Born and raised in Motown, Doug's musical journey began with piano lessons in the late '60s. He played bassoon in junior high and flute in high school. Influenced by legendary rock and rollers like The Doors and the Rolling Stones, Doug first picked up guitar in 1971. He began playing bass in 1975, starting in a Detroit rock band like many other bass players...as a guitar player in a band that couldn't find a bass player! Once the lowdown sound got into his soul, there was no turning back. Besides, ever try to carry a piano? After 30 years in Detroit and a couple more in New York City, Ann Arbor became home in 1987. Since then, Doug has played with lots of home grown musicians in many of the smoke-filled dives...er, I mean top venues, around town and across the state.

Although he's a life-long fan of the Fender Precision bass (such as the one is pictured in the photo), Doug also plays a 1977 blue Rickenbacker 4001, and has recently gone 5-string with a white-blonde Fender Jazz bass. He also occaisionally likes to swing on a 100 year old, fully carved upright bass. His amplifiers are purely Gallien-Krueger, featuring a combination of 10", 12", and 15" G-K speaker cabinets to match venues of any size. Doug uses Shure wireless transmitters on all of his basses, allowing him the freedom to wander to the bar for a blast of Crown Royal at any given moment.

The classy, custom-made suits have become a trademark...just like any one of several characters from Doug's favorite show. Any Soprano fans out there? Doug's other TV passion is Detroit Tiger baseball games. The sunglasses protect his ever-so-sensitive eyes from the glare of stage lighting, though it has been suggested that they actually serve the dubious function of stealth girl-watching. People have such dirty minds...those lights are really bright!