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A True American Troubadour
Doug MacLeod is a singer-songwriter in the American tradition. He is a traveling artist that writes and sings original songs that are based
on his own life and experiences. He learned from the old masters, lived the music, survived the life and carries forward a valuable
tradition. MacLeod is known for his superb songwriting, guitar wizardry, warm soulful vocals, wit and unforgettable live performances.
At the heart of this is his knack for storytelling, bringing characters-from the faceless to the legendary-to strikingly real life.
As a youth, MacLeod overcame inexpressible abuse and a crippling stutter by turning to music. After he picked up the guitar, and tried to
sing-his voice came out. He really hasn't stuttered much since.
While he developed his rich, soulful voice MacLeod also worked out a unique, unorthodox and powerfully rhythmic acoustic guitar style. His
distinct style of playing was a byproduct of pent-up rage from his turbulent childhood and the segregation drama in his new home of St.
Louis. The rage of his youth was eventually channeled through his guitar, using his relentless right hand to pound out an insistent,
churning beat to complement his intricate bottleneck and finger-style technique.
MacLeod's playing landed him sideman gigs with George 'Harmonica' Smith, Big Joe Turner, Pee Wee Crayton, Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson, Lowell
Fulson and Big Mama Thornton. Under their tutelage, he learned how to thrill and enrapture a crowd.
Over 26 years, 13 studio albums, several live records and two DVDs, MacLeod has consistently earned raves. His songs have been covered by
many artists including Albert King, Albert Collins, Joe Louis Walker and Eva Cassidy. He has co-written songs with Dave Alvin and Coco
Montoya. MacLeod's songs have been featured in many TV movies and the hit show In the Heat of the Night.
From 1999 to 2004 he hosted Nothin' But The Blues, a very popular weekend blues show on Los Angeles' KLON-KKJZ. He has also been the voice
for The Blues Showcase on Continental Airlines and contributed his soulful slide guitar playing to the Los Angeles opening of the August
Wilson play Gem of the Ocean. And for the past nine years, he's penned "Doug's Back Porch," a regular feature in Blues Revue Magazine in
which he shares his humorous and insightful stories with thousands of readers. In April 2006, MacLeod released Where I Been on Black and
Tan Records, as well as the instructional DVD 101* Blues Guitar Essentials on Solid Air/Warner Bros. In April 2007, Black and Tan released
the live concert DVD The Blues in Me and in April 2008 his latest album, The Utrecht Sessions.
In every note he performs and records, MacLeod subscribes to the rule-of-thumb learned from country bluesman Ernest Banks who instilled in
him to "Never play a note you don't believe" and "Never write or sing about what you don't know about."
Like the old masters who taught him, MacLeod's music expresses life and times via an intangible, elusive quality that may simply be a keen
sense of what matters most. There is a philosophic and healing side to MacLeod's music and his stories that has helped others overcome
the hardships of their lives.
As Pee Wee Crayton's widow Esther once told Doug, " You have a message and you'll send that message mainly to the people who don't go to
church."
Amen.
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