifth consecutive year playing in and at the festival.
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and resonator guitar
Resonator guitar
A resonator guitar or resophonic guitar is an acoustic guitar whose sound is produced by one or more spun metal cones instead of the wooden sound board . Resonator guitars were originally designed to be louder than conventional acoustic guitars which were overwhelmed by horns and percussion...
player. Called "Dobro
Dobro
Dobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
's matchless contemporary master," by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, and lauded as "my favorite musician" by John Fogerty
John Fogerty
John Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest...
, Douglas is one of the world’s most renowned Dobro
Dobro
Dobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
players.
Career
In addition to his twelve solo recordings, Douglas has played on more than 1600 albums. As a sideman, he has recorded with artists as diverse as Ray CharlesRay Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
, Ricky Skaggs
Ricky Skaggs
Rickie Lee "Ricky" Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.-Early career:...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, and Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
, as well as performing on the landmark O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a 2000 comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning. Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film's story is a modern satire loosely...
soundtrack. He has been part of such notable groups as The Whites
The Whites
The Whites is an American country music vocal group consisting of lead singer Sharon White, her sister Cheryl , and their father Buck...
, J. D. Crowe and the New South, the Country Gentlemen
The Country Gentlemen
The Country Gentlemen were a bluegrass band that originated during the 1950s in the area of Washington, DC, United States, and recorded and toured with various members until the death in 2004 of Charlie Waller, one of the group's founders who in its later years served as the group's "focal point...
, and Strength in Numbers.
As a producer, he has overseen albums by Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
, the Del McCoury Band
Del McCoury Band
The Del McCoury Band is a bluegrass band. Originally Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals with Del on guitar and his brother Jerry on bass, the band went through a number of changes until the 1980s when the band solidified its line-up, adding McCoury's sons, Ronnie and Robbie on mandolin and banjo,...
, Maura O'Connell
Maura O'Connell
Maura O'Connell is an Irish singer and actress. She is known for her contemporary interpretations of Irish folk songs, strongly influenced by American country music.-Background:...
, Jesse Winchester
Jesse Winchester
Jesse Winchester is a musician and songwriter who was born and raised in the southern United States. To avoid the Vietnam War draft he moved to Canada in 1967, which is where and when he began his career as a solo artist. His highest charting recordings were of his own tunes, "Yankee Lady" in 1970...
and the Nashville Bluegrass Band. Along with Aly Bain
Aly Bain
Aly Bain MBE is a Shetland fiddler who learned his instrument from the old-time master Tom Anderson. Bain is now considered one of the finest fiddlers in the Scottish tradition. In the early days of his career he formed part of the band The Humblebums with two other ‘unknowns’ Gerry Rafferty and...
, he serves as Music Director of the popular BBC Television series, "Transatlantic Sessions".
Since 1998, Douglas has been a key member of Alison Krauss and Union Station, touring extensively and playing on a series of platinum-selling albums. When not on the road with Alison Krauss and Union Station, Douglas tours with his band in support of his extensive body of work.
Jerry Douglas appeared with Vince Gill on Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2004 ("Oklahoma Borderline" and "What the Cowgirls Do").
Awards
Douglas has received twelve Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s and has won the Country Music Association's 'Musician of the Year' award three times, in 2002, 2005 and 2007.
In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
awarded Douglas a National Heritage Fellowship.
Douglas was honored at the 36th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado for his twenty-fifth consecutive year playing in and at the festival.
Solo recordings
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bluegrass | US Country | US New Age | |||
| 1979 | Fluxology Fluxology Fluxology is the debut album by dobro player Jerry Douglas, released in 1979 . The album's title comes from Douglas' nickname of "Flux"... |
— | — | — | Rounder |
| 1982 | Fluxedo Fluxedo Fluxedo is the second album by dobro player Jerry Douglas, released in 1982 . The album's title comes from Douglas' nickname of "Flux". Fluxedo is out of print although all of the tracks can be found on the compilation Everything Is Gonna Work Out Fine.The type of formal wear shown in the cover... |
— | — | — | |
| 1986 | Under the Wire Under the Wire Under the Wire is the third solo album by dobro player Jerry Douglas, released in 1986 . It was his first release on the MCA label... |
— | — | — | MCA |
| 1987 | Changing Channels Changing Channels Changing Channels is the fourth solo album by dobro player Jerry Douglas, released in 1987 . It was his second release on the MCA label.-Track listing:# "From Ankara to Izmir" # "Distance/Winter's Edge"... |
— | — | — | |
| Everything Is Gonna Work Out Fine Everything Is Gonna Work Out Fine Everything Is Gonna Work Out Fine is an album by dobro player Jerry Douglas, released in 1987 . It contains all the tracks from his two releases on the Rounder label except for "Say a Little Prayer for You".-Track listing:... |
— | — | — | Rounder | |
| 1989 | Plant Early Plant Early Plant Early is the fifth solo album by dobro player Jerry Douglas, released in 1989 . It was his last release on the MCA label. It is out of print.-Track listing:# "Pushed Too Far"# "La Conversacion"# "A Peaceful Return"... |
— | — | — | MCA |
| 1992 | Slide Rule Slide Rule (Jerry Douglas album) Slide Rule is the sixth solo album by dobro player Jerry Douglas, released in 1992 . It was his first release on the Sugar Hill label.Guest musicians include Alison Krauss, Sam Bush and Tim O'Brien.-Track listing:... |
— | — | — | Sugar Hill |
| 1998 | Restless on the Farm Restless on the Farm Restless on the Farm is the seventh solo album by dobro player Jerry Douglas, released in 1998 .Guest musicians include Maura O'Connell, Steve Earle, Béla Fleck, Sam Bush and Tim O'Brien.-Track listing:... |
— | — | — | |
| 2002 | Lookout for Hope Lookout for Hope (Jerry Douglas album) Lookout for Hope is the eighth solo album by dobro player Jerry Douglas, released in 2002 . It reached number 5 on the Billboard Top New Age chart... |
10 | — | 5 | |
| 2005 | The Best Kept Secret The Best Kept Secret (Jerry Douglas album) The Best Kept Secret is the ninth solo album by dobro player Jerry Douglas, released in 2005 .Guest musicians include Alison Krauss, Sam Bush, John Fogerty, Bill Frisell, Béla Fleck and Jeff Coffin.-Track listing:... |
3 | — | — | Koch |
| 2007 | Best of the Sugar Hill Years Best of the Sugar Hill Years Best of the Sugar Hill Years is a compilation album by dobro player Jerry Douglas, released in 2007 . It contains music recorded while Douglas was on the Sugar Hill label.-Track listing:# "The Wild Rumpus" – 4:03... |
— | — | — | Sugar Hill |
| 2008 | Glide Glide (Jerry Douglas album) Glide is the tenth solo album by American dobro player Jerry Douglas, released in 2008 .Guest musicians include Rodney Crowell, Sam Bush, Tony Rice, Travis Tritt, and Earl Scruggs.-Track listing:... |
4 | 69 | — | Koch |
| 2009 | Jerry Christmas | 7 | — | — | E1 |
Other recordings
- Remembrances and Forecasts 1974 as The Country Gentlemen
- J.D. Crowe & The New SouthJ.D. Crowe & The New SouthJ. D. Crowe & The New South is an album by American banjo player J. D. Crowe and The New South, released in 1975 . It was reissued on CD in 1992....
1975 as J. D. Crowe & the New South - Holiday In Japan 1975 as J. D. Crowe & the New South
- New South Live 1975 as J. D. Crowe & the New South
- Boone Creek 1977 as Boone Creek
- One Way Track 1977 as Boone Creek
- That Down Home Feeling 1977 as Buck White & Down Home Folks
- Buck and Family Live 1979 as Buck White & Down Home Folks
- More Pretty Girls Than One 1979 as Buck White & Down Home Folks
- Bluegrass Album Vol.3: California Connection 1983 as Bluegrass Album Band
- Snakes Alive 1984 as Dreadful Snakes
- Bluegrass Album Vol.4 1985 as Bluegrass Album Band
- Bluegrass Album Vol.5: Sweet Sunny South 1989 as Bluegrass Album Band
- The Telluride Sessions 1989 as Strength in Numbers
- Will the Circle be Unbroken Vol. 2 1990 with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- Skip, Hop & Wobble 1993 as BarenbergRuss BarenbergRuss Barenberg is a Grammy-nominated American bluegrass musician.-Biography:Barenberg began playing guitar at age 13, taking lessons from Alan Miller, whose brother John Miller Barenberg he would later play with. His style was heavily influenced by the flatpicking technique of Clarence White. He...
, Douglas & MeyerEdgar MeyerEdgar Meyer is a prominent contemporary bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, newgrass, and jazz. Meyer has worked as a session musician in Nashville, part of various chamber groups, a composer, and an arranger... - The Great Dobro SessionsThe Great Dobro SessionsThe Great Dobro Sessions is a 1994 country music and bluegrass album featuring an all-star line-up of 10 American resonator guitar players, produced by dobro players Jerry Douglas and Tut Taylor....
1994 as Jerry Douglas and various artists - Far From Enough 1994 with Viktor Krauss
- Bluegrass Album Vol.6: Bluegrass Instrumentals 1996 as Bluegrass Album Band
- Bourbon & Rosewater 1996 as BhattVishwa Mohan BhattVishwa Mohan Bhatt also known as V. M. Bhatt is an Indian slide guitar player. Bhatt is the creator of the Mohan Veena...
, Douglas & MeyerEdgar MeyerEdgar Meyer is a prominent contemporary bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, newgrass, and jazz. Meyer has worked as a session musician in Nashville, part of various chamber groups, a composer, and an arranger... - Yonder 1996 with Peter Rowan
- O Brother, Where Art Thou?O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack)O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the soundtrack of music from the 2000 American film of the same name, written, directed and produced by the Coen Brothers and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Goodman....
2000 with Alison KraussAlison KraussAlison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
, The WhitesThe WhitesThe Whites is an American country music vocal group consisting of lead singer Sharon White, her sister Cheryl , and their father Buck...
, as Soggy Bottom Boys - Deja Vu (All Over Again)Deja Vu (All Over Again)Deja Vu is a 2004 album by John Fogerty. It was released after the lapse of 7 years from previous studio album Blue Moon Swamp...
2004 with John FogertyJohn FogertyJohn Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest... - Secret, Profane, & Sugarcane 2009 with Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
and the Sugarcanes
With Alison Krauss or Alison Krauss and Union Station
- Forget About ItForget About ItForget About It is the eighth studio album by Alison Krauss, released in 1999. It reached number 5 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. The lead-off single "Forget About It" peaked at number 67 on the Country Singles Chart and "Stay" reached number 28 on the Adult Contemporary chart.-Track...
1999 - New FavoriteNew FavoriteNew Favorite is the ninth album by bluegrass music group Alison Krauss & Union Station, released August 14, 2001. The album peaked in the top 50 of the Billboard 200 and within the top 5 of the Billboard charts for both Country and Bluegrass and was certified gold...
2001 - LiveLive (Alison Krauss album)Live is the eleventh album, and first all-live album, by Alison Krauss and Union Station. All of the songs except "Down to the River to Pray" were recorded at The Louisville Palace April 29–30, 2002...
2002 - Lonely Runs Both WaysLonely Runs Both WaysLonely Runs Both Ways is the twelfth album by bluegrass music group Alison Krauss & Union Station, released November 23, 2004. The album won the band three Grammy Awards in 2006, including Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal for the song "Restless", Best Country Instrumental...
2004 - A Hundred Miles or More: A CollectionA Hundred Miles or More: A CollectionA Hundred Miles or More: A Collection is a compilation album by country/bluegrass artist Alison Krauss. It was released on April 3, 2007, and is a collection of new and old songs that Krauss has recorded. It features duets with Sting, Brad Paisley, John Waite, and James Taylor. The album debuted...
2007 - Paper Airplane 2011
Grammy awards
- 1983 Best Country Instrumental Performance - "Fireball" - with The New South
- 1994 Best Bluegrass Album - "The Great Dobro Sessions"
- 2001 Best Country Instrumental Performance - "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" with Earl Scruggs
- 2001 Album of the Year - "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" - various artists
- 2001 Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group - "The Lucky One"- Alison Krauss + Union Station
- 2001 Best Bluegrass Album - "New Favorite" - Alison Krauss + Union Station
- 2003 Best Country Instrumental Performance - "Cluck Old Hen" - Alison Krauss + Union Station
- 2003 Best Bluegrass Album - "LIVE" - Alison Krauss + Union Station
- 2004 Best Country Instrumental Performance - "Earl's Breakdown" - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Featuring Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Vassar Clements & Jerry Douglas
- 2006 Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - "Restless" - Alison Krauss and Union Station
- 2006 Best Country Instrumental Performance - "Unionhouse Branch" - Alison Krauss and Union Station
- 2006 Best Country Album - "Lonely Runs Both Ways" - Alison Krauss and Union Station
IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Awards
- 1990 Instrumental Performers of the Year — Dobro
- 1991 Instrumental Performers of the Year — Dobro
- 1992 Instrumental Album of the Year - Slide Rule, Jerry Douglas
- 1992 Record Event of the Year - Slide Rule
- 1992 Instrumental Performers of the Year — Dobro
- 1993 Instrumental Performers of the Year - Dobro
- 1994 Instrumental Album of the Year - Skip, Hop & Wobble; Douglas, Barenberg & Meyer
- 1994 Instrumental Performers of the Year - Dobro
- 1995 Instrumental Album of the Year - The Great Dobro Sessions; Mike Auldridge, Curtis Burch, Jerry Douglas, Josh Graves, Rob Ickes, Oswald Kirby, Stacy Phillips, Tut Taylor, Sally Van Meter, Gene Wooten
- 1995 Record Event of the Year - The Great Dobro Sessions
- 1995 Instrumental Performers of the Year - Dobro
- 1997 Album of the Year - True Life Blues—The Songs of Bill Monroe; Sam Bush, Vassar Clements, Mike Compton, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Pat Enright, Greg Garing, Richard Greene, David Grier, David Grisman, John Hartford, Bobby Hicks, Kathy Kallick, Laurie Lewis, Mike Marshall, Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury, Jim Nunally, Scott Nygaard, Mollie O'Brien, Tim O'Brien, Alan O'Bryant, Herb Pedersen, Todd Phillips, John Reischman, Peter Rowan, Craig Smith, Chris Thile, Tony Trischka, Roland White
- 1997 Record Event of the Year - True Life Blues—The Songs of Bill Monroe
- 1997 Instrumental Album of the Year - Bluegrass Instrumentals, Volume 6; The Bluegrass Album Band
- 2001 Instrumental Performers of the Year - Dobro
- 2002 Instrumental Performers of the Year - Dobro
- 2003 Album of the Year - Alison Krauss + Union Station Live, Alison Krauss + Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas
- 2003 Record Event of the Year - Will The Circle Be Unbroken Vol. III; Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Matraca Berg, Sam Bush, June Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, Vassar Clements, Iris DeMent, Rodney Dillard, Jerry Douglas, Glen Duncan, Vince Gill, Josh Graves, Jamie Hanna, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Jimmy Martin, Del McCoury, Robbie McCoury, Ronnie McCoury, Jonathan McEuen, The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Tony Rice, Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Doc Watson, Richard Watson, Glenn Worf & Dwight Yoakam