Doug Cox

There are world musicians, and there are musicians of the world. In the case of Doug Cox, this extremely talented composer/multi-instrumentalist happens to be both.

As a young bluesman, this devotee of bottleneck slide guitar had a life-transforming when he first picked up the Dobro. That eerie, slightly plangent music resonated deep in his soul and changed everything.

Always a gifted guitarist, Doug immediately displayed a special affinity for this most expressive of instruments. His talent and passion proved nearly boundless, and before long he was playing and recording with masters such as Ellen McIlwaine and David Essig. Eventually his musical world expanded to include such diverse virtuosos as Indian slide guitarists Vishwa Mohan and Salil Bhatt, dearly departed bluesman Long John Baldry, guitar slinger Amos Garrett, Songwriter Chuck Brodsky and expat Rwandan The Mighty Popo.

His own bands and solo recordings display a similarly expansive arc, as the folk-blues of Bone Bottle Brass or Steel eventually led to old-timey supergroup Strung (Band of Gypsies – with Tony McManus and April Verch), New Orleans funk (Make A Better World – featuring John Boutte on Vocals), or countrified Austin Americana in company with BettySoo (Across The Borderline).

Doug has earned innumerable raves, from the BBC’s Bob Harris to magazines such as Guitar Player, he has long been an in-demand player on the Dobro, mandolin, Weissenborn, and the National Steel. His compositions and songs have been featured on many film and TV soundtracks, including Terry Gilliam's Tideland, A&E's Biography, Coyote Ugly, Steven Seagals: Lawman, Auction Kings, Breaking Amish, Call of the Wildman, Chasing Classic Cars, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and TV's Duck Dynasty.

Doug was the first featured Dobro player ever booked by the Montreal Jazz Festival, and the first Canadian invited to play Dobrofest in Trnava in Slovakia, a unique festival set in the birthplace of the Dopyera brothers, the men who invented the Dobro nearly a century ago.

Either as solo performer or as guest artist, as a Producer, or when touring with longtime friends and colleagues, Doug embodies inventiveness and breathtaking musicality. Whether the performance calls for rootsy Americana, New Acoustic, or traditional blues with an African twist, Doug is an intuitive and gracious musical collaborator.

And more than just a performer, Doug is deeply embedded in the entire world of music. Aside from regularly teaching at music camps in Alaska, Texas, and England, he ran his own Malahat Mountain Music label for years and still produces records for the many musical friends he has made along his journey. He is also the producer and artistic director of Vancouver Island MusicFest, which is closing in on its 25th year and has long been one of Canada’s most popular and respected music events.

In 2017, Doug was inducted into the BC Music Hall of Fame as a Pioneer Star for his extensive body of work as a musician and producer. In 2018 he was awarded a spot in the Comox Valley Walk of Fame.

Since then, Doug has shared a Grammy Nomination for his work on San Antonio band, Los Texmaniacs recent CD and produced a CD in Nashville for his friend April Verch, bringing together a who's who of the 'real' country music scene. Most recently, he produced the debut album for young Liam Docherty, which was just nominated for a Canadian Maple Blues Award. 

 Doug's worked hard on his art and his craft, and you can hear it when he plays. You can also see it, in the names of the artists he's making music with and the places he's played and when you read between those lines, you know he's earned the respect of his peers and a lot of very happy listeners. He is a catalyst among musicians and artists for many fascinating collaborations.

What a long, strange – and delightful – trip it continues to be!

 

 

DOUG COX DISCOGRAPHY 

 Doug's Solo CD Projects

Canadian Borderline 1993

Bone Bottle Brass or Steel 1996

Life Is So Peculiar 1999 (on Cordova Bay/Ragged Pup Records)

Stay Lazy 2002

Without Words 2009 (on Black Hen Label)

 

with BettySoo

Across The Borderline; Lie To Me 2011

More Lies, 2012 (on Netherland's Continental Label)

 

with Slide To Freedom

Slide to Freedom (with guest VM Bhatt) 2007 (on Northern Blues Label)

Make a Better World 2009 (w guest vocalist John Boutte) -2009 JUNO NOMINEE - WORLD MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR  - (on Northern Blues Label)

20,000 Miles (w guests The Campbell Brothers, Calvin Cook & BettySoo) 2011 -(on Northern Blues Label)

 

with Strung (Doug with April Verch, Tony McManus and Cody Walters)

Band Of Gypsies 2009

 

with Sam Hurrie

Hungry Ghosts 2005 (on Northern Blues Label)

Blues From The Forbidden Plateau 2007

Revisited - 2013

Old Friends - 2017 (on Black Hen Label)

 

with Todd Butler

Live Blues 2002

Dobro and Guitar 2003 (named in top CDs 2003 Acoustic Guitar Magazine and Downbeat Magazine)

 

with Linda McRae

Beyond The Great Pause (2023)

 

Select recordings with others

Travels With Charley - all recordings available

The Irish Rovers "The Boys Come Rollin Home" 1994

Will Millar "The Keeper" 1994

Bob Bossin "Gabriola V0R 1X0 " 1994

Ken Hamm "Eagle Rock Road" 1995

Joel Fafard "Fierce Warmth" 1996

Diamond Joe White "Honestly" 1997

Cox-Bartley-Clifford "Highway 20" 1998

Resophonics Anonymous 2000

Six Strings North Of The Border 2001

Michael Messer "King Guitar" 2001

Caring For Our Coast 2001

Hornby Island Blues Camp 2002

Frank Hoorn "Solid Ground" 2002

Rhythm & Green - Cumberland Compilation 2002

Eric Westbury 2003

Rick Henry "Wide Open" 2004

Resophonics Anonymous - Relapse - 2004

Todd Butler - Idle Canadian - 2005

Layla Zoe - Shades of Blue - 2006

Lynne Hanson - Things I Miss - 2006

Frank Hoorn - Years In The Making - 2006

David Essig - Presbyterian Guitar - 2007

Dubblestandart - dub mix - 2007

Lynne Hanson - Eleven Months - 2008

Corinne West - The Promise - 2009

Bill Dalton - Grass Clippings - 2009

MAITRI - 2009

Leela Gilday - Calling All Warriors - 2010

Don Amero - I'm Going Home - 2010

Oh My Darling - In The Lonesome Hours - 2010

The Mighty Popo - Gakondo - 2010 (Juno Nominated)

Jamyang Yeshi - Demo Project - 2011

The Rakish Angles - Cottonwood Moon - 2011

Amy Cunningham - To The Stars We'll Return - 2011

Shane Koyczan & Short Story Long - Remembrance Year - 2011

Linda McRae - Rough Edges & Ragged Hearts - 2012

Russ Kelley - Crazy Shades Of Blue - 2012

Barry Bruyere - Same Love - 2012

Marilyn Harper Smith - Before The Fall - 2012

Whit Hill - Count A Little Higher - 2012

Twin Peaks - Twin Peaks - 2012

Discreet Da Chosen 1 - A Midieval Romance - 2012

A Million Dollars In Pennies - 2012

Leonard Sumner - Rez Poetry - 2013

Familiar Wild - Dark Dreams - 2013

The O'Brien Family - Blue Cottage Music - 2014

Twin Peaks - Trouble - 2014

Peter Prince - Island Way - 2014

Kevin Mitchell - Home In The Sky - 2016

Quantum Tangle - Shelter as we Go - 2017

SantaFe- Sweet SantaFe - 2017

Annie Savage & Tracy Lynn - Two Coats - 2017

Dan Navarro - Shed My Skin - 2018

Los Texmaniacs - Cruzando Borders -2018 (Grammy Nominated!)

Big Little Lions -  Inside Voice - 2019 

David Gillis - Cooing with the Doves - 2020

Don Fisher - Three Score and Ten - 2022

Wayne Levesque - CreekWalker - 2023